will waiting to replace the bearings in the headset of my bike make it more expensive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hellishness
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Hellishness

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i just bought a cheap old bmx, and the handle bar kinda rattles/jiggles foreward and back. i think that there is something wrong with the bearings. now the thing is, i just wanna ride it, butt will doing so make it more expensive to fix later (when it inevitably jams up and becomes un-rideable)?
 
Since it's on a BMX, it might damage more than the bearings when you jump. What I think is going on is that the headset is loose. The bearings might be ok. But it's best to have it fixed on a shop, it's not the easiest thing to do on a bike.

If you want to mess with it, just remember how everything goes so you can put it back together. There are two bearings, one on top right under the stem, and another at the fork crown. The fork has a tube that goes through the frame, and the stem clamps on top to lock it. You want to push the fork UP towards the stem and push the stem DOWN. Then tighten the stem. It helps if you have somebody holding the fork and stem to keep them from getting loose while you work. Also, go easy on the bolts. Don't get them extremely tight.
 
sounds to me like the problem is just that the headset is just loose, akk you need to solve this problem is to loosen the stem bolts and tighten the bolt or allen that is on top of the stem ( not to much, just enough to stop jiggling but allow free spinning). Also, if the problem reappears after you fix it, the headset is most likely worn out, you can basically ride it till it dies without hurting anything except the bearings and the rest or your headset and cups. One that happens, a cheap new headset for the bike would probably be around $20.
 
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