The darker months bring out the macabre in each of us; for Gianni it was the extinction of his beloved Park Tool adjustable clamp. For me, I found myself mourning the fact that I recently purchased a headset press. Ignoring the fact that a Velominatus of my stature didn’t already own one, the mourn behind the mourn is where the interest lies.
What could possibly compel anyone to grieve over buying one of the most remarkable tools a person could own? I once installed a headset using only a wooden staircase, a two-by-four, and a hammer. My dad was surprised I managed to get the cups installed properly; my mother was surprised at the state of the steps. Using a press to install a headset is a beautiful process but it also doesn’t surprise anyone the way installing a headset with a hammer and a block of wood does.
In my life as a Cyclist, I have rarely required my own headset press; my dad owned a press when I was growing up and by the time I lived far enough from my dad’s workshop to merrit buying my own tool, headsets had evolved to the modern sealed cartridge bearing which only requires opposable thumbs to install. The headset press was running down the same trail upon which the whippoorwill was last seen right until some bright spark decided that screw-in bottom-bracket cups were too expensive to manufacture and that it would be a good idea to seat them directly into the frame. At which point the headset press made a surprising re-entry into the Velominatus’ toolbox on the same terms that my former headset installation technique impressed my mother.
I mourn this for two reasons. First, BB30 (and its relatives) are based on a sound principle where one increases the support to the fulcrum to keep it from flexing under load while simultaneously increasing the diameter of the crank’s axle to reduce flex there as well. The result is pretty obvious to anyone who has ridden a bike using this system; it’s like riding without a chain the first time you use one. The point missed is that the BB shell is made generically to a loose standard instead of specifically to a manufacturer’s requirements, and the tolerances aren’t nearly tight enough to keep the system from creaking without the application of Loctite or the like, which is an abomination in itself. A bicycle should not require Loctite, ever.
Second – and more concerningly – it brings into mind the point that we have strayed far from The Path.
There was a time when the adjustment of a bearing against its races was an art mastered by the great artisans of our sport. Bearings are designed to reduce the friction between two surfaces that need to rotate around one another and consist of a system of two races (a cup and a cone) and a set of metal or ceramic balls which sit between the races. Each of the races are attached to the rotating surfaces, and the chief business of the balls is to facilitate expedient movement between the two, mostly because balls are good at rolling, and not much else besides chasing if you ask my dog. How effective the bearing is (how much it reduces the friction) is a function of how smooth the surfaces of the races are, how round the balls are, and how little tension exists between the three.
Art is about expressing perfection in a world of flaws; within this definition, adjusting a set of bearings is perhaps the most perfect example of art. No surface is perfectly smooth and no ball is perfectly round, which means that all bearings are flawed. To combat this, we add lubrication which helps smooth out the imperfections but also increases resistance. The master artisan balances these flaws to achieve the state closest to perfection.
The first time I rebuilt a hub, I spent hours adjusting the system; first teh bearings would be so loose that the axle would rattle. Then I’d tighten it to where the bearings felt rough. Back and forth the pendulum swung until the bearings spun smoothly. My pride brimmed over at my own success. The Master takes that as a starting point and works from there until they find perfection. This is the sort of skill that, in the past century, not only demanded the highest pay among mechanics, but secured their reputation and fixed their place in the industry.
Today, we adjust bearings with an allen key. We press them in with a headset press if our opposable thumbs can’t do the trick, and then we use a hex key to tighten the sucker just enough that we can stand how it functions. Its no way to live, although I admit it is a practical way to live.
But we aren’t professionals; we are disciples. I don’t care about practical, I care about the experience. My Campa Record hubs still have loose bearings, but that’s the only bicycle I own which still holds this relic. And I don’t even own the tools to properly adjust them. So for 2015, I set for myself the following goal: I endeavor to rebuild at least one of my bikes with a full compliment of adjustable, loose ball-bearings – the headset, the wheels, the bottom bracket. That is my mission, that is my rite. I shall embrace the cartridge bearing as part of the modern bicycle, but I will journey down the path to maintain my skill in adjusting a true bearing.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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Frank - I never considered using a staircase to fix my bike! Hmm...
