Originally Posted by
johngwheeler
I recently changed my stem and tightened up the headset in the normal way, but it ended up a little bit tighter than before. The wheel will still fall to one side under its own weight, jut a bit more slowly. I actually quite like the slightly stiffer steering, which seems to make the bike a bit less twitchy.
Is this a bad idea, and could I do any damage to bearings etc. by having the headset "firm" rather than "floppy"?
Err, getting back to the original post...
I recently purchased a used bike with slightly tighter steering (it will flop on it's own when leaned a bit, but not easily, and the wheel will always track pretty strait ahead when pushing the bike by the seat), and I love it. It doesn't feel stiff at all when riding (I have some experience riding motorcycles, so bicycle steering always feels super light), but it makes everything so much more convenient day to day.
I live in the city, so I'm constantly pushing the bike through doors while holding them open, and keeping the wheel from flopping is a huge help. Likewise, when I put the bike on the stand I don't have to worry about the bars turning and smacking...
I'm now thinking about adjusting my other bikes to be the same way. And, in any case, I can't adjust this tighter one at the moment, since it has that annoying '80s Shimano 600 star nut on top.