Winterproof Your Bike 3: The Rest

In Parts 1 and 2, we looked at easy (yet very thorough, according to feedback from readers!) ways to ensure that the chain and headset, two of the most delicate parts of the bike, continue to function smoothly throughout the winter by protecting them as far as is possible from the weather, moisture and salt. In this article, we'll look at protecting the rest of the bike. Depending on where you live, it's not essential to carry out all of these tips - if, for example, you live in a relatively dry climate such as lowland southern Europe or the southern USA, just basic protection will see you through the winter. If you live in an area that experiences heavy snow or rainfall, use all of the tips and your bike should keep going through to spring.

The Seat Tube

Moisture can find its way into the frame via the join
between seat pillar (black) and seat tube (silver)
(image credit: Keanu4 CC BY-SA 3.0)

Given enough time, moisture can find its way through the tightest gaps - and when it does, corrosion isn't far behind. That includes getting into the seat tube, even though the seat post is tightly clamped within it; and once it's in there it'll make its way down to the bottom bracket cluster, the most inaccessible part of the bike. Fortunately, it's one of the easiest parts to seal up due to the lack of moving parts.

First, unfasten the seat clamp and remove the seat pillar from the bike - use a marker to draw a line at the point where it emerges from the frame before removing it, even if you're sure you'll remember the correct height (some pillars have lines etched onto them), the reason for which will soon become obvious. While it's out, you may as well give it a quick clean - wipe or spray it with degreaser, wipe again with a  clean rag and then put it to one side. Using a rag fixed to a rod, use degreaser to clean the inside of the seat tube too.

In the article on sealing the headset, we used sections cut from an old inner tube to make a rubber barrier to keep water out. Did you keep the remains of the tube? Good. Cut another 11cm (4") section from it (note: this is only going to work if you have a non-quick release seat clamp or the quick release type with a removable lever. If yours is quick release with a non-removable lever, leave the inner tube unmolested). Now that the seat pillar has been removed, stretch it over the top end of the seat tube, rolling down to the top tube so it's out of the way.

Go back to the seat tube as the degreaser should by now have evaporated away. Apply some good quality grease and smear it over the part that will be concealed within the frame, making sure the entire lower part is covered and taking care to avoid a section beginning 4cm from the point you marked earlier - the pillar is clamped only at this point, so the grease will protect the remainder from moisture without making the pillar slide down inside the frame. If you have a titanium frame or seat pillar, use ti-prep compound instead - titanium and other metals tend to squeak otherwise.

Now slide it into the frame, using the clamp to fasten it a few centimetres before you reach the desired insertion point. Apply a thin layer of household silicone sealant to the 4cm section below this point, then loosen the clamp and insert the pillar to the correct place and refasten. If the sealant hasn't formed a complete ring around the top of the seat tube, apply a little more to form a complete seal - you can also use it to seal up the slot cut into the seat tube just below the clamp. Let it set: the time it takes to do so will be listed on the sealant's packaging. It'll form a complete seal but isn't strong enough to prevent you removing the pillar in the future.

Pick off any excess sealant that has dripped onto the frame, then unroll the section of inner tube so it covers the top section of the seat tube, covering the seat clamp. Use two plastic zip ties, one below the clamp and one above it, to tighten the ends. Your seat tube is now completely sealed from the weather.

Cables
If your bike has internal cable routing, as most road bikes and some mountain bikes (notably Klein) do, moisture can get into the frame via the cable entry holes. Many people are reluctant to fiddle with internally-routed cables for fear that they won't be able to run them back through the frame after removal. In some cases, the cable runs through a tube inside the frame which makes refitting a doddle, but care does need to be taken with "free running" cables when there is no tube running from entry to exit point - in this case, the trick is to ensure that there is always either an inner or outer cable running through the frame.

The internal cable routing can be clearly seen on this Orbea
(image credit: Marcela CC BY-SA 3.0)

To remove old cables, unfasten the cable from the brake or gear mechanism and then - having instructed your glamourous assistant to hold onto both ends of the outer and, on pain of death, not let it come out - pull the inner through and out, having snipped off the end with cable cutters if it's frayed. If you're not going to replace the outer, squirt some light oil (the kind that comes in an aerosol with a little plastic tube to allow you to squirt it into tight spaces) into both ends of the outer. You can then thread the new inner through the outer, using it as a guide. If you will be replacing the outer, carry out the same process but don't fasten the inner to the derailleur or brake. Once it's through, pull the inner taut and then slide the outer through and out of the frame, then off the inner - keep it, as it'll be handy if you need to cut the new one to the correct length. Having applied light oil again, thread the new section of outer onto the inner, then have your assistant hold the inner taut while you slide the outer into the frame. Getting it to poke out at the other end can be fiddly and might require several attempts, but it's a hell of a lot easier than trying to do it without the inner in place.

