The bearing assembly in your bike’s headstock is the only thing securing the front wheel, fork, and handlebar to the rest of your bike. Seems like pretty critical componentry, right? Odds are, however, that those stock steering head bearings are the old-fashioned spherical variety, offering just a few dozen tiny contact points to support some serious cornering and braking loads. Adequate, yes, but hardly ideal.
Roller bearings, like the All Balls parts I installed during a recent frame-up restoration, are a superior alternative. These bearings use cylindrical rollers and conical races rather than spherical balls and cupped races, providing more surface area that allows the All Balls bearings to handle higher loads. That extra surface area also makes roller bearings easier to adjust, so you’ll spend less time looking for that tensional “sweet spot.” They’re more durable, too, which means less frequent adjustment down the road.
Installation was straightforward, and expedited by applying the principles of thermodynamics to heat the frame and chill the races so the parts slipped together easily.
New bearings aren’t the kind of exciting upgrade you’d pull your bike apart to install, but if you already have your front end disassembled or need to replace your worn-out stock steering head bearings, then upgrading to All Balls bearings is a no-brainer. All Balls parts are priced in line with factory replacement parts, easy to install, and come with double-lipped weather seals. Model-specific kits are available, and parts are also available by size for bikes that aren’t listed. All Balls also offers high-quality wheel, swingarm, and suspension linkage bearing kits.
