ovalized head tube

[freerider4ever]

The other day I cased the s**t out of a 20 foot gap going pretty fast, what are the signs of an ovalized headtube? BTW I run a big hit with shiver, and headlock, pig dh headset, and no integrated stem, I use a truvativ one instead, that way there are two extra bolts on the steerer tube, so its a strong setup I think.

[IFO]

the best way to test it out is to remove the headeset and measure the headtube opening..

you need a fine tuned Machinist tool (Vernier Caliper i beleive) thou...

whats happening to make u think its a headtube problem ???

if u crashed as hard as u say, maybe its just something has worked loose or is not sitting properly now...

hopefully your frame and your body are still healthy... sounds like nasty crash...

if your headtube is ovalised your fork will rock back and forth even thou the headset has proper tension... you will be able to see the headset cups moving in extreme cases...:eek:

p.s. good Karma to you for coming forward with the ACTUAL story of what happened... instead of trying the "just riding along" sob story...:(

[freerider4ever]

BTW im a light guy, 150 pounds. I dont feel any headset play actually it feels good. If i take my fork off, and i pull on the cups and they don't come out, am I still ok in that case? I also luckily didn't get hurt, I even have a cast on my thumb and I was alright, the bike absorbed it, I don't think many bikes besides the big hit could have taken me to safety the way it did.

[IFO]

hmm, then what makes u even think the headtube is ovalized???

im lost ???

it sounds like u dont have anything wrong !!!

p.s. give your BIGHIT a big hug...it'll THX you later...:thepimp:

[freerider4ever]

lol alright, I figured since I landed so hard that there was a possibility that my baby was broken or close to being broken. Long live the big hit!

[miufahkiu]

I doubt that you could've ovalized your headtube just from that crash. Since aluminum snaps when it fails, as opposed to bending, it's unlikely that you ovalized your headtube. In the case where aluminum headtubes get ovalized, it's usually because it sustains an excessive amount of stress (but not enough to snap it) over a long period of time.

Perhaps you should check for cracks as well.