I have a CK headset on a frame which happens to be a mtb, but I don’t think it affects the issue. The problem is that the fork is a little loose inside the headtube/headset. I think this might be because I can’t seem to get the bearing cap flush with the top cup and that’s basically my question.
It looks like the lower section of the bearing cap should squeeze(for lack of a better word) in between the steerer and upper headset cup. Is that right? If so, it’s an awfully tight fit and I’m not sure how I’m gonna do it, but I don’t quite see an alternative.
No offense, but If you are asking these questions, you aren’t ready to deal with this type of problem. Don’t F around with a loose headset if you don’t know what you are doing; this is one of the few areas on a bike where when you screw up, you throw the bike away.
I’ll assume you meant well. I’m not fucking around. I’m asking a question. I’ve done plenty of work on my bike(s) and have no intention of forcing anything. I’ve asked lots of questions over the years, gotten lots of answers, made some mistakes, and continue to learn.
No, really, and no offense, but if you have to ask these type of questions, you are “fucking around.” That’s not bad, it’s just the truth. A good wrench can show you, in about a minute and a half, how to get your CK set up correctly; or, you can get a bunch of useless 2nd hand advice on here, and chance destroying your frame. Your choice.
I used to work for a headset manufacturer, and I have heard every question of this type imaginable, and I have also heard all the horror stories when people ovalized their headtube by f-ing up the HS installation. A good customer service rep knows how to answer a question: a Great one knows when he can’t.
There are too many variables present to effectively answer your question without seeing your bike.
And, you may have to “force” the install to make the king work in this application - I can’t tell you for sure without seeing the bike, though.
You may already have a trashed HT - can’t tell without seeing it.
Why (serious question) wouldn’t you take something like this to a LBS?
I wouldn’t immediately take this to the LBS because the headset is already pressed in(by someone else) and all I’m trying to do is install the fork. Not a seemingly difficult task. I didn’t consider that the HT might be ovalized because this is an overbuilt frame. Not that it isn’t, it’s just why I didn’t think about it.
Now that you’ve actually explained a couple of the issues, I may take it in. The additional information is far more convincing than the “you’re fucking around argument.”
I don’t find the advice here ‘useless’. Not when people are actually willing to explain something.
There is lots of advice on this forum that isn’t useless; unfortunately, much of the mechanical advice doesn’t fit in that category. The honest answer to most of the “this part isn’t working on my bike” questions is “I don’t know - can’t really tell you without seeing it.” How many people responded to all the recent compact crank threads with useless at best info like “You won’t have to shorten your chain - I didn’t!” Yikes.
Bikes are surprisingly complex, and there are near limitless ways to screw them up. I have worked on hundreds (thousands?) of bikes and I still see novel calamities on a regular basis. When a difference of less than a millimeter can mean the end of your frame, you need to punt to somone who can actually pick the thing up and look at it. This is the real answer to most of the tech questions you see on line, but people rarely want to hear it.
You seemed to take the “f-around with” line pretty dang personally. Why? (seriously) This kind of reaction puzzles me; in the context of my original statement, it (f-ing around) seems pretty innocuous.
Probably took it too personally. I just really dislike the attitude(not talking about you) that a person can’t work on a bike themselves. I consider it elitist and I’ve run into way too much of it when asking what I considered were simple questions.
I, personally, don’t think a bicycle is nearly so complex that anyone willing to read a bit and get their hands dirty can’t figure it out. You might not do as good a job at first, but so what.
I really try to encourage people to work on their own stuff (bikes, musical instruments, cars, etc.) I ran a bunch of apprentices through my old guitar shop, and the first thing I tried to teach them was when to say to themselves " Stop. I need help here." I think the “stop - seek help” point is at once the hardest and most important thing to get a handle on in this type of endeavor. Fixing is often easier than not breaking.
Okay, heres a simple one to check. When a headset is pressed into the frame the first time there may be some slack, which is taken up the firsat time you install the fork. Also, the topcap on a CK has a step on the bottom which fits into the top of the stem. When you cut the fork you must make sure that the bottom of the cap doesn’t contact the top of the fork before everything is snug. If you have everything assembled without the topcap on the top of the fork tube should be about 3mm below the top of the stem. Even if it is 3 mm this might not be quite enough. Try putting an extra spacer above the stem and reassemble. If this fixes the problem the fork is too long.
If you have a square, make sure that your cups are square. Make sure that the bottom race is square and seated properly. Make sure that there is not a “step” where the steerer meets the crown of your fork that may be catching the lower race of the Headset (I have seen that allot with CK and some Profile road forks).
The top cap is a TIGHT fit…you do need to apply some force to get it down.
Do you have a star washer or a compression rig for the fork?
And I think that this is a GREAT question as it applys to many of us here.
I had a very similar problem with a CK headset on my roadbike. In my case it turned out that the faces (top & bottom) of my stem were not parallel. Basically when I tightened down the stem it caused the headset to bind up, either that or I couldn’t get all the slop out of it. Once I got a decent stem, no more problems. Just another thought. Also, check out the installation instructions online. I was suprised how much I had to tighten down the cap to get the correct torque, its tighter than you might think. Good luck.
Thanks for all the replies. I’ll have at it tonight when I get home and report back. It’s still stuck in my head the way the bearing cap won’t quite fit into the top cup. Maybe this why the topcap needs as much clearance and torque as is indicated. BTW, I remember that I definitely don’t have as much clearance(3mm) between the topcap and the top of the stem as was recommended and I’m hoping this is part of the problem.
After tweaking some more, the solution was an easy one and the one universally recommended.
I added a small spacer to ensure I had about 3 mm between the top of steerer and top of stem. Before, I think I had 1mm. Then, I gradually tightened the top cap until the play disappeared plus a 1/4 turn. Tightened to about 12 in lb as per Chris King recommendations(4-15 in lb).
The effect on the ‘gap’ I’d observed between the top cup and bearing cap was immediate. It seated as soon as I applied some proper torgue to the top cap.
Somehow in other bikes I’ve worked on this step didn’t seem to be nearly as critical as it was here.
All in all, a rookie mistake. I’m glad I went slow. I’m glad I asked the question. I’m glad I did it myself since now I know much more than I did.
And, of course, I’m glad and grateful for all the help and encouragement I received here
