So I just unpacked the bike from BD. I'm going about putting it all together and realized that the stem actually comes loose from the bottom of the head tube. It seemed a bit odd and I wanted to know if this was normal or not... on the top part of the head tube, there are 4-5 washer/spacer looking things as well as another lock looking piece... here is the picture let me know if something is indeed wrong with the bike



the loose part im talking about is at the bottom of the head tube basically right above the fork.

I just put on the drop bars and the entire thing seems secure now with the washers and all.


also, i'm using a small 6" hand pump to pump up the tires... what is a good way to measure whether or not the tires have enough air in them?

pics of the top/side of headset/stem/handlebar...for further investigation.

did you tighten the headlock down? mostly it the fork wasn't seated correctly when you tighten it. or remove/add spacers till tighten. happened to me.

nexxxt...

the steerer tube on the fork is too long...you'll need to trim it down or use more spacers.

please take your bike to a shop and have them put it together for you, we all want you to be safe and part of this forum longer than your initial test ride!

okay, so i've got the bike together. took it out for a light test run in the back streets and am running into something a bit odd. when i try and accelerate with a decent amount of force, the crank slips forward about an inch or backwards (bike came with the fixed cog attached) when i try and slow down with a decent amount of force.

I think your fixed cog and lock-ring are loose
these need to be tighten down properly and checked on a regular basis

I assume you figured out the aheadset

If you need more setup details; just PM me here

Thanks for your purchase

Mike

cog needs to be tightened

Likely not just the cog, lockring and headset need attention. I would go over the whole thing with wrenches just to be sure. Make sure you use as close to the correct torque as you can achieve for each fastener. I realize not everyone has a torque wrench, so just use common sense.

Oy. I would recommend going here ( https://www.parktool.com/repair/ ) and looking some stuff up. Your bike will thank you and so will your health insurance company.

Also, pick up a floor-standing pump with a gauge for your tires. 90 psi is really really tough to make through a cheap hand pump.

The whole bike needs to be looked at, I'm not trying to be a jerk to you but clearly this is your first bike if not your first fixed gear even then your first bike that you completely assemble. Please find someone who can show you in person or have a bike shop look it over for you before you do something that will harm both you and your new bike.

this is most likely the case, use the rotafix method to get the cog on tight, and invest in a lockring tool.

https://204.73.203.34/fisso/eng/schpignonestep2.htm

I agree with one of the earlier post. he should go to a shop before he gets hurt. the cranks moving about 1" forward and backward sound like the axle nut is loose

I think I will be taking my bike to my lbs to have it checked over. the thing with the lbs's around my area (santa cruz, ca) is that they are pretty much dicks if 1) you didn't purchase the bike from them and 2) look like a hipster with a fixie/ss both of which i fulfill entirely (i fulfill #2 because the dawes sst-al looks pretty ******y through the eyes of a true track cyclist and what not). it just makes approaching these people hard and even harder to even want to pay them money to do something for me when I know they're probably going to half ass it and not take it as seriously as they would a bike that they personally sold. with all of that in mind, how much should I be looking to pay a lbs to have them check over my bike?

Professional shops will be professional. Service $'s are the best kind usually, much better than selling stuff (except stuff like tubes, levers, and patch kits which usually are marked up 300-400%).

If you go in with the attitude that they are trying to screw you and do shoddy work then they may pick up on it and treat you accordingly.

My shop would probably charge you ~$30 to adjust and ensure things are good. This would include a wheel true (not tension). Most knowledgeable wrenches could check safety on your bike in < 5 min, and since there are no gears to adjust, there is less to fiddle with. Checking torque on your bolts, play in your bearings, wheel true another 10 min....

Glad you are having someone who knows what they are doing look at your bike, as even their half ass is still likely better than your whole ass.

I went to school and lived in Santa Cruz for a while. It's been years, but Bike Shop Santa Cruz was always pretty good to me. Although it does look like SC has been over run with fixed gears though. Any bike shop worth their salt should at least be professional in service, if not customer relations.

You're paying them to provide a service, any attitude and just walk away! Plenty of other shops that will take your money to work on your bike no matter what it says on the downtube.

FAIL! good thing you gave up, we didn't want to see you eat it coming down one of this hills in sc

i wouldn't haggle about prices too much at a bike shop since they are professionals. does santa cruz have a bicycle co-op? much friendlier and cheaper than a typical bike shop, or maybe someone you know knows someone that can help? or you can find someone at a ride or something, does sc have critical mass?

just got shot a PM from a member here who is willing to take a look at my bike. i just did a bit of research about tightening the cog by riding forward (with a good amount of force) and after doing that about twice, the slipping has dispersed. still don't know if its slipping when I backpedal because I do not want to take any risks with the hub. sort of sucks that my housemates "the hour" came perfect and ready to ride out of the box without any weird issues such as mine and yet my bike cost $60 more .

Dandy I am sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your bike. maybe you just got a 'monday' bike. my UNo went togather quite easily, but I do need a good stand. also it never hurts to be friends with one of your lbs. we used to have regular customers who would bring beer and other goodies. of course this sometimes was accompanied by wanting their bike fixed after hours for next day but we did it. we bike mechanics are a weird bunch and we like to think we know it all. sometimes it just takes a bit to warm us up.

Daniel,

How's it going? Was wondering how the Dawes SST-AL was treating you. Still have it? Cons, pros? I've had it a few months. You would have it over a year now if you still ride it. Thanks.

He hasn't visited this site in 9 months.

Good observation.

Jankya$$ BD quality...

In addition to the lockring; might aswell ditch the cheap stock aluminum lockring for a dura ace steel one at the bike store....