My commuter has some cheapo Axel wheels (did you hear that SantaVelomihottieClaus?) and they were knocking a few weeks back. I pulled them apart to find, to my surprise, loose bearings. I was sure they'd have cartridge. My second surprise was that the seal is simply a metal cap. Not a rubber seal and cap like the 105 hubs I'd worked on, just a metal cap. Huh. Was easier than I remembered to pull it apart and put it back together, but I'm years passed my last experience, and much handier at fixing bikes.
I still have yet to sort out how much play Mavic Ksyrium wheels should have. The play feels different to me than Shimano hubs. Instead of a wiggle movement, it's more like a here/there back/forth. (yes, not very descriptive, sorry).
Loctite - the NDS bolt on my FSA crankset likes to work itself out every few months. I tighten it down, eventually I'll look down when riding and see it's not flush against the crankarm. Not sure how to sort it.
I love the IDEA behind press-fit bottom brackets but good god the current implementations are terrible.
@rfreese888 they shouldn't need much adjustment once set. The bigger thing is keeping the innards clean, which depends on the conditions you ride in.
@frank a clip of that scene used to be on youtoob. Couldn't find it on my phone so I punted. Now the narration is stuck in my head: "a quiet garden. Along toward noon..."
@rfreese888 I haven't heard of loose ceramic replacement bearings, only ceramic cartridge bearings. I am no engineer but I can see at least three potential issues (1) the ceramic bearings would be harder than the steel races and destroy the races in short order; (2) ceramic bearings I believe tolerate contamination less well and cup and cone bearings are more exposed to the elements than cartridges; (3) when fussing with loose bearings magnetism is your friend.
@rfreese888
@rfreese888
That depends greatly on the level of ceramic bearing. The CULT bearings that Campy use in their current wheels required them to develop a special steel alloy bearing race because the bearings tore up the standard steel and alloy races they were using in the hubs.
The current Super Record BB using those bearing( albeit it in cartridge form) is the only external BB I have ever found to come close to spinning as smoothly as the nearly 30 year old C-Record bb I have in my old DeRosa. It's worth noting..most of the top level track racers still use old square taper bb's( mostly Sugino 75) for the ultra smooth spin. It's one place where the smoothness is still rated higher than the stiffness.
I get that the Park frame clamp has sort of a cult standing in most bike shops, as well as those of us who have one at home. But lamenting loose ball bearings! You can have them if that's your wish for Nirvana. As much as I love Campy Record hubs, BBs, and headsets, I will stick with the new world on this one. Why? First and foremost, cartridge hub bearings are just plan faster. I need all the help I can get now, too! Second, my time is way more valuable than when I was a twenty-something bike racer bum. Since I was without entanglements of a career and responsibility, I rode a heck of a lot more than now except for a November break. I rode pretty much all year 'round, regardless of weather. That riding was here in the Northwest, too. As some of you may have heard it rains here sometimes. Rain, lots of miles, plus loose ball bearing hubs/BBs/headsets equaled time spent maintaining the bike. A lot. As in once a week sometimes if the weather was really crappy. As in go through a tub of the mystical Campy grease over a winters worth of riding. Granted there was sort of a pay-off in this experience for I could tear down a hub, clean it out, repack, and reassemble very quickly. And I learned the right "feel" to setting up the bearings to run just right, not too tight, not too loose. Great skill to have for a bike shop mechanic during the 80's. Not so much now. I might be wrong headed here and overly enamored by the ease of maintenance of my current #1 bici. But the old days are sometimes just left in the dustbin.
@Nate
Cheers Nate - I mostly use them in good weather, but in Ireland that can still mean getting caught in the rain, and occasionally Noah's Ark conditions. I aim to get the whole bike serviced in Feb (my current level is weekly cleaning, fixing flats, and replacing brake pads) so will have the hubs checked out too.
As chance would have it the front wheel bearing on the V-bike completely seized after Sunday's ride in bracing apocalyptic conditions.
With the application of the LBS, some marine grease and £21.00 it's as good as new - loose ball bearings I'd still be working on...
@rfreese888 sure. You might ask your wrench about periodic lubing based on local conditions. Those little clips on the hubs come off to allow access to a grease port.