Balls to this!

In olden days, like bicycles, motorcycle headstock bearings used a system known as cone and cup bearings with hardened steel ball bearings running in between races known as cups for the outer and cones for the inner.

The actual bearing contact area was quite small, meaning that the pressure on the races was far greater compared with the equivalent taper roller bearing; think about the eight-stone girl in stilettos putting dings in the dance floor, whereas an elephant will do less damage to the surface of the floor by spreading the weight. Check out my drawing for an illustration!

Whenever I build a bike I will always ditch the old-school steering head bearings in favour of the far superior taper rollers which seem to be ubiquitous now. It seems even bicycle manufacturers favour taper rollers. They are easier to fit and set up, and don’t require the same level of regular adjustment.