I've only got one bike on the road at the moment and it has (or rather had) a loose headset. I was reluctant to start messing without knowing what I might mess up or whether I was likely to need new parts because I use it for commuting. Thanks to your video, it's all sorted now. Cheers guys..
Thanks so much for sharing this. I'm a new mountain biker, and a light-bulb changing level mechanic, so when I went over a bit of a drop recently I felt something go froggy in my bike's front end but didn't know what it was or how to fix it. I took the bike into a local shop, but apparently could not describe the issue clearly. Just picked the bike up, and although they did a tune up, the front end still feels loose. I watched your video and did that, and now my bike feels rock solid again.
Thanks for making this (5 years later, I know). I have a brand new Trek X-Caliber and I noticed this awful wobble when I was failing at doing stoppies. Makes it feel like the whole bike's gonna collapse. Looks like where I went wrong was not loosening the stem clamp before tightening the top cap.
Very helpful, thank you! It worked perfectly. I replaced the stem and didn't realise the effect of the topical screw in bedding down the steerer tube and spacers. I created a monster by mistake and your video has resolved the issue. Thanks.
After all this time of trying to do it without help, I gave up and looked on TH-cam. Now that I've seen it done on here so easily, I feel like an imbecile. THAT'S SERIOUSLY ALL YOU DO?!?!?!?! I can't believe it's just that easy.... And that fast.... Gonna make myself a cuppa with my spare thirty minutes I gave myself to repair that damn rocking! XD Thanks a lot! You just earned a subscription!
One of the most important maintenance IMO. My first bike, I rode with the headset loose too many times and destroyed the headset bearings as a result. Luckily, this maintenance is extremely easy to perform and check before every ride.
Thanx a lot ...my mistake was that i did it the wrong way first time...first i did tighten the stem bolts and after the steer tube bolt, that was my mistake ...after seeing this video i did it the right way :) first tighten the steer tube upper bolt and after the stem bolts and all worked fine , no more loose headset :)....thanx again.
Thanks for this vid. I had a ongoing issue when braking downhill, I would experience slight shaking in the handlebar. After bringing it to the shop where I bought the bike from (Trek 7.4FX) The problem continued. So I researched & came across this vid. & performed the repair myself. I no longer experience the shaking & I no longer take my bike to that shop & I definitely won't b buying a bike from there again.
The fork does not directly interface with the headtube. The headset sits between the head tube and fork steerer tube. Any looseness in this interface necessarily includes a problem involving the headset. Follow the steps in the video to correct the problem. If this does not work for you, take your bike to a qualified mechanic to diagnose what is likely a more serious problem.
If you mean that the top cap butted against the steerer tube and the top cap screw pulled through, no you don't need a new fork, just a new top cap most likely. If you mean that when tightening the top cap screw, the star nut (and/or) steerer tube expander pulled through the fork to the top cap, then you still probably don't need a new fork. Most likely you need a new star nut, or the expander needs to be reset. Best bet is to take your bike to your local shop and have them look at it.
Sounds like your fork expander (the thing that your top cap screws into) is a stock (i.e poor) one. 1st remove your stem and check the expander bung is set into the steerer properly. If it's popped up a bit or loose I would remove it completely (8mm allen hex key) and buy either the: BBB PowerHead - Compressor Adjuster BAP03 or Deda Elementi Deda Expander Bung. Set these into the steerer Torque it between 8Nm and 16Nm depending on steerer.
Use Pace RC005 Carbon Composite Shield Paste all over the outter Steerer tube and refit spacers and Stem. Get over the top of your frame and push the headset and stem into position (AS much force as you can); then just nip up the top cap. This will compress everything perfectly. Set the stem square and push down again and torque up the stem bolts (approx 5Nm). SORTED!
Thanks for the tutorial. Unfortunately, I over tightened the central nut, and it snapped. Bit clueless on this, do I order another headset bolt and shaft?! Thanks in advance.
Oh no! That's a bummer, Johnny Jawbone. It sounds like you'll need to get a new bolt, and possible a new star fangled nut (the piece the bolt threads into inside the steerer) if the threads have been damaged. In the future, 5nm of torque should be sufficient to keep everything snug.
Art's Cyclery Thing is, I did use a torque wrench, set to 5nm. Maybe I need to reset the wrench. God knows. I'll just tighten manually in future (not too tight for the central bolt). Thanks for the reply. Learned a lot from this vid.
"JinkProject" what kind of a head tube or fork you have the older type? If so the you have a separate bolt under neath the stem post looks kinda like a pentagon, if not then you need to explain there are a lot of different forks stem posts and handlebars
is this different from a bolt and an expansion one? i have caad9 integrated system...there is no compression bolt that anchors it down....am i understanding this?
