So I went for a jump session on the big bike today. Part way through it I notice my headset is a bit stiff when turned more than 45° left (fine everywhere else). I get home and strip it down…

Steerer

Lower headset cup.

Now it’s pretty obvious what’s happened – grit between the cup and the steerer has ground away quite a lot of both – they almost feel like they’ve had threads cut in them. There certainly isn’t much space separating them.

Now none of this kit is new – the forks and headset are about 1 year old. The frame was stripped and resprayed just before christmas by Argos and all the parts were mint when it was reassembled (Argos faced the headtube, I fitted the cups using a proper headset tool). Since then it’s had 3 Peak district rides, 4 Chicksands trips (including today) and 1 Esher Shore visit. All stuff (and a lot more besides)that the bike has taken over the past few years with no issues of material ingress into the headtube.

So I’m suspecting the gritblasting media that Argos used. Anyone else agree? Obviously I’m not very happy – the headset *might* be salveagable, the fork CSU definitely not (this is my fr/dh/jump bike and the steerer snapping is not a risk I’m prepared to take), which will set me back at least £200 to sort. I’m going to give Argos a call on Monday to talk to them about it. I doubt if anything will come of it, as it’s impossible to prove one way or another where the grit came from, but I would like to know what their reaction is.

Anybody seen anything similar happen? It’s scared the crap out of me in all honesty.

I seem to remember seeing damage like that on Ellsworths that was due to them not flushing all the balls from the bead blasting out prior to sale.

Oh, and assuming it *is* the blasting media, any ideas how to get it out of my frame so I don’t have a repeat problem in another few rides?

OK found the thread on MTBR

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=256907&highlight=bead+blasting+ellsworth

but it was to do with shot peening rather than respraying, so it might be different. To clean it out people were washing the inside of the frame out with a detergent and water to try and clear the shit out. Personally I would also give it a blast with an airline as well.

Have a word with Fisher, I got my Pike’s rebuilt for nothing when I had a problem with them. (My fault entirely) I was really really impressed. Might have their number somewhere?

01727798345, try that.

I had this sort of damage – definitely from dirt in the headset – with a ball-bearing headset once.

JonEdwards – Member
Oh, and assuming it *is* the blasting media, any ideas how to get it out of my frame so I don’t have a repeat problem in another few rides?

Jon, I had a similar issue with about half a dozen of the purple Alpine frames which worked their way into the seat tube and caused peoples’ seatposts to scratch/jam. Ended up buying a compressor to air blast them out from inside the tubes. They’re tenacious little buggers though, those blasting beads/balls, and getting them all out can be a bit of a chore.

So I went for a jump session on the big bike today. Part way through it I notice my headset is a bit stiff when turned more than 45° left (fine everywhere else). I get home and strip it down…

Is that a fragment of metal I see sitting on the crown race in the first picture?

Maybe the jumping cracked a ball bearing, crown race cage, or some other part of the headset. If you’d had grit in there prior to this you would have noticed it was very stiff and noisy.

Bad luck!

Hope you can get a new steerer/crown/fork leg assy. They look like RS so give Scott at Fisher Outdoors a ring. (St Albans in Herts).