Sofrider Headset bearing question

[Frank Costantini]

I had removed the steering riser tube from a Sofrider to fit the bike in the car trunk, and when I tried to reinstall it (having difficulty reinserting the tube into the headset) some ball bearings fell out. I have no experience with headsets or old-fashioned ball bearings. It seems that some of the teeth that hold the balls in place were broken (see photos). My questions are: what is this piece called and how to order one? Or can I replace it with some kind of newer sealed bearings?

 

[Emeljay]

I had a similar problem with my headset bearings and bearing races were also worn/damaged on my Q559. So I decided to replace the whole headset and since that job was above my pay grade (read here I did not want to screw another headset up) I had my LBS do the job. I had a Cane Creek Ten headset installed and just picked up and there is a big difference in the ride, possibly due to the headset being adjusted correctly.

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