Pulled the whole lot out of the frame? Well, you should have read this section in full first, shouldn't you? Oh well - how are we going to get the new one through? If your frame has a tube running from entry to exit point, it's a simple matter of threading through a new outer - but if you have free cables, you're in trouble. One way is to use a thin length of stiff wire which can be fed laboriously into the frame and - hopefully - out of the exit point, so that you can fix a piece of string to the end and then use that to pull a section of cable outer through the holes. However, getting the wire through the exit point depends on luck more than skill - if it doesn't work, you might need to visit the bike shop where a mechanic will probably have a pair of very small artery forceps kept for precisely this task. He or she will laugh at you.

If you want to re-use the cables already fitted to your bike or are fitting standard cables, you can use silicone sealant used to create an extra barrier between the entry and exit points and the rubber ferrules that fit into the holes - the ferrules work well, but an extra line of defence won't do any harm.

To seal the cables themselves, be they internally or externally routed, get hold of some thin surgical tubing of a diameter that will slide onto the inners without being tight. Cut it into 3cm lengths, one for each point where the inner cable enters or exits a section of outer cable and slide them onto the inner at the relevant points. These can then be stretched over the ends of the outer cable and provide an effective seal to keep moisture out.

If you want to make sure your cables are completely sealed, invest in Gore Ride On Cables - they're not cheap at around £50-60 per set and fitting them can be tricky the first time, but nothing keeps the weather out so effectively. These feature an inner cable protected along its entire length by a thin polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheath running through a PTFE middle liner, thus creating a system that both reduces friction to an absolute minimum and keeps the inner completely sealed from the outside world. To fit them, first cut the outer section to the correct sizes (some mountain bikers run a full-length outer from brake/gear lever all the way to the brake/derailleur, thus sealing the system entirely at the expense of increased friction and in some cases having to fasten the cable to the frame with ugly zip ties).

When using sealed cables, it's essential to make sure that the ends of the outer sections are smooth and free of sharp burrs as these will damage the PTFE, making your £50 cables no better than £10 cables. While a good quality pair of cable cutters will cut outers to a satisfactory smoothness for standard cables, when using sealed cables it's advisable to smooth the tips using a fine needle file to remove any sharp edges both around and just inside the hole. If the cutters have crushed the outer, use an awl to make it round again - and pick up some better cutters next time you're in the bike shop. Once done, prepare the inner by threading on the rubber ferrules and outer sections (which, if you have internal routing, will already be in place within the frame provided you followed the guide above). Remember that for a cable to work efficiently, it needs to avoid any acute loops - but outer sections also need to be long enough to avoid interference when the handlebars are turned as this will cause "ghost braking" or "ghost shifting" when the bars pull on the cables.

You'll now need to cut the middle liner, taking care not to kink of damage it - the best tool for the job is a sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade, since a knife is likely deform it. Each section needs to be slightly longer than the the relevant outer section so as to continue into the ferrule and keep everything sealed - the amount varies depending on position and manufacturer, so follow the instructions on the cable packaging. Next, thread the inner cable through the outers. If you've cut it cleanly with a decent pair of cutters, it will usually slide through without any problems; however, to ensure the middle liner doesn't get damaged by a strand of wire that successfully comes loose, it can be useful to scrape a small amount of PTFE from the end of the inner and then apply a tiny dab of solder before using the file to smooth it off.

Once the inners and outers are in place, you'll need to remove a little more of the PTFE coating. The exact amount again depends on position and manufacturer: in the case of Gore cables, it's 2.5cm at the front derailleur and 1cm at both the rear derailleur and the brakes - the instructions on the packaging will provide further details. Finally, fit the rubber ferrules that protect the last section as it protrudes from the derailleur/brake stop, then tighten into the anchor bolt. Finish the cables off with a dab of solder or superglue before rounding off with a file and fit a metal ferrule to prevent fraying (tip: if you find a friendly bike mechanic and ask nice, he or she will often give you a handful of ferrules for free or for next to nothing - you get a lot more for a lot less this way rather than you do if you buy them in a packet). There will be a rubber end-cap for each cable which can be fitted over the ferrule, thus protecting even the last few centimetres.

