This guy is a good teacher. When you explain clearly and methodically to someone how something works they gain an understanding. When you understand something you 'know' it and when you know something you never forget it. Great work my friend.
Thanks for the video! I'm 40 years old, not mechanically minded at all but trying to learn. Having everything explained like this made it make sense in my head!
After a few videos, this is the first one that shows the wedging effect the bearing cover has of closing the small gap between the fork tube and the headset bearings. Thank you
By far, hands down, the BEST guide and (easy) step by step instruction (with logical explanations) regarding headset adjustment and addressing looseness!! Thank you VERY much!! You've helped enormously!!
I followed it closely, mine is the old star nut, the clunking just wont go away but strangely it is not getting anyworse, the star nut looks fine, it must be the top bearing that has worn out slightly? As when i pull the break and rock the bike back and forth the clunk and slight movement is coming from the top of the stem and not the bottom, any ideas???
@@Metso-ateco It could be your races are worn and if you can replace them you're in luck. If the headset is integrated into the frame, then you might be able to get away with shimming with aluminum cans, but ultimately your frame is toast if you cannot get the clunking out. If you have a carbon fork or heck even an aluminum fork, you're playing with fire. I have sheered an aluminum fork on my aluminum frame riding with a loose headset, aluminum frames do fatigue compared to other frame materials.
Thanks man, I was facing this issue today and had no idea what was the problem. I saw your video once and you explained it so simply that I was able to fix this issue after watching only one time. I had a different bottom part but still was able to fix it cause I know a few things and fixing bikes. Thanks again mate.
i'm not even a bike person, but came across your video and wanted to let you know that i like how you present and describe all the steps. Caught myself watching the whole thing without even thinking about it. well done
Put the bike on the floor, grab the front brake and "roll" the bike forward and back (basically just jiggle it against the front wheel). If you feel a clunk, add an 1/8 turn of preload on the cap.
Yes , this is more indicative than a test ride IMO. Road surface can mask or add a false feeling of job correctness/otherwise. This floor braking lock/jiggle can get you a maximum load test without the danger.
I tried that but its still the same, strangely it has not gotten any worse, but i just cannot get that "clunky" movement to go away, must need to new top bearing i,m guessing as the bottom does not move or clunk at all
Just ran into this same issue. You need to loosen the stem before tightening the top cap otherwise you're just tightening the stack above the stem and not compressing the rest of the stack.
Thank you for a very detailed and thorough presentation. I watched four different videos but this one made all the difference due to the detail about tensioning the fork and taking up the slack. My mistake was that I was tightening the adjustment to expand the plug before tightening to raise and tension the fork. Thanks for a great presentation.
You, sir, have just taught a man how to fish! I had some inkling of the interplay between the conical parts and the squeezing action, but your explanation drove it home perfectly. I will never again need to watch another headset tutorial :D
❤ The direction was clear, precise and slow enough to understand. Just bought a new bike a few months ago and have been concerned with the play on the fork, you def gave me peace of mind!!
Excellent - clear, simple, slow enough to follow. Having only ever adjusted quill stems for many decades, I couldn't follow the pictures about this design in a bike maintenance book so searched YT and got you. My two-year old Orbea urban bike has a star-fangled nut but I assume your advice will work OK. The similar head set on my 2007 Cannondale System Six has never worked loose
Great video explanation. I added a fork stem extender recently and I didn't realize how the top cap is used to set the bearing tightness. I was able to fix my loose headset in 5 minutes. Thanks.
Almost 90% of the time is the small shim spacers that are in the wrong position on the stack. You don’t need a spacer before the top cap of the steerer tube if the tube is cut to proper depth so the top cap which is tapered comes down and sinks on the space.
i fixed my bike's headset play - watching your video..it was playing a little bit when i was breaking - it need it to be more tightened - the truth your video open my eyes more - i thought it was the bearings issue
Cracking vid. Having been brought up in the days of threaded headsets and quill stems, aheadset set ups remain a mystery! Interesting how little tension on top cap is needed. WARNING: like he says, use a torque spanner!!!
Great video, helped me out. Gave myself a big smack on the head for not realising the cap sandwiches everything and that's what tightens it all up! Solved the rattle I was having. Thanks!
Great video - new subscriber. If I hadn't watched this video, I might have done up the stem bolts before tightening the top bolt. I can't wait to watch more videos. Oh....great camera work - very important.