I tightened the top cap to 5 nm but read online that is a bit too much so I loosened it a tad. Any thoughts? Thank you for the video, very precise and well explained!
My headset is loose but because my top cap is an expansion type that grips the inner wall of the steerer tube there's no way I can tighten my headset no matter how hard I compress the stem down by hand. What can I do??
+Rūdolfs Rudzītis Probability is incredibly minimal once it's tight and done. A loose headset is usually a result of improper installation after either initially building your bike or dissambly and making adjustments to other parts of your bike (ex: lubing your headset bearings).
I have a Giant TCR Advanced SL. I uses the Overdrive 2 system and has a special wedge. Would I still follow the same process? If I wanted to replace the headset components, would Art's have the parts I need?
+trigg2045 Carbon steerer tubes use a different system (than traditional top caps) know as steerer tube expanders or compression plugs. ENVE's video here might be helpful to you: th-cam.com/video/cQe9TJJq1PE/w-d-xo.html And if you need a compression plug, check out our selection here: www.artscyclery.com/searchresults.html?search=products&searchtext=steerer+tube
If the stem (or any number of spacers you have on top of your stem) isn't directly against the top cap, then you will have play in your headset. Short answer: yes.
When tightening your headset, everything between the top cap and fork's crown race is compressed together by tightening your top cap. This means that if your stem is tight, you're trying to tighten your top cap against something that won't move.
My headset was fine, so I went in and removed the fork so I could lube the top and bottom bearings bearings, but when I put it back together theres still play no matter how tight it is. I noticed there is slight wear on the plastic seal of my top tube bearing cover. Do I need to replace the headset?
+Aaron Chamberlain Double check to make sure you put everything back together in the correct order and orientation. Putting the bottom bearing in the top, and vise versa, or putting a shim in the wrong place might be the cause of the play in your headset. Check with your headset manufacturer to find the exploded view diagram to verify you have it all put back together correctly.
Hi, I ride my bike to work everyday, and over the past few weeks I've noticed some looseness in the headset, wasn't sure if it was fixable or what was going on. Today I tried to set off to ride, and found that the steering wheel didn't control the front wheel at all. Can I solve that problem by tightening the headset? Or is this a bigger issue...
Taylor Higgins From the issues you are describing, it sounds like your headset is loose. Following the steps shown in the video should solve the problem!
I was in a minor accident the other day (don't worry I'm fine) My handle bars hit a pole when I was doing 10 to 15 mph on a bike bridge. I realigned the handle bars because it knocked them out of alignment but after a few rides I noticed some play coming from the headset when applying the front brake. Any chance the bearings or other parts within the headset could have been damaged? The bike doesn't exactilly have a warranty anymore so I do all the work myself. I'm still kinda new to bike maintenance.
We'd recommend following the procedure in this video to ensure that you don't have any play in the headset. If this somehow doesn't fix the issue (which we believe it will), then something in the headset may have been damaged. Glad you are okay!
Art's Cyclery OK so I tried to tighten it like in your video but there is still some play in the headset. I might just try rebuilding the whole headset bearings & all. I recently put a small Honda motor on my bike so I think it would be pretty dangerous to keep driving it like that. It would be pretty bad if my front end were to fall apart doing 30mph especially in or near traffic.
If you have a bike with a carbon steerer tube (not aluminum or steel), then you'll have to make sure and tighten your headset following this video's instruction: th-cam.com/video/aBjJ35B-Og0/w-d-xo.html
Making sure the bars are straight is impossible - I found that I can only really tell if they're straight by going out for a ride.. does anyone have any tips on how to do this accurately first time?
My fork is loose in the head tube of the frame of my bike. People keep telling me to tighten the top cap to fix the wobbling problem, but what logical sense does that make if the problem with the bike is the fork being loose in the head tube?
should there be absolutely no wobbling whatsoever? because I've tightened it and it's wobbling. not as much, but i don't think i can tighten it anymore
Will Lowe Check to see if there is wobbling when you turn the handlebars 90 degrees and rock the bike forward and aft. If the wobble is still there, then you either have damaged headset internals or parts that aren't made to spec.
+fannybaws85 When headsets wear out, they can develop slop. But before buying a new headset, go through and check all of your bolts to make sure they are tight. Hope this helps!
+Art's Cyclery I'm baffled by it. bike is only 4 months old. taken apart and reassembled it about 5 times. I'm getting it serviced this weekend anyway so not to worry. thanks anyway.
andrew truzzi If your cockpit is fully installed but does not compress properly, you may need to add the correct amount of spacers to your steerer tube, or trim your steerer tube down to an appropriate length.