If you have a workstand, click up and down through the gears and make any adjustments that are necessary with particular attention paid to the shifts from the second-largest to largest cog and second-smallest to smallest for the rear derailleur, as these are ones that if not adjusted correctly can cause the chain to come off. Do the same with the front derailleur - if you have two rings, pay attention to the shift from smallest to largest and vice versa; if you have three rings pay attention to the shifts from middle to smallest and middle to largest for the same reason. It's not possible to apply the same stress to the brakes will experience when the bike is being ridden while it's in a workstand, so ride it a short distance and apply the brakes hard a few times to make sure everything is settled in and tight.

Bottom Bracket
Most bikes today use sealed cartridge bottom brackets, in which all moving parts are securely housed within an outer tube. In some cases, these can be dismantled to allow access to the bearings within, in which case it will be possible to relubricate the parts with grease and keep moisture out. Many are sealed units and cannot be taken apart without destroying them - good quality models will be fitted with one or more internal seals at each end to keep dirt and water at bay.

Square-taper Shimano bottom bracket with removed cup
(image credit: Michael Shields CC BY 2.5) 

However, steps can still be taken to prevent the winter getting in. The bottom bracket itself - or the type that can't be disassembled, at any rate - is designed to fulfill its purpose for a certain period, then be replaced: how long that period is depends on the manufacturer, the model, the distance covered and the conditions. So, as an example, if the information supplied for Megabikebitz's Model X says it'll last a year, that' a year of whatever Megabitebitz consider to be a typical distance for a year and in the dry - plus a bit extra because they probably want you to buy a new one a little bit more often than you really need to. The simplest way to tell if yours needs to be replaced is rotate the cranks on a brand new bike when you're in a bike shop - that's what your should ideally feel like. If it's a little stiffer, don't worry but start considering replacement. If it's either a lot of effort to pedal or the bottom bracket makes loud creaking noises when you do, then it's time for a new one.

Even if the bottom bracket doesn't need to be replaced, both it and the frame will still benefit from a clean and regrease before winter gets underway. We're going to assume you have the standard three-piece system, because if you have anything more special there's a reasonable chance that you either know how to remove a bottom bracket or employ a mechanic. To begin, you'll need to remove the cranks - if they're fitted to a splined bottom bracket (Shimano Octalink 1 and 2, ISIS and assorted other designs), this is a simple matter of removing the bolts that fasten them in place (either by screwing into the bottom bracket axle or by pinching the crank onto it) after which the cranks will slide off. However, many bikes still use the square-tapered design, in which case the fastening bolts will need to be removed before a dedicated crank puller is used. This tool features an outer barrel which screws into the crank and an inner core that is then screwed into the barrel, forcing a hardened (and in the best models, rotating) tip against the axle, thus pulling the crank off. To remove the bottom bracket, it will be necessary to use another dedicated tool - unimaginatively named a bottom bracket tool - to unscrew the removable cup from one side. The removable cup is often made of plastic or in a different colour to the other end, allowing for easy identification. Different designs of bottom bracket require different tools, so you may need to ask your bike shop which type will be suitable or, if you know the make and model of your bottom bracket, check the manufacturer's website.

Once the removable cup is out, the tool is used on the other side of the bottom bracket to draw it out of the frame - this may require considerable force, in which case it's helpful to place a length of metal tubing over the tool to increase leverage. Slowly and surely is the way - strip the threads and you'll be looking at an expensive visit to a frame builder.

Bottom bracket with splined axle (in this case, Shimano's Octalink 1)
(image credit: Ralf Roletschek CC BY-SA 3.0)

Now the bottom bracket is out, give the threads a thorough cleaning with degreaser and wipe with a lint-free cloth. Check that the bearings aren't damaged - while it may seem an unnecessary expense to replace a bottom bracket that is otherwise fine, it's a lot less expensive than having stripped threads milled out of the bottom bracket shell before replacement with a custom-made threaded sleeve will be. If it can be disassembled, do so and clean the internal bearings in the same manner before regreasing them and putting the unit back together again. If it can't be disassembled, simply regrease the threads on both ends. Apply more grease to the bottom bracket shell's internal threads, then screw the bottom bracket back into the shell taking great care not to cross the threads - it should go in without any problems. Once in, screw in the plastic cup on the other side. Although the bottom bracket's moving parts are safely sealed within the units, the grease will prevent water getting into the frame by seeping through the threads.

It's not necessary to apply grease to square-tapered axles - in fact, some riders have found that doing so has allowed the cranks to slide too far onto the axle, causing the tips to splay and making it impossible to remove the cranks as a result. However, this is rare and other riders always grease them without problems. I do not; but this is largely because I never have done so - whether you do is up to you. In the case of splined axles, which feature a positive stop point and cranks that rely entirely on a bolt to keep them in place, grease is recommended. Some people insist that threadlock is essential on crank bolts to prevent them coming loose - however, I prefer to use grease and tighten them to the recommended tolerance, which has prevented them coming loose. If you have a torque wrench you can do this, if you don't then threadlock might be useful.

