I recently had the occasion to remove the stem off my second bike in an attempt to install a new one. The new one would not work, so I had to put the old one back on. I had this bike built up by a LBS when I got a new frame. Some of the parts from this now 2nd bike were put on the new frame and some parts had to be bought new, i.e., the stem. I assume it was all done properly, they are a reputable shop. The stem is on a carbon fork (not sure of the size, however).
My question/problem is that when I went to put the old stem back on, I noticed that the stem's diameter was actually too big for the diameter of the fork. Meaning that the bolts could not be tightened sufficiently to allow the stem to secure to the fork. The only way to get the stem to fit snugly on the fork was to tighten the compression plug on top.
Now, the stem is secure on the fork and will turn the fork when the bars are turned. Whereas before tightening the plug the stem would just spin.
Having never done that type of work before, I was wondering if that was proper. I have seen some videos where the stem fits somewhat tightly on the fork before you even get to tightening the bolts.
Is mine situation just one way to do it or totally wrong?
Thanks and I hope that my question makes sense?