vec

i ride a surly steamroller. lately, i have been testing stem configurations. today, i took out the spacers to lower the stem, and now my, either, front wheel or fork is loose, and i am not sure how to get it tight again. i think it is the fork. when i tug on the front wheel or brake, the front area moves.(maybe the fork). i've put the cap of the fork back on and tightened it, but it never stops turning. i can keep on screwing it. i am pretty clueless atm.


edit:: nevermind. my newb ass got it fixed. next time i'll search beforehand.

norwood

Sounds like you didn't know that the headset adjustment is affected when you loosen the stem. The proper load on the headset bearings is achieved by adjusting the cap screw in the top cap which pushes down on the loosened stem until the play is taken out of the bearings. The stem must be above the steerer tube a few mm's for this to work. I suggest you research how to properly adjust a threadless headset.
https://sheldonbrown.com/headsets.html#threadless

vec

thank you for the link. i have a better understanding now. i appreciate it.

Panthers007

1-1/8th inch headset - threadless: Rule 1. Tighten the top-cap to preset the bearings. Not much. Just snug.

2. Torque the stem onto the steerer. Follow manufacturers' instruction regards torque-settings. NOT all at once on one bolt. SLOWLY go from bolt to bolt until the torque is correct on both bolts.

Now hold the front-brake tight and try to rock the bike backwards and forwards. If you don't feel any play - Good Job!

If you do: Start over.

TOOLS: Hex-Wrenches to fit the Torque-Wrench you must have.

HillRider

If you took out a spacer, the steerer may be too long and the top cap is bottoming on the steerer before the adjustment is proper. You should have 2-3 mm of gap between the stem top or any spacer above the stem and the end of the steerer tube to allow adjustment.

evanp

This is the problem I'm having with my Felt F55. Strange thing is that it took about a year for it to reach this state. It must have been right on the edge of the proper stack height, and a year's worth of compression and bearing wear left with me without enough spacer/stem height to load the headset bearings sufficiently. I need to go swap one of my spacers for one that's 1-2 mm taller.

evanp

So, after adding a 2.5 mm spacer, I still can't get the headset tight. Turns out the stem cap nut (and its retention system) inside the steerer pulls out as I tighten down on the cap. The stem binder bolts are loose, and the stem has play, so tightening the stem cap bolt should transfer the compression through the stack and against the top of the headset.

My fork has a carbon steerer, btw.

I can hammer the nut and retainer back down flush with the top of the steerer, but it just pulls out again before I can get enough compression on the stack to keep the headset nice and tight.

Ideas?

evanp

Worst thread title ever, but I thought I'd follow up here in case someone searches for this later...

The compression plug in my carbon steerer has a 4mm bolt that increases the compression of the plug against the steerer tube. It's accessible *through* the 5mm nut for the stem cap. I just needed to loosen the plug with this bolt, push it back down into the steerer, lock it into place, and tighten the stack again via the traditional method.

Panthers007

This is the worst combination of words, and most expensive no doubt, I can imagine: Carbon Frame Hammer.