Wheels
It's not possible to completely seal wheel bearings as doing so would impede rotation. However, most quality wheels are fitted with rubber guards that keep as much of the world outside where it belongs as is possible. As winter approaches, these should be checked for wear and tear.

Remove the wheels from the bike - the seals resemble rubber washers and can be seen pressed into the hub at either end. They can be pried out using the tip of a pointed knife or with a very thin flat screwdriver. At this point, you may as well strip down, clean and regrease the hub as this needs to be done at regular intervals and will help to ensure your bike survives the bad weather to come. Dismantle, lying all the components in a lint-free cloth in the same order they come off so you'll know which order to put them back on again, then clean all parts with dregreaser. Visually inspect all surfaces and bearings for signs of cracks, pits or other damage and replace any that are showing signs of wear, then reassemble using new grease - if you haven't previously stripped and rebuilt your particular make of hub or feel insufficiently familiar with its inner workings, it can be useful to search for diagrams online - most manufacturers make full blueprints and maintenance instructions, including recommended tolerances and other handy information, available in this way.

Hub components. Seals, if fitted, will be located over the bearing cones to keep dirt and moisture
away from the bearings.
(image credit: Keithonearth CC BY-SA 3.0)

Check the seals, which should be pliable and smooth. If they've begun to show signs of petrification such as cracks or other damage, it will be necessary to replace them. Bike shops may keep stock of those used in common hubs such as the Shimano range, but they may need to place a special order for other manufacturers - if they can't, search for the manufacturer online and see if you can buy direct. As a final resort, the keen-of-eye-and-hand might like to try hand-cutting a replacement from a piece of rubber - it's fiddly work, but can be done (you might also try asking a rubber stamp manufacturer for help - they're skilled at hand-cutting fine detail into rubber and might take the job on as a special project). Finally, apply some grease to the bearings, then reposition the seals.

Mudguards
Mudguards serve two purposes - they protect the bike from spray and salt, not just your clothes. However, if you use the bike purely for recreational rides or racing rather than for commuting and have carried out other winterproofing modifications, they become virtually redundant and do little other than add weight, so whether you choose to fit them or not is entirely up to you.

In the case of rigid bikes - such as road bikes and mountain bikes that don't have suspension - the standard design that covers a large section of wheel is best and the more wheel it covers the better it will protect. Nowadays, they tend to be made of flexible plastic rather than metal and even 180 degree coverage will add less weight than a cut-down metal guard of days gone by. To fit one, first check to see if your bike has the necessary eyelets brazed onto the frame and in the drop outs - these provide points for the metal rods that support the mudguard and prevent it from flapping around to fit onto. If you don't have them, you can use bolt-on brackets which are often supplied with the mudguards or can be purchased separately.

Crud RoadRacer Mk. 2 - the lightest and most attractive racer mudguard ever?
(image credit: Crud Products)

On racing bikes, which tend to have very little clearance between the tyres and frame, it can be difficult to find a mudguard that will fit - and even then, they frequently require modification to avoid fouling the tyre. Crud make an especially attractive and very lightweight mudguard called the RoadRacer Mk.2 which requires only 4mm of space.

Mudguards experience a very high degree of vibration and, as such, can rapidly become loose - and a loose mudguard support through the spokes is not good at all. To prevent this, use split washers, friction nuts, threadlock or a combination of all three to make sure everything stays nice and tight - superglue works as well as threadlock, and can be bought for as little as £1.

A Crud Catcher, designed to be fitted to the down tube

If the bike has suspension, full mudguards cannot be used as they need to be fastened to parts that move independently. Instead, fit the Crud Catcher type (proper Crud Catcher-branded ones cost about the same as the firm's many imitators, but Crud are a company run by cyclists for cyclists so it's worth the small extra expense to support them). The front guard is a single piece of plastic that fits onto the lower surface of the frame's down tube and is held in place either with screws in dedicated mounts similar to bidon cage mounts or with rubber bands. Their effectiveness is reasonable, doing a good job of catching dirt and water sprayed off the front wheel, but at high speed dirt tends to allow spray forward and blow back into the rider's face (as once happened to me with a big lump of mud containing a stone that cracked my tooth - serves me right for smiling when riding at high speed down a hill). Another type features an expansion device allowing the mudguard to be fitted to the lower end of the steerer tube, in between the forks - the main disadvantage here being that the gap between the front and rear sections, present to allow space for the fork, tends to be rather large and allows a lot of spray to get through. The most effective type is the one designed to be used specifically with a particular brand or model of suspension fork, as originally introduced by Marzocchi and since widely imitated. With these, the fork crown has a pair of threaded mounts allowing the mudguard - which is shaped so that when fitted it flows smoothly into the fork's lines and looks like an integral piece - to be screwed into place. I've been using one of these on my hardtail MTB with a Mazocchi Dirt Jumper fork for several years and it both look good and works extremely well. Check your fork online to see is a similar mudguard is available for it.

