Headset or Fork Problem?
fbuc...@knology.net
cracking tubes on both chainstays. I recently received the repaired
frame. When I reinstalled the components, I noticed when I was
adjusting the Campy Record headset that it would be in perfect
adjustment until I tightened the binder bolts on my Thomson X2 stem.
Upon tighteningt bolts, the headset would bind when turning the wheel
to the left, and I could visibly see that the top plate of the headset
was not parallel to the cups but sloped slightly toward the seat.
I do not recall the headset binding before sending the frame to be
repaired, but the repairs had nothing to do with the headtube. So I
am figuring that somehow either the fork or the headset were
compromised when I rode the bike with the cracked (splitting)
chainstays. The headset has 6000 miles of use and shows no visible
signs of pitting in the races, and the fork (an Easton SLX) shows no
visible signs of compromised intergrity.
My question to someone who has more experience with this sort of
repair - which the the more likely cause of the headset binding, a
damaged headset, or a damaged fork?
Frank Buckner
RonSonic
Headset cups not fully seated? That'd be the most common thing.
Checking whether the fork steerer is still straight is fairly trivial.
If the frame was shipped with the headset cups installed, it could have landed
on its nose damaging or displacing them. Check that they are round and seated.
Is the crown race properly seated?
Myself, I'd always question the install first, whether it was me or someone
else's work. How about the little wedge ring, centered and snug?
Sorry, got no definitives but something on my list is bound to be at fault.
--
Oh damn. There's that annoying blog. Again. http://dumbbikeblog.blogspot.com
Mike Jacoubowsky
news:v7hba5t9607sgm170...@4ax.com...
Is this a new stem? I ask because a stem that doesn't have
perfectly-machined flats can cause the problem you describe. But if this is
the same stem you've always had, I doubt it's the source of the problem.
Still, easy enough to try a different stem if you have one around and see if
the problem changes at all. You could even try the stem you have and flip it
upside down and see if anything changes.
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
Tom Kunich
news:7eOdnYZowd9FcTjX...@earthlink.com...
> <fbuc...@knology.net> wrote in message
> Is this a new stem? I ask because a stem that doesn't have
> perfectly-machined flats can cause the problem you describe. But if this
> is the same stem you've always had, I doubt it's the source of the
> problem. Still, easy enough to try a different stem if you have one around
> and see if the problem changes at all. You could even try the stem you
> have and flip it upside down and see if anything changes.
Don't forget that it could be caused by the headset being installed
incorrectly.
Tim McNamara
fbuc...@knology.net wrote:
> In May I sent my Litespeed Tuscany into the factory for repairs to
> cracking tubes on both chainstays. I recently received the repaired
> frame. When I reinstalled the components, I noticed when I was
> adjusting the Campy Record headset that it would be in perfect
> adjustment until I tightened the binder bolts on my Thomson X2 stem.
> Upon tighteningt bolts, the headset would bind when turning the wheel
> to the left, and I could visibly see that the top plate of the
> headset was not parallel to the cups but sloped slightly toward the
> seat.
The top plate on the headset which supports the Allen bolt?
> I do not recall the headset binding before sending the frame to be
> repaired, but the repairs had nothing to do with the headtube.
> So I am figuring that somehow either the fork or the headset were
> compromised when I rode the bike with the cracked (splitting)
> chainstays.
If that were true, your bike would be dangerously unridable for more
than a few miles before the headset or steering tube failed. This is
not the source of the problem.
Frank Buckner
<rons...@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>
>Headset cups not fully seated? That'd be the most common thing.
>
>Checking whether the fork steerer is still straight is fairly trivial.
>
>If the frame was shipped with the headset cups installed, it could have landed
>on its nose damaging or displacing them. Check that they are round and seated.
>
>Is the crown race properly seated?
>
>Myself, I'd always question the install first, whether it was me or someone
>else's work. How about the little wedge ring, centered and snug?
>
>Sorry, got no definitives but something on my list is bound to be at fault.