I've only got one bike on the road at the moment and it has (or rather had) a loose headset. I was reluctant to start messing without knowing what I might mess up or whether I was likely to need new parts because I use it for commuting. Thanks to your video, it's all sorted now.
Cheers guys..
Thanks so much for sharing this. I'm a new mountain biker, and a light-bulb changing level mechanic, so when I went over a bit of a drop recently I felt something go froggy in my bike's front end but didn't know what it was or how to fix it. I took the bike into a local shop, but apparently could not describe the issue clearly. Just picked the bike up, and although they did a tune up, the front end still feels loose. I watched your video and did that, and now my bike feels rock solid again.
Thanks for making this (5 years later, I know). I have a brand new Trek X-Caliber and I noticed this awful wobble when I was failing at doing stoppies. Makes it feel like the whole bike's gonna collapse. Looks like where I went wrong was not loosening the stem clamp before tightening the top cap.
But how do I tighten my actual headset? They feel way to loose on my ears.
hahahaha
fr thats why im here lmfao
Very helpful, thank you! It worked perfectly. I replaced the stem and didn't realise the effect of the topical screw in bedding down the steerer tube and spacers. I created a monster by mistake and your video has resolved the issue. Thanks.
Just followed your instructions, now headset seems tight again! Many thanks from Sunny Devonshire, England! :)
After all this time of trying to do it without help, I gave up and looked on TH-cam. Now that I've seen it done on here so easily, I feel like an imbecile. THAT'S SERIOUSLY ALL YOU DO?!?!?!?! I can't believe it's just that easy.... And that fast.... Gonna make myself a cuppa with my spare thirty minutes I gave myself to repair that damn rocking! XD
Thanks a lot! You just earned a subscription!
One of the most important maintenance IMO. My first bike, I rode with the headset loose too many times and destroyed the headset bearings as a result. Luckily, this maintenance is extremely easy to perform and check before every ride.
Thanx a lot ...my mistake was that i did it the wrong way first time...first i did tighten the stem bolts and after the steer tube bolt, that was my mistake ...after seeing this video i did it the right way :)
first tighten the steer tube upper bolt and after the stem bolts and all worked fine , no more loose headset :)....thanx again.
Thanks for this vid. I had a ongoing issue when braking downhill, I would experience slight shaking in the handlebar. After bringing it to the shop where I bought the bike from (Trek 7.4FX) The problem continued. So I researched & came across this vid. & performed the repair myself. I no longer experience the shaking & I no longer take my bike to that shop & I definitely won't b buying a bike from there again.
Simple and quick! Awesome. Thanks, guys. My steed now ready for a Sunday cycle tomorrow. :)
That's exactly the problem I have on my bike, so thanks a ton for showing the precise steps of how to fix it!
No problem DrDrew1979!
Thank you very much for this video. It was exactly what I needed to tighten and it saved me a trip to the bike shop. Great video, thanks again :)
Awesome, this solved the problem I was having! My ride is so much smoother now...
You guys! Thank you so much for making such professional and informative videos, I really appreciate them.
Bingo! Totally fixed, quick and easy. Thanks a bunch.
Nice.. Finally can do this on my Fuji SL comp.. had no idea for awhile
The fork does not directly interface with the headtube. The headset sits between the head tube and fork steerer tube. Any looseness in this interface necessarily includes a problem involving the headset. Follow the steps in the video to correct the problem. If this does not work for you, take your bike to a qualified mechanic to diagnose what is likely a more serious problem.
If you mean that the top cap butted against the steerer tube and the top cap screw pulled through, no you don't need a new fork, just a new top cap most likely. If you mean that when tightening the top cap screw, the star nut (and/or) steerer tube expander pulled through the fork to the top cap, then you still probably don't need a new fork. Most likely you need a new star nut, or the expander needs to be reset. Best bet is to take your bike to your local shop and have them look at it.
Awesome, thanks for explaining this, I just got a new bike and throught oh crap im gonna have to send it back. Now I feel good again.
You guys are the best keep up the great work!
Sounds like your fork expander (the thing that your top cap screws into) is a stock (i.e poor) one. 1st remove your stem and check the expander bung is set into the steerer properly. If it's popped up a bit or loose I would remove it completely (8mm allen hex key) and buy either the: BBB PowerHead - Compressor Adjuster BAP03 or Deda Elementi Deda Expander Bung. Set these into the steerer Torque it between 8Nm and 16Nm depending on steerer.