Mudguards designed for use with rear suspension are, unfortunately, somewhat of a compromise as it's not possible to position them closely enough to the wheel for them to do their job yet not get in the way of suspension travel. Crud were the first company to introduce a guard that fitted to a bracket bolted onto the seat pillar and these remain the best option - the longer and wider they are, the more crud they will catch.

As can be seen here, the drainage holes in the frame
frequently serve only to let dirt and water get in

Sealing The Frame
If you look closely at your frame - especially if it's steel - chances are you'll find some drainage holes. Look at the surfaces of the chain stays where the meet the bottom bracket shell and underneath the bottom bracket shell itself: not all bikes have them, but the majority do. These are intended to allow water that gets into the frame to get back out again but, if you've sealed the headset, seat tube and internal cable routing a already described, they're more likely to just let water in rather than out. So, we may as well seal them.

If you think there's any chance there may be moisture in the frame, first remove the forks, head set and seat pillar and spray some aerosol oil into the frame before hanging it upside down in a dry, warm room for a day or two - this will allow water to flow out or evaporate. Once done, simply plug the drainage holes using silicone sealant. The same can be done to seal bidon cage and mudguard mounts if you don't wish to use them.

It's also worth checking the frame for damage to the paintwork at this point. Scratches or other damage to carbon fibre frames need to be repaired by someone skilled in working with the material, as in time the fibre will fray and the frame will fail. Minor scratches in unpainted titanium frames can be polished away, as can those in aluminium frames. However, a scratch in the paint of a steel frame will very rapidly allow corrosion to begin. If you find one, lightly sand the affected area, then clean thoroughly with degreaser. Car parts shops sell small pots of "touch-up" paints in a huge variety of colours which are ideal for this purpose. Apply one thin coat, allow to dry, apply another coat, allow to dry and polish. If you can't find a matching paint, go to a shop that sells cosmetics - nail varnish comes in an even wider variety of colours and does the job just as well - you'll also be able to colourmatch your bike and your fingernails, which is nice.

Sealing Derailleurs
It was once possible to buy soft rubber devices that fitted over the front and rear derailleurs, protecting them from dirt and water and yet not impeding movement. These were produced either in the USA or for the US market, with sporadic consignments making their way to Europe where they would sometimes show up in bike shops. If you can find them, they're well worth fitting. If you know of a shop that has a supply, let us know.

Winterproof Your Bike 2: The Headset

In Part 1, we looked at ways to ensure your bike's chain will continue to work reliably through the winter months and be protected from rain and dirt. However, the chain isn't the only moving part that benefits from a little attention - and in this article, it's the turn of the headset.

You're going to need: allen key (usually just a 5mm), grease and grease gun, container, clean rags, possibly a mallet or hammer and piece of wood, metal rod and assorted other non-tool workshop bits and pieces as described in the text for a threadless headset; all of the above and a headset spanner for a threaded quill headset. An old mountain bike inner tube, some zip ties and a sharp knife or scissors.

Your Headset

There are three basic types of headset and they're very easy to tell apart simply by looking at the stem...

On the left, the old-fashioned quill or threaded headset which is now used only on some cheap bikes and utility bikes but is very common on "vintage" and "retro machines. Almost all quill headsets have a 1" (2.54cm) diameter. On the right, the modern threadless or aheadset system, as used on virtually every road bike, mountain bike and BMX. Most are 1.125" (2.8575cm), but 1" (2.54cm), 1.25" (3.175cm) and 1.5" (3.81cm) diameters also exist. There is also a tapered headset designed to be used with a tapered steerer tube which has a bottom diameter of 1.5" and a top diameter of 1.125". This is currently used only on top-end road and TT racing bikes and, if yours has one, you probably know enough about bicycle maintenance to not really need to read the rest of this article.

Right, and now you know which type you have, on to the next bit.

Disassembling the headset is a concept that scares some people, mostly because the headset is all sealed away inside the frame where you can't see it and so they imagine it contains all sorts of complicated, fiddly bits that are going to leap out and vanish forever under immovably heavy bits of furniture the moment they even go near it with an allen key.

