Originally Posted by bonsai171 (Post 20216700)

I like to use an adjustable plumber's wrench to tighten the lockring.

You will also need a special wrench (park tool makes one) that is very thin to adjust the upper bearing cup. I will look up which model it is.

After you have the wrenches, take off the lockring, take out the stem, and inspect your bearing rings and races (they should be smooth). Most likely you just have an adjustment issue. Threaded headsets are kind of finicky.

As long as your bearings are smooth and lived, screw the upper bearing race onto the fork by hand, then gently snug it with the headset wrench. Hold that wrench with one hand (so the bearing race doesn't move), then torque heavy on the lockring with your other hand. After the headset is tight, make sure it moves smoothly. If not, loosen and try again. It might take a few tries, but will definitely be easier with 2 people.

Dave

Originally Posted by bonsai171 (Post 20216898)

The Park tool is the HCW-7.

Dave

Originally Posted by seau grateau (Post 20216942)

Definitely easier with 2 people: 1 local bike shop mechanic to do the work, and 1 me to stand there and sip coffee.

Originally Posted by the sci guy (Post 20216972)

:lol:
Yes totally. But it's such a pain in the butt to put the bike in the car and bring it over there to have them do a tiny adjustment when I can just do it myself.

Originally Posted by seau grateau (Post 20217002)

Yeah, the one on my SS worked itself loose so much that I just started tightening it by hand before taking it out. Never really doing it the right way probably had something to do with how often it came loose, but eh. Now I pretty much just avoid threaded headsets.

Originally Posted by the sci guy (Post 20217010)

Isn't a threaded headset kind of the default for older bikes?

Originally Posted by the sci guy (Post 20217020)

Follow up question - where can I find drop bars that look like the ones on this bike, taken from the vintage Raleigh thread...
They have a slight dip in the middle and a slight flare. I've seen them on older road bikes, but I haven't seen them online anywhere. Help?
I want a set for my SS I mentioned above with the loose headset.

Originally Posted by SuperLJ (Post 20217284)

Those are vintage GB randonneur bars. They come up occasionally on ebay. A few makers still offer rando bars and I've tried them all, but these are the ones you want:

https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/co...-4-handlebars/

Pricey, and worth every penny. Available in 25.4 or 31.8.

Originally Posted by the sci guy (Post 20217323)

But my quill stem is 26.0 :lol

I do have a vintage GB stem on an older Raleigh (1974) I am rebuilding - should I assume that's a 25.4? Was that standard before 26? It doesn't say in the catalog on Sheldon Brown's site what the size is.

Originally Posted by the sci guy (Post 20216972)

cool, thanks! I'll order one! .

Originally Posted by Sunshine_under (Post 20217726)

Hey guys.

Have been looking to replace my Merida Crossway as i keep breaking spokes.

Have been looking at a Specialized Sirrus or a higher model crossway.

Most of my riding is paths with the odd path being primarily stones which is where i think the bike doesn't like it.

Checked out a few Mountain Bikes but they feel sluggish compared to the thinner tires of my merida.

Advice on bikes to check out that can handle a bit of off road along with being quick on paths?

Looked at a Giant disc 2 along as well.

Originally Posted by TimothyH (Post 20218539)

Is there a difference front dropouts for track wheels vs road wheels?

I never really thought about it but want to make sure I'm not missing something.

When I bought the fork for my fixed gear bike it was just a fork - no mention made of whether it was road or track specific so my guess is no.

Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie (Post 20218576)

No. The only difference is that forks meant specifically for track bikes often lack a hole in the crown for mounting a brake and typically have less rake and tire clearance. Both road and track front wheels have 9mm axles.

Originally Posted by TimothyH (Post 20218596)

Excellent. Gracias mi hermano.

Followup if I may... Do you have any thoughts on fork with a carbon fiber dropout being used with a 15 mm track nut or are the clamping forces similar to what would be seen with a quick release?

Assume proper tightening, not standing on the end of the wrench or an air gun or something silly like that.

Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie (Post 20218637)

De rien, mon ami.

Anyways, you don’t need tighten the axle very much on a front wheel, so using track nuts is not a problem if you just tighten them snug + 1/4 turn, or just tight enough so they don’t loosen up on their own.

Originally Posted by SuperLJ (Post 14986632)

Originally Posted by the sci guy (Post 20217020)

Follow up question - where can I find drop bars that look like the ones on this bike, taken from the vintage Raleigh thread...
They have a slight dip in the middle and a slight flare. I've seen them on older road bikes, but I haven't seen them online anywhere. Help?
I want a set for my SS I mentioned above with the loose headset.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8479/8...35c54d71_c.jpg

Originally Posted by Fahrenheit531 (Post 20229133)

I've decided to go ahead and get a White Industries FW now that my single speed setup is looking less temporary every day, and if I'm dropping a pile o' cash on a top-notch component I wanna get it right. So a question:

Is there any real advantage (not purely aesthetic) to running a larger ring/FW combination vs smaller? Right now I'm at 42/16; the larger version with nearly the same gear inches would be 48/18. The only obvious difference I see is that a 16t setup leaves more room to adjust gearing upward via chainring size, while an 18t is the opposite. Anything else I should consider?