My aheadset is loose....I dunno why.

[stevenb]

I went to flip over the stem, so I undone the bolts etc flipped it over and put it back on.
Now there is play in the Aheadset and I can't figure out why. Everything seems squashed together nicely and tight.
I know it's an easy fix for the bike shop but I don't really want the hassle of going down there.
I have done this before and it's been fine.
Anything I should be looking out for?

Cheers

Steve

 

[Steve Austin]

Have you tensioned it right?
and are you tensioning it before you tighten the stem bolts?
I find tensioning it when the stem is very loose helps with some that seem to be hard to get the correct tension

 

[stevenb]

I am Tightening the stem clamp bolts first then the plug bolt on top.
I just tried again....everything seemed tight....but it's still loose.
I wonder if it's the bottom race that has come loose.....or a shim or something is out of place slightly......hmmmm

 

[ColinJ]

I am Tightening the stem clamp bolts first then the plug bolt on top.
I just tried again....everything seemed tight....but it's still loose.
I wonder if it's the bottom race that has come loose.....or a shim or something is out of place slightly......hmmmm

As Steve Austin said - you should adjust the tension with the bolt on top and then tighten the stem bolts to hold that tension. If you tighten the stem bolts first, then the tension can't be changed because the stem can't move!

 

[Elmer Fudd]

I think you should be tightening the plug bolt 1st, then the stem bolts, then slacken off the plug bolt a 1/4 or 1/2 a turn (sure that's what my lbs did with mine when straightenig up the bars)

 

[stevenb]

I'll give it a try and report back.
Cheers guys.

 

[ColinJ]

I think you should be tightening the plug bolt 1st, then the stem bolts, then slacken off the plug bolt a 1/4 or 1/2 a turn (sure that's what my lbs did with mine)

You could slacken the plug bolt afterwards if you wanted to since it no longer has to apply tension, but why would you want to?

Sheldon Brown explains it all here.

 

[stevenb]

Thanks for your help guys. It worked.....as you knew it would anyway...
My stem is flipped over as I wanted it too.
I think before when I had my old forks on the bike they were rusty and seized (in the steerer tube) that it didn't make any difference.
Well chuffed now.
Thanks

 

[Elmer Fudd]

You could slacken the plug bolt afterwards if you wanted to since it no longer has to apply tension, but why would you want to?

Sheldon Brown explains it all here.

Maybe he did it to "over torque" as it was a new bike just to bed everything down,then backed it off a tad (thinking about it, it wasn't even a 1/4 of a turn, just a "knock back".

Just like I used to do at work, tighten a bolt tight, then tap the allen key back so the threads are moving in the "right" direction to undo later.