Headset: spacer play?

[Cyclist33]

On mynew bike, try as I might, I can't get the stem setup so that the spacers are nice and tight, I mean there doesn' appear to be vertical play but on the other hand all the spacers can be rotated with a bit of effort.

Can anyone suggest anything one way or tother? I will be asking Evans when the bike goes in for first service anyway, but any help would help.
Tanks

Stu

 

[raleighnut]

The spacers should be able to turn with a bit of effort after all you want the bearings in the headset to be able to turn.

 

[fossyant]

You only want there to be enough tightness in the top cap to stop clonking when you bounce the front of the bike. Then you nip up the stem. The spacers will rotate. Overloading the bearings will knacker them.

 

[Cyclist33]

Ok thanks all

 

[boydj]

Just make sure when you are tightening the top cap it is tightening onto the stem (or a spacer, if you have one above the stem) and not on the top of the steerer tube. The top of the steerer should be 2 or 3 mm below the top of the stem or top spacer, since some top caps have a bevel on the lower surface.