Steering Head Problem

[andsaw]

I have Triban 3 that's 6 months old and i started to notice this sort of banging noise when i was going over bumps, got home today after a ride and i grabbed the front brake on and noticed there is backwards and forward movement in the steering head and its just had its 6 month service, what could the problem be and and could i fix it myself or would i have to take it back.

 

[HovR]

You've got a little bit of play in the headset.

To fix it, start by unscrewing the pinch bolts. Unscrew them a little at a time so you don't overload a screw. Now your handlebars should be able to move independently of the front wheel.

Next, tighten down the top cap until play is removed from the headset, but no more. It is possible to overtighten this bolt, so only tighten it enough to remove the play.

Now tighten the pinch bolts back up, again a little at a time, alternating between each bolt. If you have any carbon on your bike, or if you know you have a carbon steerer, it's best to do this with a torque wrench to the manufacturers specifications. If your steerer is metal (a Triban owner should be able to clear this up) then you can just torque it down by hand with some mechanical sympathy.

As long as your headset isn't worn then this should fix the issue. If it is worn then you may need new bearings.

 

[stephec]

Sounds like you've got a loose headset, simple enough to rectify.

Might be worth contacting the shop that carried out the service though if you don't want to do it yourself.

 

[andsaw]

You've got a little bit of play in the headset.

To fix it, start by unscrewing the pinch bolts. Unscrew them a little at a time so you don't overload a screw. Now your handlebars should be able to move independently of the front wheel.

Next, tighten down the top cap until play is removed from the headset, but no more. It is possible to overtighten this bolt, so only tighten it enough to remove the play.

Now tighten the pinch bolts back up, again a little at a time, alternating between each bolt. If you have any carbon on your bike, or if you know you have a carbon steerer, it's best to do this with a torque wrench to the manufacturers specifications. If your steerer is metal (a Triban owner should be able to clear this up) then you can just torque it down by hand with some mechanical sympathy.

As long as your headset isn't worn then this should fix the issue. If it is worn then you may need new bearings.

Tried this solution and it made no difference, but there was another pinch bolt that is below the spacers and above the bit where it says no wrench flats and that needed loosening and then tightening the top cap and now its all good again, thanks for that explanation, and a quick resolution to this problem, and will know next time it happens but hopefully it wont, cheers.

 

[albion]

I had similar, but to get smooth travel I now need the top cap bolt very loose with the 2 pinch bolts tight..

Is that OK?

 

[potsy]

Tried this solution and it made no difference, but there was another pinch bolt that is below the spacers and above the bit where it says no wrench flats and that needed loosening and then tightening the top cap and now its all good again, thanks for that explanation, and a quick resolution to this problem, and will know next time it happens but hopefully it wont, cheers.

That's because your spacers are above the stem andrew, they can be adjusted to suit your preferred position

I had similar, but to get smooth travel I now need the top cap bolt very loose with the 2 pinch bolts tight..

Is that OK?

Once the pinch bolts are tight then they are holding it all togther not the top cap