Thanks for the great video! Just bought an e-bike and the headset was loose and I couldn't figure it out. I had no idea the gooseneck and top cap actually hold everything in place. The other videos I found before yours didn't make that clear. I was looking all over for a nut to tighten on the stem. 🥵😆
Thank you for the help. this was the first carbon fork Ive tried to get the slop out of. It turns out the head cap bolt had bottomed out on the expansion sleeve and wasnt functioning properly. I had to use a pair of pliers to hold the shaft of the expansion sleeve and use an allen wrench to get the cap undone. I just added another spacer up top and it seems to be good now
Thank you, sir! I have never worked on a Giant OD2 headset before and was afraid to start in. This video was excellent -- especially the up-close views. I had the whole thing disassembled in a few minutes, new lithium grease applied to the bearings & reassembled in less than 30 minutes. Until viewing this, I thought that top hex screw & washer was just a vanity piece. Whoops. BTW the larger hex into which that the top screw goes into should also be checked for tightness. Mine was not tight -- I'll assume that connects the steerer tube to the fork (?). All good now and no clank! 👍
Very grateful for this video, thank you. I've just bought my first road bike and had this issue, the usual easy fix didn't totally solve the issue. This worked a treat. Needed to go through the process twice (initially made the looseness worse on the first attempt) but got there in the end!
Of course, if the bottom headset bearing has rusted away to nothing because you haven't looked at it in years, there's still gonna be play in there, until you replace the rusted-out bearing. Don't ask how I learned that.
Given the risk of potential catastrophic failure a loose headset can cause a carbon fork, it is always worth dropping out the fork to check if the bearings have gouged into and compromised the integrity of the fork steerer. If the bearings have (it will be evident where the upper the upper bearing meets the steerer) it's either a case of negotiating a decent price drop as you will need to buy a new fork or alternatively walking away from the bike. Any knowledgeable and honest seller will have no issue with you dropping out the fork to check this as it's literally a 10 minute job to drop and reinstall and could save your life.
I like to have the tallest spacer at the top so it reaches the steerer tube wall for extra support under load. With the thinnest one up there it is only being held central by the top cap from the very top. What you think?
Good video - IMHO you needed a few extra comments about checking both bearings + grease - even a new(-ish) bike can have issues with moisture ingress and corrosion - since you have the bike apart and it's important for safety
Liked and subscribed . Very good video . I have a 1995 Raleigh Ft 500 mountain bike style bike . It has a SR DuoTtack 8005 spring type fork on it . The spring part isn't working any more . I'm 65 this year and I'm not going to be doing any type of riding that I need the shock type forks so I'm wanting to just get the rigid type . I'm trying to figure out what type of bar is going up through the frame and how it all works so I will know what I need for the rigid fork .
@8:03 "Cheat yourself to a CHEAP torque wrench." There is no such thing as a 'cheap' torque wrench. You need a smaller inch-pound/newton-meter one - and they cost $200 up. However, this guy's a mechanic, so how come he's not using one? I just swapped out my factory stem for an adjustable angle model and I love it. My bike shop did the work, but I have no idea whether they used a torque wrench. Disconcerting because 3 different torque setting are stamped on the various parts of the stem. The stem's variable angle rotation joint calls for a whopping 12-13 newton meters (106-115 inch-pounds), while the other stem screws call for 5 & 6 newton-meters.
I didn't realize that you should tighten the top cap first, before tightening the stem in place. Thebheadset was loose even though the parts had not changed. I watched this video, went back through the steps and tightened the top cap first and voila, no excess play in headset!
Not exactly what I'm looking for but close enough lol. I've had a bike from philodo for a few months now. They sent the front backwards. Meaning I can't put the front fender on, the light is on the wrong side so its not secure, and the wheel spins the wrong way. I though reverse polarity but it'd actually just backwards because of how they sent it lol
Sorry! The expansion plug will not be supporting the bottom of that stem! So your now clamping a section of steerer unsupported on the inside, also how did you not notice the expander plug is sat at least 2 to 3 mm higher than it should be, it should be flush to the steerer, which means probably some clot has tried to adjust the preload whilst the stem bolts are tight and pulled it up. Basic stuff. But critical, look at the Bianchi rider last year who snapped his steerer, that was caused by the crap expander not given enough opposite pressure to the clamping forces of the stem 🤷🏻
Well spotted there; the expander plug is clear of the steerer as you say, as this fork is yet to be cut down and so formed a perfect example for this tutorial, which was purely about spacers and bearings. We will cover the cutting down of fork steerers, and installation of starnuts/expanders, in a future video.
This is definitely the best guide on UA-cam for headset adjustments.
This guy is a good teacher. When you explain clearly and methodically to someone how something works they gain an understanding. When you understand something you 'know' it and when you know something you never forget it. Great work my friend.
Thanks for the video! I'm 40 years old, not mechanically minded at all but trying to learn. Having everything explained like this made it make sense in my head!
After a few videos, this is the first one that shows the wedging effect the bearing cover has of closing the small gap between the fork tube and the headset bearings. Thank you
One of the best bike service videos I've ever seen.
In an increasingly mad world, you are the embodiment of sound reason. Please keep up the good work!
