Originally Posted by
dpvwia
Yes, I should mention that Edge *does* recommend installing a spacer on top of the stem (as do, apparently, many carbon fork manufacturers), but nonetheless the plug *must*, by design, rest on top of the steerer (see picture). I agree that shortening the steerer is not the way to go.
My guess is that the top of this 'compression plug' (as Edge calls it) must follow the usual rule of being several millimeters (2-3 according to Edge) below the surface that the top cap rests on. In this case, that means 2-3mm below the spacer. BUT, if I do that, then the conical Edge top cap comes into contact with the plug! It's a Catch-22 if I follow their instructions.
What I don't have an image of is the Edge top cap, which is strongly conical - it has a funnel shape on the underside. As crazy as it sounds, this unqiue shape seems to suggest that contact is desireable.
You're thinking way too hard.
The purpose of that is to set preload, which means if the top cap contacts the top of that compression plug it's useless. Slap on a large enough spacer so that this does not happen when you tighten the cap as much as needed. Problem solved. Whether this be more than 2-3mm is irrelevant. Some topcaps require more clearance from the top of the plug than others to not contact when the plug when tightened.. It depends on the exact cap. Once the preload is set you can toss the extra high top spacer and reset it. Also there should be a *minimum* stack height of 5mm worth of spacers for most forks.
That edge design for a compression plug is dumb as hell. Go buy a $10 FSA one.