The good news is that headsets are extremely simple. The bad news is that if you have one with free - as opposed to caged or cartridge - bearings, they will be looking for opportunity to escape. The other good news is that it's easy to foil their plans.

Disassembling a Threadless Headset

Threadless headset
(image credit: keithonearth
CC BY-SA 3.0)

Let's start with the threadless version, since that's what people will have in this day and age. If you have a workstand, use that. Remove the front wheel and place a container with a folded towel or other fabric in the bottom. If you haven't got a workstand, remove the wheel and rest the bike with the fork drop-outs in a similar container. The container will catch any bearings that do escape and the towel will stop them bouncing out and making a bid for freedom.

Next, remove the top cap. Most examples are unfastened with a 5mm allen key, but there are a few that use other sizes. It's a conventional thread and unscrews anti-clockwise - the first turn might be stiff, but it'll soon free up (if you're restoring a bike and it won't come undone, spray a bit of penetrating oil around the bolt head and give it a few minutes to soak through). In most cases, the bolt is short and screws into a star nut located within the steerer tube - however, star nuts are notoriously difficult to insert and as a result are often replaced with either an expansion device that expands as the bolt is tightened, locking it into the steerer or with a much longer bolt that passes right through the steerer to a bottom cap. Expansion devices will usually remain within the steerer and can be pushed out the other end with a piece of dowel or with a broom handle. The bottom cap - unless it's rusted in place - will fall into the container. With the bolt removed, the cap should lift off.

Note here that, in addition to the four diameters, there are also three types - conventional, integrated and internal. In the case of a conventional model, the head tube races press-fit into the head tube of the frame; in an integrated model the races are actually machined into the head tube (with the various drawbacks that entails) and in an internal model the races fit inside the head tube and are completely contained within it when the headset is assembled. All three are dismantled and reinstalled in the same manner.

Star nut, top cap and tensioning bolt

Keep the container with the towel in position so that, should the fork decide to slide out of the head tube, the drop-outs won't be damaged when they strike the floor - it shouldn't, as there's a compression ring intended to prevent this from happening. You can now loosen the bolts fastened the stem (the part that joins the steerer tube to the handlebar) - once again, most types require a 5mm allen key but other sizes also exist. In many cases there will be one or two bolts to pinch the stem onto the steerer, but there may be as many as four or more in the case of some mountain bikes. Some stems are adjustable and have another bolt located between steerer and handlebar clamp and in a few, a single bolt serves both purposes. Don't worry if you loosen the wrong one as it can be easily retightened.

If the pinch bolts have seized


Sometimes, if a bike hasn't been correctly maintained, the pinch bolts will seize in the stem. Usually, penetrating oil will free them but in extreme cases it may become necessary to use drastic measures: whether you wish to carry this out yourself or pay the bike shop to do it depends on your skill and bravery. Using a pair of Vernier calipers, measure the diameter of the bolt heads. Then, using a metalwork drill of equal diameter, drill them out. This will leave the threaded shafts inside the stem, meaning that you'll need to buy a new one, but will at least allow the stem to be removed. There may be one or more spacers, washers of varying width, below (and sometimes, if the person who fitted the fork wasn't sufficiently skilled to cut the steerer tube or wanted to leave it long so it could be used on a different bike in the future, above) the stem. Remove them also.

With the stem removed, the dust cover should lift off. Place it on a rag on your work surface - when you remove the next piece, put it down to the right of the first piece and the third to the right of the second piece. That way, it's simple to get them back on in the correct order by moving from right to left. There may be a rubber seal under the dust cover, possibly the only seal or possibly the first of many (mountain bikes tend to have more). Due to the compression created when the top cap was fastened, the seal sometimes sticks to the top of the compression ring and cartridge bearing or upper top race. Peel it off if so and replace it if it tears while you do so.

Loose, caged and cartridge bearings. The bottom race may contain roller bearings  in which the balls are replaced with rod-shaped rollers housed in a metal base. Since roller bearings can withstand more stress at the expense of increased friction, they're common on mountain bikes.

You can now remove the compression ring. Often, this can be done with your finger nails, but you may need to give the top of the steerer a sharp tap to shift it in the frame, thus freeing the ring. If it's got stuck, the steerer will need a heavier blow - do this with a mallet or hammer, placing a piece of wood over the end to protect it if using the latter. Without it, the fork and steerer should slide right out of the frame - this is the point at which any bearings that are going to escape will try their luck. having removed the fork, place to one side and look at the top bearing race. If you have loose bearings, they'll probably have fallen down the head tube by now. If they're caged, you'll see the metal cage - unless it's been a really long time since you last did this and they've worn away - with the bearings held captive within sitting in the upper ball race, also known as the top cup (the lower ball race is also sometimes called the bottom cup). If you have a cartridge bearing, you'll see it sitting in the race. Whichever type it is, remove it.

