Need help installing stem/handlebars
 

Just got a new Windsor Wellington 3.0 from box.

http://i.imgur.com/v3H2CPd.jpg

Can't seem to attach the stem to the rest of the bike. I'm guessing that you have to loosen the "knob" thing at the top, but I don't have a wrench that big. Just want to confirm that it's the right approach before I try to brute force it

First, remove the plastic cover on the bottom of the stem, it will then slip down inside the steer tube. Do NOT loosen the "knob thing" its function is to adjuse the headset bearings. You tighten the stem using a hex key on the bolt that you see at the top of the stem

Thank you haha the plastic slid right off (I thought it was part of the stem). I spent literally 35 minutes and some very achy fingers trying to loosen that stupid bolt.

It might be a good idea to take the bike to a shop once you're done building it up just so they double check your work.

+1 to this

I have to agree.

Didn't realize that it'll actually be somewhat challenging.

Ran into another issue with the wheels touching the frame...

https://s32.postimg.org/skslirohh/20160722_194559.jpg
https://s31.postimg.org/bzbdfp6ez/20160722_194541.jpg

Figured it out. Fork was backwards from all my messing around with the stem lol

Last issue. Front brakes dont seem to respond..

All sounds good have Local bike shop(LBS) check wheels are True and bearings and brakes are adjusted correctly.

Dis hurts my head....

By the way that's a great bike

Dude, you seriously need to go to the Park Tools website ... and also go to YouTube, where there are literally thousands of videos on bike repair and assembly.

It sounds like you went into this with absolutely zero knowledge and not much forethought. Didn't it occur to you, since you knew you didn't know what you were doing, to do some research first?

Your choice, after all ... but I'd hate to see you hurt yourself, or break your bike, or even just go through a bunch of unnecessary stress. Please, go to YouTube and type in "Basic Bike Assembly." There are serious videos, humorous videos, all sorts of personalities of the presenters, but they all include a lot fo accurate and useful information.

I have been doing bike mechanics for years and I still regularly watch a couple videos if I am about to start a task I haven't done in a while. I would rather swallow my pride and admit there might be something I forgot (or never knew) than to be forced to swallow my pride after I have screwed up.

You might, in your attempt to install the stem, have screwed up the headset---you might have overtightened it, which might crush the bearings into the races, making the bars hard to turn, and wearing the whole thing out early. You might have loosened it, which can damage the frame if you ride it a while too loose.

If the brakes don't work .... nah, nothing bad could happen if the brakes don't work.

if I were there I'd talk you through the whole process ... and I wouldn't hesitate to check online before I did anything i wasn't 1000 percent sure about. But i am not there---you are. YouTube. Please, for your own sake.

Yeah I know haha I was just really excited to get it running. I've watched several videos prior to this, but they are usually poor quality (ie doesn't zoom in and goes really fast) not to mention that they often have different parts than my bike.

It was frustrating to find appropriate videos so I decided to just try to figure it out myself, go for a test ride, make adjustments, repeat.

Thanks everyone for the help. Bike is up and running. Just did an inspection on everything to make sure it's all tight, and gonna take it out for a test run.

"gonna take it out for a test run"

Might want to wear a helmet and read the instructions.

Let's hope this guy comes back and posts again. it's be kind of scary if we never heard from him again.

You still want to take this to a bike shop and have them look it over. Trust me on this.

Somehow I'm betting this poster is a "troll", and we just took the bait. Wait for the predictable "Why can't I get my pedal to screw in" post.....

Famous last words......

how was the test run?

BTW, did anybody notice that the bars were already wrapped when he was supposedly having problems installing the stem? Trollbait for certain.....

From the videos I've seen , Bikes Direct bikes come with the bar already wrapped.

True dat...

Personal experience says they do. All that is needed is to pull off the plastic cap, stick the stem in place, and tighten it down.

Maybe this guy had never seen a bicycle before?

Give him some time, it's hard to run with a bicycle. In this case, likely safer than trying to ride it, though