adjusting headsets

[aceblueheeler1992]

hey all,

(all this was done on a bmx, but please tell for mtb as well)

i was wondering, i took out my forks out to replace with different ones. when i put everything back together (bearings, spacers, plastic wedge etc) and put the stem back on, there was like a rattle. you could move the forks up and down by pressing forward. to fix this i loosened te stem and put pressure on it forward, and beat it down with a hammer. then while still pressing forward tightened the topcap, stem. but now the forks were tight and not spinning as freely as before. so i losened the topcap, stem gave some beating and put back together. its not tight anymore but there is still a little movement

can someone explain how this hapens/fix this.......thank yo

 

[firstaid50]

i have had this problem before once it was a simple job of regreeseing the bearings but the second time i spent nearly a day fixing it in the end i took it into my lbs and got it fixed but i forgot to ask the mechanic how to fix it in case it ever happpend agin.

 

[Andobrahh]

hey all,

(all this was done on a bmx, but please tell for mtb as well)

i was wondering, i took out my forks out to replace with different ones. when i put everything back together (bearings, spacers, plastic wedge etc) and put the stem back on, there was like a rattle. you could move the forks up and down by pressing forward. to fix this i loosened te stem and put pressure on it forward, and beat it down with a hammer. then while still pressing forward tightened the topcap, stem. but now the forks were tight and not spinning as freely as before. so i losened the topcap, stem gave some beating and put back together. its not tight anymore but there is still a little movement

can someone explain how this hapens/fix this.......thank yo

I currently have the exact same problem and, unlike the guy above, I have no idea how I could fix it. Im gonna keep a close eye on this thread cause the headset is realy annoying me.

 

[Yowie]

You put the crown race on the new forks didn't you? All this hammer talk is scary.

 

[Viv92]

Did you tighten the pinch bolts on the stem before you tightened the top cap? That's what it sounds like to me.

Undo the stem pinch bolts, then tighten the top cap till there is no play in the headset, then tighten the bolts on the stem.

 

[dhDRucer]

There no need for hammering!!!it bearings!. undo the stem bolts, tighten the top cap until movement is gone.retighten stem bolts.then put the bike on its rear wheel and hold the bars straight, let go and the bar should fall either right or left.if not it probably too tight. get a happy medium.

if this fails might need a new headset

 

[aceblueheeler1992]

yea, but i don't want to tighten the headset to much, like the topcap gets to a point where it has good resistance when i tighten it. but there is still massive play. and no the pinch bolts/stem bolts are not tightened while this is happening. sometimes i tighten the topcap so much that the play is gone, but the forks/wheel are really tight and not spinning freely.

anyone?

 

[wombat]

As others have said, there should be no need for a hammer. I'm all for hammers to do, well, just about everything really, but if you're don't actually know what the problem is, then hitting it probably isn't the best idea.

like the topcap gets to a point where it has good resistance when i tighten it. but there is still massive play...sometimes i tighten the topcap so much that the play is gone, but the forks/wheel are really tight and not spinning freely.

Sounds like something is missing, or not in the right way. Typically a missing wedge can cause the sort of problems you're talking of, or if the wedge is above the cover when it should be below etc.

Pull the whole thing apart, and check every piece. More importantly, give us some more info: sealed or looseball? Internal, integrated or cupped? single or dual crown forks? Photos of your setup might help too.

 

[aceblueheeler1992]

As others have said, there should be no need for a hammer. I'm all for hammers to do, well, just about everything really, but if you're don't actually know what the problem is, then hitting it probably isn't the best idea.


Sounds like something is missing, or not in the right way. Typically a missing wedge can cause the sort of problems you're talking of, or if the wedge is above the cover when it should be below etc.

Pull the whole thing apart, and check every piece. More importantly, give us some more info: sealed or looseball? Internal, integrated or cupped? single or dual crown forks? Photos of your setup might help too.

yea i will clarify some things up. its on a bmx so its single crown. its cage bearings (so unsealed/looseball) with cups (external bearing cups). the only thing that is missing (from original assembley) is that on the bottom bearing i discarded the plastic/rubber seal. the reason for that was when i was taking it out it got mishapened and wasn't sitting on the bearings good. when assembling forks the seal would get half sucked into the cup and not fit well, so was removed. i will get a pick up tomorrow ok. thanks so far