Torque value for top cap on CAAD10?
08-14-15, 07:23 PM
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Torque value for top cap on CAAD10?
Anyone have any idea? I want to tighten it back down but there is no value that I can find anywhere. Normally Google does pretty well with this stuff, so I am stumped.
08-14-15, 07:39 PM
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The top cap bolt is used (after loosening the stem clamp bolts) only to take the slack out of the headset bearings. The clamp bolts are then tightened to hold the adjustment. The cap bolt then serves no purpose other than to hold the cap in place and could actually be removed with no effect on the function of the headset.
08-14-15, 09:08 PM
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This^^^. For adjusting the tension on your headset there is no proper torque value even though I have seen some manuals suggest that there is. You tighten the top cap until the bearings feel right. As for tightening the cap after the stem has been tightened on the steerer you only need to use a small amount of torque, just enough to keep the cap from loosening. No need to get too fussy about using a torque wrench for this.
08-14-15, 09:09 PM
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I've seen recommended torque values for threadless headset top caps from 5 to 20 inch-pounds with the higher value recommended by Chris King for their headsets. Obviously (I hope it's obvious) the stem clamp bolts have to be loose while this adjustment is made. As noted, once the adjustment is made and the stem clamp bolts tightened, the top cap bolt is redundant.
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