loose headset? adjust without torque wrench?
08-25-09, 02:09 PM
#1
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loose headset? adjust without torque wrench?
My headset might be slightly loose, I started noticing more rocking of the stem/fork when I hit the brakes at speed (seems like the wheel gets closer to the frame and the front end pitches up). However, I don't notice the clicking/knocking when trying to rock the bike back and forth with the front brake applied. I'll try the rocking thing again tonight with my hand on the headset to see if I feel anything and look at the frame/fork more closely.
The bike is an '07 fuji cross pro, bought new at performance bike last year, so maybe the headset just needs tweaking. It was more noticable last night (again, moderate/hard braking only) after a few moderate bumps of singletrack, but i think the tires/wheels are ok and I'm only 135 lbs.
Is there anything else I should check? If I want to tighten the headset a tiny bit (1/4 or 1/8 a turn), is a torque wrench necessary? (for tightening the stem bolts) I understand I just loosen the stem bolts, tweak the top bolt, then re-tighten the stem bolts. I'll get a torque wrench soon, but would like to give this a try by hand first (i.e., before it rains tomorrow
)
The bike is an '07 fuji cross pro, bought new at performance bike last year, so maybe the headset just needs tweaking. It was more noticable last night (again, moderate/hard braking only) after a few moderate bumps of singletrack, but i think the tires/wheels are ok and I'm only 135 lbs.
Is there anything else I should check? If I want to tighten the headset a tiny bit (1/4 or 1/8 a turn), is a torque wrench necessary? (for tightening the stem bolts) I understand I just loosen the stem bolts, tweak the top bolt, then re-tighten the stem bolts. I'll get a torque wrench soon, but would like to give this a try by hand first (i.e., before it rains tomorrow
)
Last edited by black_box; 08-26-09 at 07:46 AM.
08-25-09, 02:15 PM
#2
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could it be the front hub that is loose? my headset is a bit loose too, and i have never used a torque wrench to tighten it. just as tight as i can by hand, and just a little tweak with a wrench.
08-25-09, 02:19 PM
#3
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No need for torque wrench
My headset might be slightly loose, I started noticing more rocking of the stem/fork when I hit the brakes at speed (seems like the wheel gets closer to the frame and the front end pitches up). However, I don't notice the clicking/knocking when trying to rock the bike back and forth with the front brake applied. I'll try the rocking thing again tonight with my hand on the headset to see if I feel anything and look at the frame/fork more closely.
The bike is an '07 fuji cross pro, bought new at performance bike last year, so maybe the headset just needs tweaking. It was more noticable last night (again, moderate/hard braking only) after a few moderate bumps of singletrack, but i think the tires/wheels are ok and I'm only 135 lbs.
Is there anything else I should check? If I want to tighten the headset a tiny bit (1/4 or 1/8 a turn), is a torque wrench necessary? I understand I just loosen the stem bolts, tweak the top bolt, then re-tighten the stem bolts. I'll get a torque wrench soon, but would like to give this a try by hand first (i.e., before it rains tomorrow)
The bike is an '07 fuji cross pro, bought new at performance bike last year, so maybe the headset just needs tweaking. It was more noticable last night (again, moderate/hard braking only) after a few moderate bumps of singletrack, but i think the tires/wheels are ok and I'm only 135 lbs.
Is there anything else I should check? If I want to tighten the headset a tiny bit (1/4 or 1/8 a turn), is a torque wrench necessary? I understand I just loosen the stem bolts, tweak the top bolt, then re-tighten the stem bolts. I'll get a torque wrench soon, but would like to give this a try by hand first (i.e., before it rains tomorrow
)
08-25-09, 02:30 PM
#4
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Thread Starter
yeah, this would be for the stem bolts (sorry, I wrote that poorly). I'm pretty sure its all aluminum and marked at 5 Nm. I'll check the hub too, thanks.
08-25-09, 02:31 PM
#5
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My headset might be slightly loose, I started noticing more rocking of the stem/fork when I hit the brakes at speed (seems like the wheel gets closer to the frame and the front end pitches up). However, I don't notice the clicking/knocking when trying to rock the bike back and forth with the front brake applied. I'll try the rocking thing again tonight with my hand on the headset to see if I feel anything and look at the frame/fork more closely.
The bike is an '07 fuji cross pro, bought new at performance bike last year, so maybe the headset just needs tweaking. It was more noticable last night (again, moderate/hard braking only) after a few moderate bumps of singletrack, but i think the tires/wheels are ok and I'm only 135 lbs.
Is there anything else I should check? If I want to tighten the headset a tiny bit (1/4 or 1/8 a turn), is a torque wrench necessary? I understand I just loosen the stem bolts, tweak the top bolt, then re-tighten the stem bolts. I'll get a torque wrench soon, but would like to give this a try by hand first (i.e., before it rains tomorrow)
The bike is an '07 fuji cross pro, bought new at performance bike last year, so maybe the headset just needs tweaking. It was more noticable last night (again, moderate/hard braking only) after a few moderate bumps of singletrack, but i think the tires/wheels are ok and I'm only 135 lbs.
Is there anything else I should check? If I want to tighten the headset a tiny bit (1/4 or 1/8 a turn), is a torque wrench necessary? I understand I just loosen the stem bolts, tweak the top bolt, then re-tighten the stem bolts. I'll get a torque wrench soon, but would like to give this a try by hand first (i.e., before it rains tomorrow
)As vredstein said the adjustment is a 'feel' thing. A torque wrench isn't needed, and would probably cause some harm, on the headset bearing preload adjusment.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-26-09, 07:35 AM
#6
Senior Member
A torque wrench is not needed. Tighten the top cap until you feel a little extra drag as the fork is turned, then back off the tension about 1/8 turn. Rocking the bike with the front brake held tight does not work with modern integrated headsets. It only works with old-fashioned caged ball headsets that do not have angular contact bearings.
Go for a short test ride. If the bearings are too tight, the fork will not readily return to a straight ahead position after a turn. You can't miss the sluggish feel of too-tight bearings.
Go for a short test ride. If the bearings are too tight, the fork will not readily return to a straight ahead position after a turn. You can't miss the sluggish feel of too-tight bearings.
08-26-09, 07:49 AM
#7
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Thread Starter
Thanks everyone. I gave it an 1/8th of a turn and it felt better. I didn't sense any binding, so I'll try another 1/8th later.
08-26-09, 09:17 AM
#9
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Did you tighten the cap on top before you tightened the stem-bolts (to their recommended torque-settings)?
08-26-09, 09:24 AM
#10
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Thread Starter
I loosened the stem pinch bolts, tightened the cap bolt 1/8th of a turn, then tightened the stem pinch bolts. I guesstimated the torque for the stem pinch bolts based on how they felt when I broke them free and the rotation of the wrench. I will probably buy a torque wrench tonight and redo the pinch bolts.
