On Wed, 9 Mar 2005 19:19:28 -0800, "yum" may have
said:

A newbie question,
I have an old road bike that squeaks when I turn steering.
What can I do ? Do I need to lube/replace headset bearing ?

Probably. You won't know which it is until you get it apart. On very
rare occasions, a cable will squeak when it flexes. Sometimes the
squeak may be just a dry seal or dust cap rubbing on the bearing cup.
Crunchy rumble noises are a stronger indication that the bearing is
lunched. If the bike is old and has an uncertain service history,
then taking the various bits apart and relubricating the bearings is
likely to be a good move anyway.

If yes, is it easy to do myself or do I need any special tools ?

"Easy" is a matter of skill and patience. As bike repair tasks go,
it's not the most technically challenging procedure; if you're
otherwise handy with tools, it's probably not going to be difficult to
do it right. Get a book, buy the tools for the job at hand, and learn
as you go. Both you and the bike will be the better for it.

Pointers can be found he

http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ha-i.html#headset

and

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/..._headset.shtml

(That latter link assumes that the headset is of the older "threaded"
type, which is likely.)



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