Hi,

I was replacing a tapered fork on a Trek madone 5.2 from 2012 and ran into some issues. The fork I am replacing it with is a Columbus Grammy (also tapered, similar rake).

Anyways, the issue is that there doesn't seem to be enough clearance between the fork and headtube to allow proper preloading. So when I go to adjust my headset, the fork starts rubbing on the lip around the headtube before the play is gone in the headset.

So I guess my question (maybe I should have asked this before getting a new fork) is if not all tapered forks are compatible? Is there a spacer I can use on my lower race to create more stack so that the rubbing is gone? Would a different headset solve it? The headset thats on it was the one it came stock with which is some kind of FSA.


Thanks

Was there a "crown race" on the old fork that you neglected to transfer?

No there was no crown race on the previous fork. If I put a 1.5" crown on the new fork, would this fix the issue and create enough space to tighten down the headset?

Perhaps the old fork had a built up seat at the steerer base to act as a "crown race" (I put crown race in quotes because cartridge bearing headsets only have a support plate, not a real race.) and the new one doesn't so you need to install whatever came with the headset.

most carbon forks i have used are designed to carry a crown race. a misnomer really in that the ball bearings don't touch it directly, but it does create a little extra space between the bottom cartridge bearing and the fork proper.

and IME, forks don't come new with a crown race. it's usually part of the headset.

my latest build; a raw frame w/out headset or fork made it necessary to buy a used carbon fork. it had a crown race on it that was very difficult to see. the new headset came with a race too. the crown race that came with the used fork didn't work with the new headset, so i removed it and installed the crown race that came with the new headset. there are many opportunities to make an error here.

+1 Crown races or base plates are almost always specific to the particular make and model of headset and always come with them.

If everything is in order but the frame and fork still don't want to play, the solution would probably be to face the bottom the head tube a tad.