Im a bmx biker and I don't really know my parts so this help👍🏽
Use Pace RC005 Carbon Composite Shield Paste all over the outter Steerer tube and refit spacers and Stem. Get over the top of your frame and push the headset and stem into position (AS much force as you can); then just nip up the top cap. This will compress everything perfectly. Set the stem square and push down again and torque up the stem bolts (approx 5Nm). SORTED!
Thanks for the tutorial. Unfortunately, I over tightened the central nut, and it snapped. Bit clueless on this, do I order another headset bolt and shaft?! Thanks in advance.
Oh no! That's a bummer, Johnny Jawbone. It sounds like you'll need to get a new bolt, and possible a new star fangled nut (the piece the bolt threads into inside the steerer) if the threads have been damaged. In the future, 5nm of torque should be sufficient to keep everything snug.
Art's Cyclery Thing is, I did use a torque wrench, set to 5nm. Maybe I need to reset the wrench. God knows. I'll just tighten manually in future (not too tight for the central bolt). Thanks for the reply. Learned a lot from this vid.
"JinkProject" what kind of a head tube or fork you have the older type? If so the you have a separate bolt under neath the stem post looks kinda like a pentagon, if not then you need to explain there are a lot of different forks stem posts and handlebars
Perfect. Just the info I needed.
Thanks!
It's possible, but we'd need a bit more info to know what's really going on. Does it click only when there's weight on the headset?
Nice bike & Nice setup!
Thanks for the nice clear instructions. Worked a treat on my Moda Echo road bike. And I didn't need Gods help either! Bonus :) ha ha ha
@tehsimo the top allen key has not a 'tighten' function, do NOT tighten this too much, otherwise it'll just break and the nut is stuck into the tube.
is this different from a bolt and an expansion one? i have caad9 integrated system...there is no compression bolt that anchors it down....am i understanding this?
would a downhill mountain bike still only require this little force on the top cap allen key?
Thank you for the video !
Just what I was looking for !!
Is that space Tower ok for the Colnago fork? I might break.
Thanks bud, this helped me out a lot!
Wil a loose headset contribute to a clicking noise coming from the headset when any weight is put through it?
I tightened the top cap to 5 nm but read online that is a bit too much so I loosened it a tad. Any thoughts? Thank you for the video, very precise and well explained!
benlg as long as the bearings aren't loose and there is no play in the front end of the bike, you're good!
Art's Cyclery OK, thanks! Just afraid I might've damaged something like the bearings. Newbie here :)
oh sorry actually, i dont have the thread headset.. i have the other...is this technique you demonstrate for a thread?
thanks! really clear and helpful
Thanks for tuning in, happy to help!
I have this exact issue BUT no matter how far i tighten it i still have play in it, any ideas??
My headset is loose but because my top cap is an expansion type that grips the inner wall of the steerer tube there's no way I can tighten my headset no matter how hard I compress the stem down by hand. What can I do??
Hey, great vid. Whats the probability that it happens again? How to avoid for that happening again ?
+Rūdolfs Rudzītis Probability is incredibly minimal once it's tight and done. A loose headset is usually a result of improper installation after either initially building your bike or dissambly and making adjustments to other parts of your bike (ex: lubing your headset bearings).
thank you so much for this video, it helped me a lot :)
Glad we could help!
man thank u very much it was great advice and i was need it to fix my problem
1000 thank u
I had a problem like that recently. All it needed was some fresh grease on the head set bearings.
I have a Giant TCR Advanced SL. I uses the Overdrive 2 system and has a special wedge. Would I still follow the same process? If I wanted to replace the headset components, would Art's have the parts I need?
+trigg2045 Carbon steerer tubes use a different system (than traditional top caps) know as steerer tube expanders or compression plugs. ENVE's video here might be helpful to you: th-cam.com/video/cQe9TJJq1PE/w-d-xo.html And if you need a compression plug, check out our selection here: www.artscyclery.com/searchresults.html?search=products&searchtext=steerer+tube
do the bars have to be right up against that top piece that you tightened?
If the stem (or any number of spacers you have on top of your stem) isn't directly against the top cap, then you will have play in your headset. Short answer: yes.
Hi. Why does the stem have to be loose to tighten the top bolt? Can you not tighten the top bolt with the stem already tight?
When tightening your headset, everything between the top cap and fork's crown race is compressed together by tightening your top cap. This means that if your stem is tight, you're trying to tighten your top cap against something that won't move.
Ok thanx.