The lower bearings will be sitting on the crown race of the fork (except loose bearings which are hopefully in the container with the towel). Remove them. Like the top and bottom races, the crown race will not need to be removed unless it's worn, in which case this can be achieved using a hammer and flat screwdriver - position the fork upside down in a vise using pieces of wood to protect the steerer from the jaws, then use the hammer and screwdriver to work around the lower surface of the race freeing it from the wider section at the base of the steerer.

While we're only winterproofing the headset rather than replacing it, it's not necessary to remove the races from the frame. However, we will give them a thorough cleaning which will reveal what sort of a state they're in - if they're badly born, it may be necessary to replace them. Removal is achieved using a specialist device known as a rocket tool, a tool used by most casual cyclists so infrequently that not many people bother to keep one in their tool box. Any decent mechanic will have one, so you may need to make a trip to the bike shop to get them taken out and new ones put in using another specialist tool called a bearing cup press. It's possible to perform both tasks using a hammer and metal rod (removal) and either a hammer and piece of wood or a home-made press (installation), but in both cases very slight misjudgement can ruin the frame, so this isn't recommended except for skilled home mechanics.

Races - this is a crown race - should be smooth and
free of worn channels or pits. Any less than this and
they need to be replaced.

Cleaning and inspection

Clean all the parts thoroughly including the races in the frame, using any degreaser or a parts washer if you have one. Citrus-based degreasers are best as they will not corrode rubber seals as solvents can. A toothbrush will enable you to remove built-up grime and old, sticky grease. Once done, give them a wipe with a clean and lint-free rag.

Rather than sticking it all back together again, take the time for a quick inspection to ensure all parts are as they should be. Start with the races which should be free of pits and scratches. If badly worn, there may be circular channel running right around the inner surface or, in extreme cases, evidence of brinelling, deformation of the metal caused by an impact greater than the material's load limit. This is extremely rare in the case of road bikes - any impact great enough to cause brinelling is likely to have also snapped the frame - but is occasionally seen in BMXs, jump, freeride and downhill mountain bikes. Any of these will mean that the races need to be removed from the frame and replaced (see above) or, in the case of an integrated headset, the frame replaced (this being one of the drawbacks mentioned earlier and the reason that Chris King - headset genius - hates them).

Assuming the races are fine, check the crown race and the dust cover. These too should be free of wear. If the crown race is damaged, it will be necessary to remove and replace it. Removal is described above, replacement can be carried out in a similar way with the fork the correct way up in a vice provided very great care is taken to ensure the screwdriver contacts only the inner lip and not the polished race surface. The bearings themselves should be smooth and free of pits - in extreme cases, some will be missing and others cracked. Bearings are cheap, so consider replacing them even if they look to be in good shape as you won't be able to see microscopic damage that will develop into faults over time. All other parts should be in good shape without cracks or other obvious damage.

Lastly, check the steerer which should be free of rust, cracks and so on. Light rust can be removed with steel wool before protecting the metal with grease, heavier damage may require a new steerer - in a very few examples, the steerer can be removed from the fork yoke by loosening a series of allen bolts, but in most cases it will be heat-pressed in place (a process in which the yoke is heated so as to expand and/or the steerer cooled so as to shrink, the steerer then being inserted into the yoke and the fork returned to room temperature to lock them together). Carbon steerers are likely to have been bonded in place with adhesive. In all of the cases, the steerer can be removed but it's not a job that can be performed in the average home workshop and is best carried out by a skilled frame builder.

Reassembly

We'll now create extra seals at both ends of the head tube - and it's not going to cost you a penny. Simply cut two sections approximately 8cm in length from an old mountain bike inner tube (a road tube isn't wide enough) and roll them onto each end of the head tube so that the holes at both ends are free. Leave these in place.

Add a generous helping of grease to the crown race and the inner surface of the lower bearing race - this will be much easier to do if you have a proper grease gun. If you're using free bearings, turn the frame upside down and use grease to stick them in place inside the race as you reinsert the fork into the frame, but if using caged or cartridge bearings you can simply slide them over the steerer and back into place on the crown race, remembering to reinstall any rubber seals you took off when disassembling. Frequently, if loose bearings are used, there will be room for one extra to be added - this will decrease the load on each bearing, making the headset stronger and longer-lasting, at the cost of a miniscule increase in weight and friction. If you turned the frame upside down, turn it right way up again.

