Raerfani

Anything I should know or be careful about before I start wrenching. To be honest, I don't know what I'm doing. (You all know that)

Namenda

There's really nothing to it. Short of stripping a bolt, or farking up the steer tube (highly unlikely), you have nothing to worry about. The best part is, if you don't like the feel, you can always flip it back just as easily.

FIVE ONE SIX

tighten the bolt at the top of the steerer tube till it stops moving, then tighten the 2 bolts on the stem, then back the bolt at the top of the steerer tube out and only slightly tighten it. if it's too tight, it will cause premature headset wear...

FixdGearHead

To emphasize - do NOT overtighten the top bold...as mentioned, if it's too tight...headset wear, if it's REALLY tight, you'll crack the Star Fangled nut.

Once you're done, squeeze your left brake and rock the bike back and forth, if there's 'give' in the fork, you didn't follow 516's directions

ViperZ

If this is the first time you have worked with a Threadless Head set, you may want to read the lower section on Headset adjustment, as it will be required once the stem is flipped.


Instructions Here

thomson

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIVE ONE SIX

tighten the bolt at the top of the steerer tube till it stops moving, then tighten the 2 bolts on the stem, then back the bolt at the top of the steerer tube out and only slightly tighten it. if it's too tight, it will cause premature headset wear...

Perhaps my comprehension is wrong but this sounds wrong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIVE ONE SIX

tighten the bolt at the top of the steerer tube till it stops moving

Until it stops moving? That is so subjective but I think most would way over tighten it based on this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIVE ONE SIX

then tighten the 2 bolts on the stem, then back the bolt at the top of the steerer tube out and only slightly tighten it. if it's too tight, it will cause premature headset wear...

Once the stem is tightened to the steerer tube (more accurately to the star fangled nut or equivalent inside the steerer tube), it doesn’t matter what you do to the top bolt.

DrPete 

When you tighten the top bolt, it has nothing to do with how tight the BOLT is. You need to tighten it just far enough that the front wheel turns left/right without any play in the headset bearings--no tighter.

Then, tighten down the steerer tube clamp bolts and clamp the bar back on. Just make sure you don't over-tighten, especially if you have a carbon steerer tube.

Good luck!

FIVE ONE SIX

^ you're right, it does sound pretty vague, i couldn't think of a technical way to word it. i should have just posted the link to the Park Tool site like Viper did...

and as far as loosening the cap bolt and re-tightening it, i know it doesn't do anything once the stem bolts are tight, it's just something i do. it's kind of like a finishing touch type of thing...

jjmolyet

I flipped mine in 5 mins, flipped it back 3 mins. later, so the whole job is less than 10 minutes

thomson

I think once the stem is attached, loosening the top bolt and centering the top cap is a nice finishing touch.

Plow13

one thing i had to worry about was when my first got my bike, my stem was down and i went to flip it and all the cables were too short to have the stem flipped up...

FIVE ONE SIX

i'm not going to lie, the first time i flipped my stem, i didn't know anything about doing it and i didn't know what the bolt at the top of the steerer tube was for. i didn't tighten it until i was done with the other 2 bolts, because i figured it was only for holding the cap on, and when i brought the bike to my mechanic for a tune-up he noticed that the headset was lose and told me how to do it correctly. he also mentioned to me about greasing the bolts, because sweat drops around there and you don't want those bolts to seize, so i greased them and all has been well since...

FixdGearHead

^ Worse for me...the first time I messed with my headset/stem, I torqued the top bolt until it couldn't move...and then torqued some more. Result = stripped bolt, cracked Star Fangled nut and an embarassing trip to the LBS

OCRider2000

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4219

FixdGearHead

Uh yeah, that's the even more pathetic part...I did have a torque wrench; simply figured "Ehh...tighter the better!"...ahh foolish/ignorant youth.