Headset/fork issue

Squidgy Black

I've a brand new set of Alpina forks that I had the LBS cut the steerer and install the star nut. It has an internal headset.

The problem is, there's either too much play in the forks to have the headset turning freely, or when you tighten it to the point that there's no play, the headset doesn't really turn freely and if you take your hands off the bars you veer left sharply.

I've attached a couple of pictures of the star nut, it looks like it was installed fairly deep to me. What should I do? Should I just leave it as is and keep my hands on the bars?

lennymc

have you got the headset bearings and spacers installed correctly? Star nut looks fine to me.

NeedMoreGears

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/tech-tuesday-headset-adjusting-2010.html

Squidgy Black

Stuck the bike in the work stand and greased all the bearings etc and the fork, and it seems to be less stiff.

Now I just need to sort out some different sized spacers because it seems they've cut the steerer too short for the spacer stack I left on it when I dropped it in.

mirv

Are your gear and brake cable outers cut too short or routed too sharply, or have you changed to a longer stem?

They can have an effect on your steering. I can't imagine a headset being the cause of a veer unless it's very heavily worn and 'indexed'.

Squidgy Black

It's a track bike so there's no brakes etc, and the stem is the same. To be honest, I think the veering is just the fact I had the headset so tight because of the play that I was just leaning left.

quozl

stetyrrell wrote: »

Now I just need to sort out some different sized spacers because it seems they've cut the steerer too short for the spacer stack I left on it when I dropped it in.

Probably telling you what you already know - but to be sure - the spacers should stick up above the steerer tube. Gives space for them to be compressed by the headset. It's the stem that holds the steerer in place, the spacers do very little.

manwithaplan

I know this is headset 101 but I assume you are loosening the stem bolts before attacking the top bolt?

check_six

Steering weird and inconsistent? Bearings gone.
Steering 'consistently' weird? Setup not right.

To sort the setup remember that you should not tighten the two bolts on the stem till you have got the headset cap bolt right. If you start tightening things in the wrong order you will give yourself some headaches.

Tighten the cap bolt a bit, turn the front wheel 90 degrees and squeeze the front brake. Try to move the bike forward and you will feel the steerer tube moving about in the head tube. This wobble is what you want to reduce. Check that your bearings are sitting correctly at this point as tightening them when they are not sitting in correctly can damage them. Tighten the cap bolt until the wobble is eliminated, and no more. To tighten further will make the steering stiff. At this point the handlebars may not be aligned properly, but do not worry about that.

When you are happy with the cap bolt tightness, align the handlebars with the wheel. Tighten the stem bolts a bit at a time on each bolt. Don't do one to it's final tightness then start on the next one. When the stem bolts are tight, it is, in theory, possible to remove the headset cap altogether as the stem bolts are doing the job of holding everything together.

The steerer tube looks within the normal parameters for length (or lack of it), but you may be happier removing a spacer.

mirv

Did you build your own wheels? Maybe the dish on the front is off and so you're veering?

clog

I seem to remember that I had this problem with an Alpina headset fitted to a Dolan bike before. It would go immediately from too loose to solid.
The culprit was that the headset cover (the bit with Alpina on it) was binding onto the top of the headtube.
I fitted a thin shim/washer on top of the collar and below the cover to space it out a bit and it worked fine.

Squidgy Black

clog wrote: »

I seem to remember that I had this problem with an Alpina headset fitted to a Dolan bike before. It would go immediately from too loose to solid.
The culprit was that the headset cover (the bit with Alpina on it) was binding onto the top of the headtube.
I fitted a thin shim/washer on top of the collar and below the cover to space it out a bit and it worked fine.

I noticed the headset cover was hard enough to get on the forks, as if it's hole wasn't wide enough and had to be pushed on fairly hard, and when I removed the stem and top cap altogether it was holding the forks in place. I might get a file to it tomorrow and just trim it back a little.

Holyboy

clog wrote: »

I seem to remember that I had this problem with an Alpina headset fitted to a Dolan bike before. It would go immediately from too loose to solid.
The culprit was that the headset cover (the bit with Alpina on it) was binding onto the top of the headtube.
I fitted a thin shim/washer on top of the collar and below the cover to space it out a bit and it worked fine.

I'd agree with this, some integrated headsets come with a couple of shims and some don't but your LBS should have some knocking around that you could buy, one or two is usually all that's needed or you could get the head tube reamed and faced if you can find a shop with the proper tools!