Chapter. 9 Headset, Handlebars & Stem, Saddle & Seatpost - MARIN Owner's Manual

C H A P T E R 9
H E A D S E T, H A N D L E B A R , S T E M
S A D D L E A N D S E AT P O S T
HEADSET:
Marin bicycles use both threaded and threadless headsets. It is impor-
tant that you understand which type of headset your bicycle is
equipped with prior to attempting any adjustments.
Threaded headsets consists of bearings, cups, cones, lock nuts and
seals. It is located in the head tube and, is the group of bearings that
allow the handlebars, stem and fork to turn within the frame. It is a
major part of your bicycle's steering system. The headset should be
disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and reassembled at least once a
year, more frequently if you ride often. Headsets may become loose
over time due to vibrations from riding, causing wobble and loss of
control.
THREADED HEADSET OVERVIEW
Lock Nut
Lock Washer
Adjustable Cup
Bearings
Upper Head Cup Housing
LOWER HEAD CUP HOUSING
BEARINGS
LOWER HEAD CONE HOUSING
THREADLESS HEADSET OVERVIEW
Compression Ring
Upper Cone w/Seal
Bearing Retainer
Upper Head Cup
To check headset adjustment, squeeze the front brake lever tightly
and rock the bicycle front to back. If you feel any looseness in the fork
or hear metallic or clicking sounds as you rock back and forth, your
headset needs adjustment and/or maintenance. You can perform the
following minor adjustment yourself:
Loosen the top nut on the headset, then tighten the adjusting cup but
do so only in small increments. Re-tighten the lock nut. Check the
headset adjustment again. Do not over tighten the adjusting cup of the
headset. Lift the front wheel off of the ground and make sure the han-
dlebars turn smoothly.
Threadless headsets are used on many Marin bike models as well as
selected road and city bike models. Threadless headsets are very sim-
ilar to a standard threaded headset. The key difference is that thread-
ed headsets rely on a threaded top nut to adjust the bearings.
Threadless headsets are held together based on the placement of the
29
Lower Head Cup
Bearing Retainer
Seal
Fork Crown Race