Thanks very helpful
My headset was fine, so I went in and removed the fork so I could lube the top and bottom bearings bearings, but when I put it back together theres still play no matter how tight it is. I noticed there is slight wear on the plastic seal of my top tube bearing cover. Do I need to replace the headset?
+Aaron Chamberlain Double check to make sure you put everything back together in the correct order and orientation. Putting the bottom bearing in the top, and vise versa, or putting a shim in the wrong place might be the cause of the play in your headset. Check with your headset manufacturer to find the exploded view diagram to verify you have it all put back together correctly.
I think my lower crown race is part of my fork. Can that be possible? If so, then everything's on right. Will have to stop by my shop.
thanks a lot !!!
it helped me a lot !!!
Hi, I ride my bike to work everyday, and over the past few weeks I've noticed some looseness in the headset, wasn't sure if it was fixable or what was going on. Today I tried to set off to ride, and found that the steering wheel didn't control the front wheel at all. Can I solve that problem by tightening the headset? Or is this a bigger issue...
Taylor Higgins From the issues you are describing, it sounds like your headset is loose. Following the steps shown in the video should solve the problem!
Thank you!!!
I was in a minor accident the other day (don't worry I'm fine) My handle bars hit a pole when I was doing 10 to 15 mph on a bike bridge. I realigned the handle bars because it knocked them out of alignment but after a few rides I noticed some play coming from the headset when applying the front brake. Any chance the bearings or other parts within the headset could have been damaged? The bike doesn't exactilly have a warranty anymore so I do all the work myself. I'm still kinda new to bike maintenance.
We'd recommend following the procedure in this video to ensure that you don't have any play in the headset. If this somehow doesn't fix the issue (which we believe it will), then something in the headset may have been damaged. Glad you are okay!
Art's Cyclery OK so I tried to tighten it like in your video but there is still some play in the headset. I might just try rebuilding the whole headset bearings & all. I recently put a small Honda motor on my bike so I think it would be pretty dangerous to keep driving it like that. It would be pretty bad if my front end were to fall apart doing 30mph especially in or near traffic.
If you have a bike with a carbon steerer tube (not aluminum or steel), then you'll have to make sure and tighten your headset following this video's instruction: th-cam.com/video/aBjJ35B-Og0/w-d-xo.html
mines a brand new bike and its doing it, i tried what this video suggested but no luck, what could i be doing wrong?
+Aiden Kongas It could be any number of things, I would suggest going through and checking all of your bolts. Hope this helps!
screw needs to be tight
Back forward, back forward. Yes, will you come cycling with me? Soon.
thanks heaps bro this fixed my issue
Nice! Thanks for watching!
Making sure the bars are straight is impossible - I found that I can only really tell if they're straight by going out for a ride.. does anyone have any tips on how to do this accurately first time?
mine is fairly tight and doesn't play but seems to work loose after just one ride. Help?!
Jacob Underwood Sounds like there are some damaged parts inside. Disassemble the headset and replace the damaged parts and you should be good to go.
Thank u very much it helped
You're welcome Yu Boaz!
My fork is loose in the head tube of the frame of my bike. People keep telling me to tighten the top cap to fix the wobbling problem, but what logical sense does that make if the problem with the bike is the fork being loose in the head tube?
should there be absolutely no wobbling whatsoever? because I've tightened it and it's wobbling. not as much, but i don't think i can tighten it anymore
Will Lowe Check to see if there is wobbling when you turn the handlebars 90 degrees and rock the bike forward and aft. If the wobble is still there, then you either have damaged headset internals or parts that aren't made to spec.
Mine still rattles / vibrates. No matter what torque I apply to top bolt. Any idea why?
+fannybaws85 When headsets wear out, they can develop slop. But before buying a new headset, go through and check all of your bolts to make sure they are tight. Hope this helps!
+Art's Cyclery I'm baffled by it. bike is only 4 months old. taken apart and reassembled it about 5 times. I'm getting it serviced this weekend anyway so not to worry. thanks anyway.
Thanks!
My bike keeps leaning to the right side... Could that be because my headset is loose?
What happens if you put it all back together and it doesn't compress properly?
andrew truzzi If your cockpit is fully installed but does not compress properly, you may need to add the correct amount of spacers to your steerer tube, or trim your steerer tube down to an appropriate length.
BRILLIANT...THANKYOU!!! =D
Holy Stacks, Batman!
thanks
thx its really help me :)
LOL! the hardest part is getting the handlebars straight? Sure is! Never straight the first time.
thanks problem solved after son caused issue lol thanks bro
Let me save everyone five mins lossen your stem tighten the top bolt libe your weel up tighten it and ride
@Vloeistof123456789 top cap that is ...
bro what