Originally Posted by
mrwang199432
Let's say if I loosened my stem and the preload is released and I needed pre load everything again, should the plug screw be tightened first? Before the top cap is screwed onto it?
If the stem is loosened, then everything has to be readjusted, but a top cap is required as the adjustment process is essentially pressing the stem and headset components together to get the correct bearing preload. Without the bolt AND top cap there's nothing to compress the stem into the headset.