Headset servicing – how often do you?

Just serviced my Fsa headset on my ex8 and the bottom cup was like something from the sahara!

What headsets are everyone running and how often do you service them?

Hope and about never

I do service the whole bike x 2 per year so look at them then but only ever a light regrease tbh

How long had you left it?

When it sounds like it needs it for me

I don’t, I slather em in grease when I fit them, and leave them til the bearings get rough then put some new ones in.
I am very lazy though.. 😳

Junkyard – got the bike in Feb, ridden once per week until end of Oct. Just noticed the Hope H/S on my Soul has a rubber seal round the bottom cup, whereas my Fsa doesn’t.

Don’t really mind doing the service, but can’t help wondering if the Fsa should have come with a similar rubber seal to the Hope?

Prob done (cleaned and re grease) my CK twice in the 3 yrs I’ve had it.

never serviced the CK on my MTB, may have done the road bike once…or maybe twice?

Best Hope product I have had has been their headsets (not saying anything wrong with any other Hope product), they really are fit and forget. Mine is maybe 4 years old now – never serviced it although I have swapped it between frames once.
FSA Orbit MX on other bike has been pretty reliable, although I have had to regrease recently after 18mths.

but can’t help wondering if the Fsa should have come with a similar rubber seal to the Hope?

Yes, but its called a Hope 🙂

Mine’s been on 4 years and 2-3 rides per week, never touched it.

Never needed too touch my ck in 7years.

Mates have had no ends of problems with there’s.

Really do get what you pay for with ck. BB has been similarly flawless

+1 to Hope fit and forget – might cost a few quid to begin with but it’s one less thing that needs attention in the long term. I’ve got a tired FSA one that I am soon to replace with Hope.

Finally serviced my CK headset last year, after almost 10 years continuous commuting use. Cleaned and regreased, and back in use. I can’t think of any other cycling kit I have owned with that sort of performance. It has actually outlasted the Ti frame it was originally fitted to.

I do it when I service the forks, but it’s just a wee wipe down. Something about my setup on the main bike kills top bearings though so they do need replaced relatively often (and before someone says Hope! I tried a Hope bearing in it as they’re compatible, and they lasted exactly the same as the cheaper Cane Creek ones I normally use)

King here too, wipe it clean and smear with grease whenever the forks are off, service it’s internals if I ever change the frame, so probably 3 times in the last eight years. It’s been faultless, and I only bought it over a Hope because my steerer came up a fraction short after swapping my original WTB Greaseguard set up which also lasted about 8 years.May be worth checking if Hope stainless bearings will swap straight into yours, maybe the crown race too.

If it needs doing you either have cage bearings poor you’re jet washing your headset (usually both).

Though to be fair I’ve kept a frame for long enough and maybe it would need doing after 5 years or so.

And sure, grease up the races and stuff when the forks are off, but that’s rare too.

Dab some grease in my hope if the fork comes out normally give it a wipe as when I drop the bearing…

Will monitor how long this last regrease lasts and then contemplate upgrading to Hope or CK. Anyone else know if you can use a Hope tapered H/S with a Trek E2 head?

Hope, as above, fit and forget. Had mine since 2008 and still as smooth as a very smooth thing!

Chris king here across all my mountain bikes and all reliable although the CK BB did need grease after Mayhem last year.

Both Hope and CK do a range of headsets to cover
The different frame and fork standards. You need to know the internal diameter of you head tube and what yours looks like from this you should be able to work out what you need.

I had an FSA Pig on a 456 for a few months and it was nothing but trouble. Replaced with CK, no more trouble.

Damn phone, substitute or for poor and should be a never in front of kept in my post above.

Never needed too touch my ck in 7years.

This.

Just done so after 12 months (Cane Creek) and the bearings were in a mess. Have used CK in the past and I don’t think there is anything to touch them in the Headset Dept