Bought these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=2037

For and FSA Orbit XLII headset but they don’t seem to fit, any ideas why not?

you just need a bigger one of these..

Been sent the wrong ones? Ordered a top one for the bottom or something? Orbit bearings should almost drop in and out, it’s just the mildest of interference fits. Check the lettering on the bearings.

Or, send back and buy a whole new Orbit XLII headset off ebay for less than the price of a pair of bearings and take the bearings out of that.

872 verses 873? I had the same problem. Check old bearings for a match of numbers.

The new ones are 872 upper and 871 lower.

Can’t see what the old ones are as I don’t have them out at the moment.

Is it 873 that I need and if so do you know where to get them?

Thanks, this may be it.

Come back Wally, tell me more! 🙂

Right my brother is here to stay and so we had the headset apart last night. Changing the bottom went fine, he had just failed to get the seal out.

But the top bearings are different. The one he had bought has no markings or text on it but an OD of 41.0mm compared to 41.5mm for the one he had bought. All my spares for Orbit MX (different headset I realise) are also 41.5mm The straight section on the old bearing also appears taller with a shorter chamfer than the new one but both have the same overall height.

Any one else had this issue?

Hmmm, seems I’ve just been a victim of the same problem. Wish I’d seen this thread earlier. The one from CRC with 872 code is bigger than the one I need. Unfortunately the original either never had any ID marks, or they’ve worn off.

Dunno what to do now. Most vexing…

I ordered bearing TH873 from UKBikestore to see if that fits, but haven’t heard from my brother on whether it does yet.

Will post again when I know.