I have a couple of problems that come with a bit of a saga, so bear with me please. The issues started a few weeks ago when I noticed the headset starting to feel a bit loose on my 2007 Specialized Allez Elite (specs: https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bik...tedouble#specs). I tried slightly loosening the pinch bolts and then tightening the preload bolt, but the compression plug tightened all the way up against the top cap. It was this one: https://www.cheapbikeparts360.com/pro...expander-plug/

I took it out and found that it was so badly seized that there was no way I could get the large bolt (the part that sets the expansion) to turn even using a bench vise to try to hold it in place, so I went to the LBS and bought another. It is this one: https://www.bikeauthority.com/product...d1409-qc84.htm

I replaced the compression plug and the new one tightened just fine, but I found I couldn't get the headset to sit snugly even after applying too much torque to the preload bolt. It also seemed like the problem was partially that the handlebar stem no longer hit the top spacers at the right angle. So, I pulled the whole thing apart.

This is a Specialized Mindset headset, which I have since learned on the Internet is a huge ***** to deal with. Upon disassembly, I found that the headset looks fine (as far as I can tell) except that the grease around it is in fairly bad shape, but there is an approximately 0.5 mm groove in the carbon steerer about where it hit the top bearing. There was nowhere near enough play in the headset to explain this, but I guess the offset in the handlebars should have been the clue.

So, in conclusion, clearly I need to replace the fork so that I don't become a face transplant candidate. I will probably also replace the headset, because I'm pretty annoyed at this series of events and don't want to screw up another fork. I am thinking I'll go with the Cane Creek 40 series headset, since I have read online that that is an adequate replacement. However, I have no clue what I should use for the fork replacement. And considering how much I have to replace at once, should I be considering some other combination for better durability? I am open to a different steerer material because I would rather live a long healthy life than worry about gaining a few grams by using carbon.

I'm not a fan of carbon forks, but there's solid data that all-carbon forks are stronger and less pone to failure than carbon forks with steer steerers. Carbon forks have been around decently long enough and have established a reasonable safety record. So if you're buying a carbon fork, you might as well go all carbon.

Without seeing it, it's impossible to judge the cause or seriousness of the groove in the steerer. It's probably from rubbing against the ID of the lower cup, but that's a mystery you should try to solve before going farther. As for the expansion plug, next time around consider mixing some abrasive with paint or nail polish and applying a band around the expander. This will give it some bite, and prevent slippage without the need to over tighten.

Specialized stems use a special insert that can be rotated / inverted to change the stem angle. This system causes the top of the stem to not be completely flat. You should therefore use one of Specialized's top caps on top of this stem because they are designed to sit at the right angle, and you can rotate them to make them fit better on different angles. One more thing about those stems is that you cannot put a spacer above the stem, because it will also not contact the top of the stem properly. Moving these stems up or down should be done purely by changing the stem's angle using the insert. If you want to go much lower, then you need to cut the steerer column so that the stem is always at the very top.

I didn't move anything but the plug--there is no spacer above the stem and I re-used the top cap that came with the bike. Maybe it's fine how it sits, but I didn't remember it looking as off-angle before.

I haven't done anything yet because I haven't had time to go to a Specialized shop that I trust and figure out my options. I have heard the same about forks that combine carbon with steel or aluminum alloys (the one on the bike is a carbon steerer glued into aluminum). What I meant was that I would be happiest with an all-metal fork and steerer combination. Otherwise maybe I will go all-carbon. I am not sure what is available from Specialized that will match the frame . . .