Mix and match?

It is a Very Bad Idea to install a threadless headset so the handlebar stem is supported by the
threads of a threaded fork. The threaded section is not made to resist the stress from the stem
and could break off, along with the stem and handlebars.

As already mentioned, it is at best risky to try to mix and match parts of a top or bottom
headset. Even with the same SHIS code and similar appearance, there is no guarantee that
internal parts will fit each other.

It is perfectly OK though to use a top and bottom headset of different makes, models and
types, as long as the fit to the frame and fork is correct. For example, when replacing a
threaded front fork with a threadless one, you could keep the bottom headset, if it fits and is in
good condition.

You could cut off the threaded section of a fork steerer to use the fork with a threadless
headset on a frame with a short head tube, though the fork's geometry may not produce
optimal handling.

You can install a threadless headset on a threaded fork, if the fork steerer is tall enough and
you use a quill stem. The threads should end above the headset top race. Use two locknuts
tightened against each other to hold down the threadless top race, plus spacers as needed. In
most cases, you'll have to grind away the inner lip of a top nut so you can thread it down past
the top of the fork to serve as the second locknut. The Raleigh Twenty fork in the photo below
already came with a second locknut for its original Nylon-sleeve-bearing top headset, and so
no grinding was needed. More about this mod...

Raleigh Twenty with threadless top headset

Troubleshooting

Symptoms:

Shakiness

Shakiness indicates that the headset is adjusted too loose. The easiest way to check for this is
to apply the front brake and push the handlebars back and forth, front to back. If you feel a
"clunk" it usually means the headset is too loose. You can determine that the looseness is in
the headset and not the brake by resting a finger across the gap between the races of the top
or bottom headset assembly. If the bicycle is in the work stand with the front wheel off, you
can just push and pull on the forkends.
Stiffness

Stiffness results when the headset is adjusted too tight. Check for this by lifting the front of the
frame so that the front wheel comes off the ground. Normally, the wheel and handlebar will
flop to one side or the other by their own weight when you do this. If the front wheel and
handlebars are off the bicycle and you turn the fork, you may feel a light, smooth, even drag
from bearing seals -- this is normal. Roughness or uneven drag indicates problems.

Shakiness AND Stiffness

Sometimes you will find both of these faults at the same time. This indicates a more serious
problem, not just an adjustment issue. You may find that the headset is loose when the fork is
facing straight forward, but gets tight when you turn the handlebars to one side or the other, or
that it simply can't be adjusted. Possible causes:

The fork steerer may have been bent in a crash. Generally, this is not repairable, and you need
to replace the fork.

One or more of the bearing races may be installed slightly crooked. This usually is fixable by
having the frame's head tube and the fork's crown machined or "faced" to ensure that the
races install with correct alignment. This requires expensive special tools that only better bike
shops have.

One or more of the bearing races may be loose where they attach to the frame/fork -- or a
cartridge bearing may not seat tightly against a race. This will cause looseness as the race
wiggles back and forth, even though the bearings may have been tightened up sufficiently to
eliminate bearing play. The fork crown race most often gives this problem.

If the crown race is loose, sometimes you can fix it by using a hammer and centerpunch to
create a series of "craters" in the side of the surface that locates the crown race. The raised
edges of the craters may be just enough to remove the slop.

Or, better, you may go to a different size headset. In particular, if you are working with a J.I.S.
frame and fork, they can be re-machined to work with an ISO headset. Since ISO. head tube
races are larger, and crown races are smaller, there is material available to be machined away
to convert to ISO.

You might also use "plastic steel" (epoxy glue with a filler of steel particles, available at
hardware stores) to build up the space between a bearing race and its seat. Be sure to clean off
the excess, so steel particles don't get into the bearing. Assemble and adjust the headset
before the epoxy sets, so the races will seat fully. Threadlock compound may also work.

You may have installed a bearing retainer upside down. This is not uncommon. There is no real
standardization as to which way the retainer faces, so it's easy to err. However, if you take a
careful look at the races of your particular headset, you will see that if you install the retainer
upside down, the retainer can come into contact with one of the races. Just flip it over. The
retainer must not be in contact with anything but the bearing balls.
If the headset uses loose bearing balls, there may be too many, so they jam against each other.
Or a bearing ball or balls may have moved out of line during installation, so it is rubbing rather
than rolling.

As already mentioned, it's OK to replace only the bottom or top parts of the headset as a unit,
but the two bearing races at the top, and the two at the bottom must match, and the bearing
balls and retainer (or cartridge) need to be the right size, or else all bets are off.