Baldy1953

I have a 2018 Specialized Roubaix Elite with the future shock. I have been told I need to have the headset bearings replaced due to the bars having what feels like an indentation as the bars move back and forth. The future shock has been replaced due to a failure in the needle bearings, but now has a noise in its operation. Any time I hit a small bump, there is a loud noise coming from the front of the bike.

The question is, does the defective headset bearings have anything to do with the noise? I know this is not much to go on, but I really do not know how else to ask. It is really irritating to ride and have to listen to this noise every little bump I hit.
Is it normal to have to start replacing parts, other than normal disposable items such as chain and tires. I have a touch over 16,000 miles on the bike. I would think as expensive bike ( to me at least) should hold up much better than this.

Thanks for any constructive comments.

3alarmer 

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...I don't know anything aboiut those front end shock thingies on road bikes. But in general, more moving parts = more spots for stuff to go wrong. I was a little skeptical of them when they first came out, and the sales literature from Spesh did nothing to allay my concerns. To me, it seemed like a solution looking for a problem.

All headsets are subject to false brinelling, and a tendency to index in the way you describe. It's because they act like stationary bearings, and they never roll back and forth in a complete rotation to redistribute the lubricant within. Some are worse than others. The older Campy Record headsets were famous for this in the lower races. A lot of it has to do with metallurgy, but a lot of it is just an issue with ball bearings in a thing like a headset, instead of roller bearings, which seem to last forever.

My guess is that Specialized, as a company, will be unimpressed with your dissatisfaction as a customer. At least, that's been my impression from the mechanics who work the local Specialized retailer here. Who shall remain nameless out of fear of litigation.

You might do a Google search to see if there have been any recalls or service bulletins on your future shock. I know nothing about them except that they move.

An indexed headset is not gonna give you the kind of noise you're talking about, so look to the shock again.

Andrew R Stewart 

With a suspension fork one has to be sure any perceived movement between the bars and tire is not the fork stanchions and lower legs become sloppy. One way to do this is to do the lock ft brake on and rock the bike fore and aft then repeat but with the bars and wheel at 90*. The sideways orientation reduces any fork slop.

The world is full of headsets that have worn to the point of their rotation becoming indexed. Besides the reasons that 3alarmer mentions many headsets are way too tight/preloaded at the bike's purchase, then there's the lack of periodic servicing for what might be the bike's worst bearing placement (being in the direct line of fire from the ft tire) and general neglect headset adjustments get. Riding a too tight, too gritty or too loose headset will quicken the "brinelling" to the races. There's no way a warranty will cover this. But any one shop might offer "good customer consideration" in the cost to make right, or not. Andy

jimc101

16,000 miles on a 3-4 year old bike is quite a lot, would expect a lot of bearing to have needed replacing by then.

Added to that, you mention that you have had issues with the bars moving back and forth, which indicates there is an issue with the headset setup (although this maybe due to the future shock) if you have been running the bike for any length of time with this movement, your bearing were going to get wrecked, no matter how cheap or expensive they were.

For the distance, at 16,000 miles, depending on condition ridden in and maintenance, would consider a lot of parts to be consumable at that age, not just tires and chains, the original cost of the bike make zero difference to longevity of most parts, and can reduce the life expectancy for some if they are designed for racing/weight over durability, as you pay more to have the parts weigh less.

3alarmer 

https://www.theproscloset.com/blogs/...vs-trek-domane


...apparently these have gone through some redesigns over the various year models since they were introduced, and some of them were problematic. Not sure if yours was "replaced" with something updated in design, but I'd definitely check with the dealership about recall under warranty possibilities. A cracked collar on the steerer tube would definitely be a possible source of he sort of noise you describe.

Baldy1953

Thanks for the responses. The collar was replaced under warranty a while back. As for the mileage, I thought with the additional cost of the bike, it would be a longer lasting vehicle before having to rebuild it. I had a Jamis previously with 14000 miles in 3 years with absolutely no problems. I wanted a carbon bike, thus the specialized as this is what my preferred lbs sells.

My bike shop has been very helpful with the problems. He has recently had a problem with acquiring the headset bearings for replacement. Guess I will just have to accept the fact I am going to have to repair or replace parts on this bike, if I want to keep riding it.

Andrew R Stewart 

"I thought with the additional cost of the bike, it would be a longer lasting vehicle before having to rebuild it" Baldy1953

Longer then what? Back in the early 1980s I was told a story (that I have since heard from others) that the CEO of Huffy said that the average mileage their bikes had before the bikes were no longer used was 76 miles.

What one gets with more expensive bikes is better feel, nicer function, lighter weigh, more aero (with some at least), more gears (although not so much with 2 and 1 bys now) but often at the cost of less robust build and tolerances that are becoming so small that what were small amounts of wear (WRT performance) are now deal; breakers.

Case in point are the size of the actual balls in a bearing. To achieve less weight and larger internal structures (steerers, BB, pedal and hub axles) the bearing size has been reduced. A basic principle of bearing design is that the load capacity is linear with ball count but geometric with bass diameter. Andy

Baldy1953

I am a recent enthusiast to riding. My first road bike was bought in 2014 and I felt the upgrade to carbon would be worth the cost. I am not so sure I made the correct choice. After spending 4 times on the roubaix , I spent on the Jamis, guess I expected more.

I do not plan on getting rid of the bike and buying another. My question was more or less concerning my expectations as well as the problem. Guess I need to lower my expectations on what I expect after spending almost 3 grand on a bike.

Rolla

The OP's bike doesn't have a suspension fork. It has a Future Shock:

Rolla

The price of the bike has nothing to do with it. All moving parts and the individual components within are susceptible to wear, impact, manufacturing tolerances, material durability, etc. The sheer complexity of any suspension system invites reliability issues, regardless of cost. Evidently, Specialized says you're supposed to service the Future Shock after every 500 hours of use, which may or may not include replacing the cartridge.

It isn't the frame material that's giving you trouble, it's a component. Buying an expensive, state-of-the-art bike is kind of like buying a Porsche -- the parts and service are more expensive and are sometimes needed more often than on a Toyota. For the ultimate in durability, get a rigid singlespeed. With every technology you add, you can expect to do more maintenance and repairs. But the fact that your frame is made out of carbon fiber is irrelevant.

Andrew R Stewart 

So there's a solid structure from the drop outs to the headset's bearing contact surfaces? Like a rigid fork and the sliding aspect is not between the headset and drop outs? I think not. Where between the drop outs and the bearing contacts (on the steerer) the parts slide or pivot (as in a leading linkage or AMP parallelogram as example) is not the issue but that there is the need for some kind of clearance between moving parts is my point. This clearance which allows for movement also can induce what many might think is a loose headset adjustment. Andy

Rolla

I was just clarifying that since it isn't a suspension fork, there are no "fork stanchions and lower legs" as you suggested the OP check.

The guts of the thing, for anyone interested, look like this:

Andrew R Stewart 

I admit to not understanding the design of this suspension fork. Yes, that's what it is even if the moving elements are in the head tube VS the blades. And even if the industry chooses a different term for their marketing. MtB riders taught roadies well. Brand your stuff to seem special and no way what the other side uses.

My comments about possible slop between the moving elements being confused as HS bearing slop stands and that's a take home in this thread. Andy

Baldy1953

Update on headset bearings.

They were replaced 3 days ago. The problem with the headset is gone. It now move freely with no hesitation as there was before. Also the noise that was coming from the future shock has diminished to the level it was when new. Not sure what the problem there was.

The cassette was replaced also, so I am good for several thousand more miles.