A typical stem. The pinch bolts can be seen on the right

Now apply more grease to the inner surface of the top race before reinstalling the bearings, once again using the grease to stick them in place if they're loose. You can now reinstall the remaining headset components in the same order that you took them off, giving each a thin coating of grease to repel water. Do not yet fully tighten the stem pinch bolts as we first need to tension the system. This is done by replacing the top cap and bolt, at first loosely. By tightening it a little at a time and using your hand to turn and rock the forks, it will be possible to find a point at which the headset is correctly tensioned - ie, a point at which rotary movement is free and without grinding yet there is no side-to-side or back-and-forwards movement in the fork. Once this has been done, the pinch bolts can be tightened, ideally with a torque wrench to the manufacturer's stated tolerances.

Unroll the sections of inner tube that you placed onto either end of the head tube earlier so that they completely cover the crown race, bottom race, bottom cup and upper race and top cap. Zip ties can then be used to tighten them below the crown race, above the bottom race and below the top race and below the stem, thus completely sealing the unit. Finally, if using a star nut or expansion device rather than the type of replacer with a bolt passing right through the steerer to a bottom cap, you can insert a rubber bung (widely available from shops selling home-brewing equipment such as larger chemists and some DIY/homeware stores) into the lower end of the steerer, completely sealing it to water and dirt.

Quill headset
(image credit: keithonearth
CC BY-SA 3.0)

Quill headset disassembly

Threadless quill headsets perform the same task as a threadless headset in a broadly similar way, but tension is provided by a locking nut rather than by a top cap as is the case with threadless systems. The stem is inserted into a shorter steerer tube and fastens in place with an expansion nut rather than bolting into a star nut. The advantages of this system are that handlebar height is more easily adjusted, disadvantages are that it's weaker and requires more specialist tools to disassemble.

First, loosen and remove the long bolt passing through the stem and into the steerer. Most bikes produced in the last 20 years will use an allen bolt - once again, usually 5mm - but some very cheap or old bikes will have one topped with a conventional hexagonal head, in which case a spanner will be required. If the bike has been correctly maintained, it will be possible to loosen it and then slide out the stem complete with the expansion nut; but if the bike has been neglected the nut often rusts into the steerer. If this has happened, use a metal rod or broom handle to push it out through the bottom - considerable force and a hammer may be needed. If so, the inside of the steerer is probably badly corroded and will need to be inspected - if it's really bad, it'll need to be replaced (and since most quill stems do not feature removable steerers, the fork will have to go too).

The two types of threadless headset expansion nuts. On
the left, the wedge type which fastens by sliding against
 the angled lower end of the stem and on the right, the
cone type that expands as it's drawn into the stem.

Once the stem and expansion nut are removed, the remainder of the headset can be disassembled. First, remove the front wheel and stand the bike in a container with a towel as described above to catch any falling bearings or position the container underneath your workstand.

To begin, the lock nut needs to be removed. Several sizes have been used, but the majority will be the 32mm standard and can be removed with a dedicated headset spanner. They often seize, so use penetrating oil to free it if need be. Bikes with lock nuts in other sizes may need to be taken to the bike shop as few home mechanic kits have spanners large enough, though a big adjustable spanner can be used. Place the lock nut on a clean work surface.

Underneath will be a washer and, in the case of a rare high quality quill headset, a rubber seal. Remove both and place them in order to the right of the lock nut - that way, you'll know which order the parts need to be reinstalled. Below them is an adjustable race which will also need to be removed by unscrewing it from the steerer. This will reveal the bearings - as is the case with threadless headsets, they may be loose, caged or cartridge; but most will be loose. Remove them and add them to the other components. You can now remove the fork from the frame, catching loose bearings from the lower race in the container before placing the lower seal (if present) with the other parts.

Follow the same procedure described above for cleaning and inspection. As is the case with threadless systems, removal of the cups and crown race requires specialist tools or ingenuity and skill.

Reassembly

Reassembly is carried out in the same way as a threadless headset right up until the lock nut, once again using grease to stick bearings in place. Headsets of this type will also be afforded extra protection from winter conditions if seals made from an inner tube are used. Tighten the lock nut, check the forks for play and tighten more if necessary but not so much that the steering becomes stiff or grinds.

Finally, reinsert the stem into the steerer. The stem will have a minimum insertion mark etched into the metal - ensure that this mark is below the upper end of the steerer or it won't fix correctly into place and may come loose in use, causing a crash.

And there you have it. Next - the rest.