Thanks. Good suggestions all. I had already checked the seating of
the cups and fork race before posting my question. But I rechecked
them today, and still the same problem. However, I am happy to report
that through some delicate adjusting, I was able to get the headset so
that it barely binds, but is not loose. That is to say, it is still a
little tight when I turn the wheel to the right. I can hear a bit of
friction in the races, but it is not enough to hamper the steering in
any way.
My guess is that I must have damaged the cups somehow. Perhaps I
dropped them when I removed them before sending the frame in for
repairs, but no longer remember the incident.
In my forty years of working on bikes, I have never had something like
this happen, i.e. tightening the stem bolts ends up binding the
headset slightly. Generally when headsets give trouble, they show
definite signs of pitting or uneven wear.
Frank Buckner
What amazes me is that I was able to ride the bike as long as I did
before I discovered the splits along the chainstays. I thought the
creaking that I heard with I stood on the pedals was coming from my
handlebars. I probably put at least several hundred miles on the bike
before discovering the problem. It was hidden under the chainstay
protector.
Thanks for your feedback. I think the issue has to do with the
headset. Perhaps I dropped them when I popped them out in order to
send the frame for repairs, but no longer remember it.
Anyway, I have the headset adjusted now so that the slight binding
does not hamper or impede the steering.
Frank Buckner
Mike, it is the same stem. Happily, I seem to have found an adjustment
to the headset that still has some binding, but not so much that I
cannot live with it. It still binds slightly upon turning the wheel
to the left. I can hear some friction, but the wheel turns easily. I
am guessing that I must have dropped the cups when I removed them, but
do not remember the incident.
Thanks for your feedback. In my forty years of working on bikes, I
have never experienced this issue with tightening stem bolts. Your
suggestion of the cause of the problem makes good sense, but it does
not appear to the issue in my case. Thomson stems are really well
machined.
Frank Buckner
Professor of Religion
Huntingdon College
Montgomery, AL USA
Mark Cleary
topic but a bike is a bike.
--
Deacon Mark Cleary
Epiphany Roman Catholic Church
Mike Jacoubowsky
> off topic but a bike is a bike.
>
> --
> Deacon Mark Cleary Epiphany Roman Catholic Church
A bike is a bike?
Witches were burned for saying this far less scandalous!
For many of us, a bike is personal, something that helps to define our
place in the world. And helps to define the world around us. I'm very
fond of saying that the world goes by at just the right speed on a bike.
--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
Ben C
> Frank Buckner wrote:
[...]
>> Frank Buckner
>> Professor of Religion
>> Huntingdon College
>> Montgomery, AL USA
> What religion this is interesting? Or should I say what faith? It is off
> topic but a bike is a bike.
Any religion so long as it's Christian, but don't rely on my cursory and
scurrilous assessment of the website.
raamman
> On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:10:42 -0400, RonSonic
>
>
> >Headsetcups not fully seated? That'd be the most common thing.
>
> >Checking whether the fork steerer is still straight is fairly trivial.
>
> >on its nose damaging or displacing them. Check that they are round and seated.
>
> >Is the crown race properly seated?
>
> >Myself, I'd always question the install first, whether it was me or someone
> >else's work. How about the little wedge ring, centered and snug?
>
> >Sorry, got no definitives but something on my list is bound to be at fault.
>
> Thanks. Good suggestions all. I had already checked the seating of
> the cups and fork race before posting my question. But I rechecked
> them today, and still the same problem. However, I am happy to report
> that through some delicate adjusting, I was able to get theheadsetso
> that it barely binds, but is not loose. That is to say, it is still a
> little tight when I turn the wheel to the right. I can hear a bit of
> friction in the races, but it is not enough to hamper the steering in
> any way.
>
> My guess is that I must have damaged the cups somehow. Perhaps I
> dropped them when I removed them before sending the frame in for
> repairs, but no longer remember the incident.
>
> In my forty years of working on bikes, I have never had something like
> definite signs of pitting or uneven wear.
I realize this may well be past due; but I had a hard time believing
aluminum headset cups would be so damaged by an incidental drop; I
rather think the fork steerer might be cracked, perhaps a vertical
hairline fracture