Bicycle Mechanics - is my steerer lenght tube long enough? pics inside

i just bought this fork without knowing much about bikes. i stuck it in and it looked long enough to me for a headset and stem. i dont have a stem yet and worried this may be too short of a fork.

i have also attached a picture of my headset below, do yall know if it looks complete.

http://i51.tinypic.com/4qlwus.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/kdtx20.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/18omds.jpg

in a word No. Ideally he steerer should reach to just short of the top of the stem when assembled (or just short of a space above it). There's some fudge room, so if it were 1/4" short of that it would be fine. Probably the absolute minimum is 1-1/2" of engagement of steerer in the stem.

Yours steerer only has 1-1/2 available before adding the upper stack of the headest, so it will definitely come up short. Incomplete engagement of steerer in the stem can cause the stem to cam off the steerer under load which will not lead to a happy outcome.

looks like enough room for a 35mm stack height stem maybe a 40mm.

damn!

would a stem riser work? or did i spend the $$ on a part i can't use?

looks like enough room for a 35mm stack height stem maybe a 40mm.

Did you forget about the upper stack of the headset and the almost 50mm required for the stem?


damn!

would a stem riser work? or did i spend the $$ on a part i can't use?

A stem riser might help, but is still problematic. You might use a stem riser and enough spacers to cover the entire steerer so the stem is clamped to the riser only. Clamping the stem half on the the riser and half on the steerer isn't good because the diameters aren't perfectly matched making a good grip on both at the same time very unlikely.

In your shoes, I'd go for the right fork exchanging this with the seller, or selling it, but it's your call.

i didn't really forget. the upper stack bit is not much probably about 5-10mm. 40mm stack stems are pretty common and if you search around a 35mm can be found. 1.5 inches is 38mm. anyways the op is cutting it real close. try assembling the bits dry and measure again.

Two things you might look into: 1) Truvativ Stylo stems have a pretty low stack height, and 2) Crank Brothers headsets also have a low stack height. Last year I saved a build by switching to those two products.

A single bolt X-country style short stack stem will likely work. But one thing is for certain. There is no way you will be using any spacers. If you can't get a low stack height riser stem and bar setup that provides the sort of rise you want then your fork is money wasted for this bike.

If you do fit a two bolt stem then ensure that the top of the tube reaches at least to the upper edge of the head of the upper stem pinch bolt hole. If it doesn't make it that far I would not trust it for off roading. If it comes close it would be fine for casual off roading and street riding.

In any case even with a single bolt stem you must have at least 1.2 times the steer tube diameter sticking up into the stem. If it's any less you run the very serious risk of it levering itself off.

For a 1.125 steer tube this means you want to have at least 1.125 x 1.2 = 1.35 inches of stem exposure after the last of the headset parts are in place. If it meets this requirement then a LOW STACK HEIGHT single bolt stem should be OK. If a two bolt stem then the upper edge had to be even or better with the upper extent of the upper screw's cap head recess.

there might be room! ill show yall new measurements when i get home.

Did you have the crown race on the fork and the lower bearing in when you took pics?

no i did not, but here is not a very clear pic of the bike.
i had to stop by my lbs for a top cap and the screw.

they put the headset in the correct order, but did not put the two big circle things (seals? its the two round things on the top left pic of my original post)


http://i53.tinypic.com/hrken6.jpg

from what they told me today, it might work. ill bust out the ruler for yall.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1200/fok1.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/98/fok1.jpg/)
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/5797/fork2.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/840/fork2.jpg/)

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/3351/fork3.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/803/fork3.jpg/)

doesn't look quite right on the bottom end. Try flipping the bearing cage over.

still looks like it's gonna be tight. What kinda riding you gonna do? If not super huck-jam freekout I'd be inclined to go with a 35mm single bolt. But I'm fairly light at 145lbs and don't boost big airs all the time.

honestly, im just gonna ride this thing on the street/neighborhood. i dont think ill be doing any sweet jumps.

i think if i flatten out the bottom part or get it more flush by flip flopping the bearings, it may give me a few more mms.

