drop-in bearings aheadset, bad experience?

[el condor]

I'm riding on a roadbike with runs with a fsa aheadset (drop-in-bearing-system), and I can't get a certain "fluffy" feeling out of the steering unit.
there's no play but it's not perfectly stiff either.Anyone having made similar observation?
What are the best bearings to use for the campy system(11/8")-no play at the inner ring?

[BMF]

been riding numerous bikes with the FSA bearings and never had any problems. Though sometimes, if one is using a full carbon fork, one might exparience problems with the expander. It could very well start to slide upwards in the fork so one never gets rid of the "play".

[el condor]

been riding numerous bikes with the FSA bearings and never had any problems. Though sometimes, if one is using a full carbon fork, one might exparience problems with the expander. It could very well start to slide upwards in the fork so one never gets rid of the "play".

I got a fullcarbon fork with the angle included (part of the carbonfork) so in my case it can't be the expander.

[MGS9500]

Did you install the headset, or the store?

It is very easy to put the bearing in upside down. There are two sets, both top and bottom. If either one is reversed, the headset will function but will feel a little loose and impossible to get a solid feel no matter how much adjustment is performed.

This happened to me after changing out a fork. The headset was flawless and I couldn't get the new fork to feel right. After beating my head against the wall I realized that the top bearing ring was in upside down.

After reversing it, the fork and headset seated and now perform witout a hitch.

I have actually found the FSA headset solid and rigid. Almost impossible to get it to feel loose or bind up. Unless you have it in wrong.

[el condor]

Did you install the headset, or the store?

It is very easy to put the bearing in upside down. There are two sets, both top and bottom. If either one is reversed, the headset will function but will feel a little loose and impossible to get a solid feel no matter how much adjustment is performed.

This happened to me after changing out a fork. The headset was flawless and I couldn't get the new fork to feel right. After beating my head against the wall I realized that the top bearing ring was in upside down.

After reversing it, the fork and headset seated and now perform witout a hitch.

I have actually found the FSA headset solid and rigid. Almost impossible to get it to feel loose or bind up. Unless you have it in wrong.

You are right that could be possible-but I have put them in the right way-it's just the fact that these bearings have some play at the inner ring(where the head of the fork goes through) and I believe that fact can't be erased no matter how strong one tightens the headset (until the bearings are flat)-?

[nexusheli]

In all my experience with IS headsets, it sounds like you're missing a peice. There should be a small, split-style crown race that fits into the inner-diameter of the lower bearing.

Something else to keep in mind, though I'm sure it's already been looked into is that there are two standards of Integrated headsets, Cane Creek and Campy. FSA makes headsets for both systems, and they are not interchangable. As odd as it may be, it's possible you have a bearing from the wrong system. It's an unlikely mix-up, but something to look into none the less.

I have the cane-creek style IS headset on my mountain bike and it works fine, and all of the eddy merckx bikes we sell use the campy style IS HS and that's the least of the problems on the bikes.

I would have a shop that does a lot of work with bikes that use that style of head-set take a look at yours. There's definitely something wrong if there's any play at all.

[el condor]

In all my experience with IS headsets, it sounds like you're missing a peice. There should be a small, split-style crown race that fits into the inner-diameter of the lower bearing.

Something else to keep in mind, though I'm sure it's already been looked into is that there are two standards of Integrated headsets, Cane Creek and Campy. FSA makes headsets for both systems, and they are not interchangable. As odd as it may be, it's possible you have a bearing from the wrong system. It's an unlikely mix-up, but something to look into none the less.

I have the cane-creek style IS headset on my mountain bike and it works fine, and all of the eddy merckx bikes we sell use the campy style IS HS and that's the least of the problems on the bikes.


I would have a shop that does a lot of work with bikes that use that style of head-set take a look at yours. There's definitely something wrong if there's any play at all.

Yes, that would be a possibility, the mix-up of two different angle-systems but this isn't the case either and as I mentioned earlier, For the lower bearing I don't need a split-style crown race since this is integrated in my time full carbon fork (36°).The bearings are: 36X36 / 41.5X6.5mm.Th-industries red seal.

[divve]

It wasn't quite clear, but you mentioned Campy system in your first post? Your time fork according to you is 36 deg. That's not the Campagnolo Hiddenset standard, which is 45/45 deg.

[nexusheli]

It wasn't quite clear, but you mentioned Campy system in your first post? Your time fork according to you is 36 deg. That's not the Campagnolo Hiddenset standard, which is 45/45 deg.

Agreed. Campy is 45/45, Cane Creek is 36/45. You did ask about campy system up top. If you've got campy style headset on a CC style fork, that's the problem right there.

The FSA Orbit CE and Orbit CF are both Campy style, the Orbit I is the only headset I know they make in the Cane Creek standard. You might want to check into it again.

[el condor]

It wasn't quite clear, but you mentioned Campy system in your first post? Your time fork according to you is 36 deg. That's not the Campagnolo Hiddenset standard, which is 45/45 deg.

Agreed. Campy is 45/45, Cane Creek is 36/45. You did ask about campy system up top. If you've got campy style headset on a CC style fork, that's the problem right there.

The FSA Orbit CE and Orbit CF are both Campy style, the Orbit I is the only headset I know they make in the Cane Creek standard. You might want to check into it again.

You are all right.I was talking about campy because I'm thinking to have it converted to that system since the bearings are bigger-before I do it-I wanted to know how it performs.
But yes, so far I still have the th-system-36x36/41.4X6.5mm.

[fdegrove]

Hi,

You are all right.I was talking about campy because I'm thinking to have it converted to that system

As far as I know both systems are not interchangeable.

Ciao,

[el condor]

Hi,

You are all right.I was talking about campy because I'm thinking to have it converted to that system

As far as I know both systems are not interchangeable.

Ciao,

They're not confertible unless you prepare fork and steering tube to fit that system.