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I have a 2010 Giant Defy 3.0 with broken lower headset bearings. It's a tapered 1 1/4 and 1 1/8 fork but the lower part of the headset seems to have a non-standard extra fitting that only allows a band type bearing ring:

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I tried adding a sealed bearing but it won't fit with with the extra part welded to the frame:

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The existing bearing ring broke when I serviced the headset so need to find a new one.

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    I’m not sure if this ring is actually a structural part or just a “cage” to separate the balls. If it’s the later – as long as you have all balls and there is no pitting in the races – I’d simply try to re-assemble with plenty of grease.
    – Michael
    Mar 7, 2022 at 13:00
  • It's a separate part that detaches but it broke, so that's not possible now, plus a lot of the balls were lost when it broke. I found this which seems to match the size - amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079M88F6R/…
    – smwk
    Mar 7, 2022 at 13:16
  • Exact measurements of the parts would be nice. I have a hunch that the part inside head tube might be semi-integrated headset cup but measurements could confirm it.
    – ojs
    Mar 7, 2022 at 18:07
  • I measured it at 43mm but I ordered 44mm above as I didnt find any that were 43mm. It's probably 44mm at the widest as it's curved.
    – smwk
    Mar 7, 2022 at 19:07
  • Now the only thing left is guessing which part is 43mm and how it was measured...
    – ojs
    Mar 7, 2022 at 20:42

1 Answer 1

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It looks very much to me as though you should have a sealed cartridge bearing there that has disintegrated and partly welded itself to the inside of the frame and the top of the fork. You will need to find a way to remove the brown ring from the frame (either tapping from above or prying) to install a new sealed bearing unit.

In the future, consider servicing this part more frequently. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take the cartridge out to wipe it down and cover in fresh grease every 6-months, especiailly if you ride in the rain alot.

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    It was never a sealed cartridge bearing and it didn't weld itself to the frame, it shipped like that, I assume Giant did this to save money. Agree about maintaining every 6 months, the bearing was rusting.
    – smwk
    Mar 7, 2022 at 17:40
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    I respectfully disagree that this looks like it should have had a sealed cartridge there. If it was a cartridge, how did the outer race get torn off while the inner race is still sort of in one piece? Also, the bearing seat in the head tube is curved, and I'm pretty sure standard cartridge bearings aren't curved like that. I grant that this seems like an odd decision.
    – Weiwen Ng
    Mar 7, 2022 at 21:14
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    This is the right answer. This is two pieces of a cartridge headset bearing and the upper one is still stuck in the frame. Once you get it out you'll find a normal IS bearing seat.
    – Nathan Knutson
    Mar 8, 2022 at 6:27
  • @WeiwenNg Integrated headset bearings are made a couple different ways, but the upper and lower races are basically snapped together and they can be separated with enough force, like if one race is stuck in place. The tolerance between the bearing OD and the head tube ID is tight enough that corrosion etc can cause this.
    – Nathan Knutson
    Mar 8, 2022 at 6:31
  • @WeiwenNg it usually seems like the balls have reduced in size from corrosion (as the fit gets quite loose) and expansive corrosion in the headtube holds the top race nice and firmly so everything falls apart when the fork is pulled out. Common failure mode when these bearings are neglected, particuarly in salty environments.
    – Noise
    Mar 8, 2022 at 9:02

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