The bearings are only meant to go one way, it's not an either/or choice. The gap at the bottom makes me think the bottom cage is upside down. It could depend on the design of the bottom seal, however. When fully assembled, you'll know which way is right by the drag you feel when turning.

Almost certain the lower bearings install so that the open side of the bearing cage is down and the rounded parts of the cage are up.

You don't just flip bearing cages around on a whim. They only fit one way. The one where the balls make contact and the cage doesn't is the right way.

If this last picture is with all the headset parts in place then it looks like you're fine for using a low stack height single bolt stem. But as I said before there's absolutely NO ROOM for any spacers so don't even ask. So any bar height adjustments will have to be done totally by finding the right stem and bars to give you the riding position you want.

The good news is that even a single bolt low stack height stem is fine for a fair amount of smaller jumping such as off curbs or bunny hopping over ditches. Just don't start doing the big hucks off retaining walls and other things you see on You Tube. Same with trail riding. Riding over 12 inch logs or rolling up to maybe two foot steps would be OK as you'll be able to land such stuff reasonably softly even if you mess up a bit. But I'd stay away from anything bigger with a "light XC racing" style stem, which is what you'll need to use on this fork.

BBB, makes the best stem raiser for this situation, their part,
#BHP-20, 1", and -21 for 9/8".

in the US, Bike Mine has the distribution contract for the NL parts maker.

but suspension fork does not suggest JRA, on the MUP.. :rolleyes:

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/5677/55965323.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/31/55965323.jpg/)

the stem was 9mm short of being flush with the steerer tube. do yall think that is okay? my current stem is a 40mm....should i get another stem that is a 35mm and be short 4mm?

thanks and happy 4th of july!!!

The top of the steerer should be above the shaft of the uppermost bolt.

i would use the 35mm stack stem. you can find some low stack stems in the FR/DH market but they have a short length and are quite heavy

The top of the steerer should be above the shaft of the uppermost bolt.

but that would require me to use sppacers right? i dont want a gap where the cap is screwed on.


i would use the 35mm stack stem. you can find some low stack stems in the FR/DH market but they have a short length and are quite heavy

yup, im gonna do that and get a longer screw for the cap so i make sure it doesnt strip. right now i think i have 1/4 of an inch threaded.

thanks

While you can get this together, be aware that it will be a limited strength connection. The basic rule of thumb for holding tubes in holes is twice the diameter, with 1-1/2 times the diameter being the absolute minimum. This has nothing to do with the position of the bolt of how the clamping is done, but with the bending moments on the tube inside the hole.

There's a good reason that the vast bulk of stems are 2" tall, and that many are now recommending that the stem go beyond the top with a spacer above. Holding a stem onto a 28mm steerer, with only 31mm of insertion is very problematic. Just as you wouldn't ride with a seat post inserted only that far, you should be very cautious with this arrangement.

Will it work? Yes. Will it be dependable if you pull up on the bar, or push down hard coming off a jump? NO

Gotcha. I won't be doing any sweet jumps with this bike.

It'll be mostly flat surfaces and some leveled grass/dirt

but that would require me to use sppacers right? i dont want a gap where the cap is screwed on.no, there are 2 bolts gripping the fork by the stem,
the upper one needs to be at least grabbing around something,
you need a bit more edge of the stem above the steerer about a 5mm., but if you cannot get the
stem around enough steerer tube I will be a weak connection.

a bit .. but not too much..

I'll add to my own post....


The top of the steerer should be above the shaft of the uppermost bolt

, but the steerer should be a couple millimeters below the top of the stem (or the uppermost spacer above the stem) where the cap will sit. There's not a wide margin there.

Some have suggested finding a stem with a single pinch bolt to allow a greater gap between the top of the steerer and the cap while still allowing the uppermost--in this case, only--pinch bolt to tighten fully on the steerer.

You could get the head tube faced :D and tell them to....generously remove metal : ) Also have you looked into zero stack headsets? or headsets that have a smaller stack height?

Zero stack headsets are a different standard and require a frame/head tube specifically made for them.

thanks guys

ill ask my LBS about the zero stack headsets and the stems with single clamp.