Originally Posted by
FBinNY
Before sweating details make 100% sure you have all parts and spacers sequenced correctly.
They'd effing better be, the bike came completely assembled from the builder. Just had to attach the handlebars...at which point I discovered this issue.
Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
Have you preformed the ft brake on rocking the bike fore and aft test for a loose headset?
I take it the frame came bare of an installed headset or fork.
I have indeed done the rock-the-bike-fore/aft-while-squeezing-front-brake test, which is how I know something ain't right: Definitely feels like a loose headset, as if the pre-load isn't tight enough. But when I tighten it, then the fork sounds like it's struggling to turn on the bearings.
The frame came fully assembled: headset and fork and stem all installed, I just needed to attach the bars and tighten the pre-load. (And install saddle & seatpost, fwiw.)