Originally Posted by
NinetiesKid
I think I understand this correctly. If I were to lift the front wheel and bring it down to the ground, there should be no up and down movement in the fork (or sound of slight movement) if the bearing pre-load is set.
A better way is this: Squeeze the front brake and rock the bike forward and back; there will be some movement but there shouldn't be any clicking or loose kind of feeling. Next, lift the front end of the bike by the top tube and rotate the wheel/fork left to right; it should be smooth.