I've just replaced the horrible Mindset in my Langster with sealed bearings pressed straight into the frame. All seems to fit well and turn smoothly with no play, but now I have a gap above/below the headtube. I've double checked and everything is in as it should be but it's no longer sitting flush! There was a small gap with the Mindset too but it's bigger now. I'm thinking I could just fill the gaps with rubber o-rings but would be nice to get it flush without if possible! Any ideas?
by TR__vis
8 Comments
Pretty sure you got the wrong headset. Measuring headsets is not straightforward and there are a lot of different types and sizes. Which Langster do you have?
Read this, specifically the SHIS part
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/headsets.html
5 minutes and some calipers, you should be able to answer your question.
I wish I could replace my mindset. I’m sure it’ll take some time to fill the gaps.
you replaced what
I think I had this too. I tightened the bolt on the stem cap. It fixed and made everything flush.
Changing headsets can sometimes make a small gap of 1 or 2mm but this is much larger than it should be.
If you did not change the crown race (angled spacer at bottom of steerer tube) on the fork this will be the cause of the lower gap. For the upper gap it looks like there’s an extra piece in there.
The order you should have fitted is;
1) Crown race (new one should come with headset, must use this)
2) Lower bearing
3) Put fork back in frame
4) Upper bearing
5) Upper race (should have come as part of new headset)
6) Big cone spacer
7) Spacers/stem
8) Top cap
Can’t edit OP but this is the guide I followed
https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/12963941/how-to-replace-a-specialized-mindset-with-sealed-cartridges
check to see if you have the bearings installed right with the tapers where they need to be – top one on top and bottom one on bottom – could be your issue