Changing the headset?

[AyBee]

I have an old road bike which I'd like to use for a bit of training while I'm on my uni holiday, had to leave my roadie at uni because the bus company refused to allow me to travel with it (but that's another rant). However, this old road bike has an old headset and rather rubbish forks, is it possibly to get forks with a different headset (obviously size difference, or am I stuck with it? It's only for a few weeks but if I could do it cheaply, it might be worth looking into....

Thanks, Arry.

[stu8975]

Depends on the current size /style fitted? Most modern ones are 1"1/8 Aheadset style....older size 1" ones are still available in Aheadset style (around £25) or threaded..forks can still be had, although new you will be looking at £40 for cr-mo ones.

[Parrot of Doom]

If its an old bike it'll be a threaded headset on the top, with a quill stem.

Unless the fork is damaged, or the headset is knobbly/rough, I'd leave it alone tbh.

[AyBee]

Parrot of Doom said:

If its an old bike it'll be a threaded headset on the top, with a quill stem.

Unless the fork is damaged, or the headset is knobbly/rough, I'd leave it alone tbh.

The headset has never been any good. It's threaded and constantly needs tightening, I've been through approximately 3 sets of forks on it and a few headsets trying to sort the problem. I just wondered whether it would be a big job, if it is, I'll just leave it how it is...

[Parrot of Doom]

It isn't a particularly big job, they can be bunged up with corrosion so the stem won't want to come loose. All that's required normally is that you pull the caliper off the fork, remove the stem, unscrew the top of the headset, and pull the fork out. Then you have to whack the lower half of the headset off the frame and the fork, that's the difficult bit.