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.