By far, hands down, the BEST guide and (easy) step by step instruction (with logical explanations) regarding headset adjustment and addressing looseness!! Thank you VERY much!! You've helped enormously!!
I followed it closely, mine is the old star nut, the clunking just wont go away but strangely it is not getting anyworse, the star nut looks fine, it must be the top bearing that has worn out slightly? As when i pull the break and rock the bike back and forth the clunk and slight movement is coming from the top of the stem and not the bottom, any ideas???
@@Metso-ateco It could be your races are worn and if you can replace them you're in luck. If the headset is integrated into the frame, then you might be able to get away with shimming with aluminum cans, but ultimately your frame is toast if you cannot get the clunking out. If you have a carbon fork or heck even an aluminum fork, you're playing with fire. I have sheered an aluminum fork on my aluminum frame riding with a loose headset, aluminum frames do fatigue compared to other frame materials.
The BEST video on adjusting a loose headset.
Agreed. I shall sort mine now...
I looked at a few videos for the same information. Yours is the best. Thank you.
Really good guide, explaining not just the how, but more importantly, the why. Highly recommended
Nice clear instructions, I would just emphasize again that all preloading of bearings done with the stem pinch bolts loose. Very good instructions.
Thanks man, I was facing this issue today and had no idea what was the problem. I saw your video once and you explained it so simply that I was able to fix this issue after watching only one time. I had a different bottom part but still was able to fix it cause I know a few things and fixing bikes. Thanks again mate.
Very clear and precise, thank you for sharing 👍🚴♂️
Glad it was helpful!
Glad you liked it! More to follow... 👍😉
i'm not even a bike person, but came across your video and wanted to let you know that i like how you present and describe all the steps. Caught myself watching the whole thing without even thinking about it. well done
Had this exact problem and this was by far the best self-help tutorial I found. Sorted!
Thanks
That test of moving the bars from the top cap.... brilliant. Never seem that before.
Look forward to more videos!
Bad ass video my new friend. So clear and easy to understand. Just adjusted my new gravel bike after watching this. Perfect
Put the bike on the floor, grab the front brake and "roll" the bike forward and back (basically just jiggle it against the front wheel). If you feel a clunk, add an 1/8 turn of preload on the cap.
Yes , this is more indicative than a test ride IMO. Road surface can mask or add a false feeling of job correctness/otherwise. This floor braking lock/jiggle can get you a maximum load test without the danger.
I tried that but its still the same, strangely it has not gotten any worse, but i just cannot get that "clunky" movement to go away, must need to new top bearing i,m guessing as the bottom does not move or clunk at all
Just ran into this same issue. You need to loosen the stem before tightening the top cap otherwise you're just tightening the stack above the stem and not compressing the rest of the stack.
Thank you for a very detailed and thorough presentation. I watched four different videos but this one made all the difference due to the detail about tensioning the fork and taking up the slack.
My mistake was that I was tightening the adjustment to expand the plug before tightening to raise and tension the fork. Thanks for a great presentation.
Thank so much for that clear, straight forward video! Just enough info and well communicated.
You, sir, have just taught a man how to fish! I had some inkling of the interplay between the conical parts and the squeezing action, but your explanation drove it home perfectly. I will never again need to watch another headset tutorial :D
❤ The direction was clear, precise and slow enough to understand. Just bought a new bike a few months ago and have been concerned with the play on the fork, you def gave me peace of mind!!
never skipped an ad for this one. invaluable content!
Chapeau. During the explanation, there are still questions that will be clarified till the End of the Video. 😊
I found this hugely helpful, having struggled with a wobbly steerer for several hours. Thank you.
Excellent - clear, simple, slow enough to follow. Having only ever adjusted quill stems for many decades, I couldn't follow the pictures about this design in a bike maintenance book so searched YT and got you. My two-year old Orbea urban bike has a star-fangled nut but I assume your advice will work OK. The similar head set on my 2007 Cannondale System Six has never worked loose
Love the simple explanation of how it works
Big thumbs-up 👍for using an expansion plug.
Works great, until I lock my front brake, rock the bike and there's discernable side-to-side fork play.
Great video explanation. I added a fork stem extender recently and I didn't realize how the top cap is used to set the bearing tightness. I was able to fix my loose headset in 5 minutes. Thanks.
Almost 90% of the time is the small shim spacers that are in the wrong position on the stack. You don’t need a spacer before the top cap of the steerer tube if the tube is cut to proper depth so the top cap which is tapered comes down and sinks on the space.
Wow. I had a loose fork & was unable to figure out how to fix it. This video helped me fix it right within few mins.
i fixed my bike's headset play - watching your video..it was playing a little bit when i was breaking - it need it to be more tightened - the truth your video open my eyes more - i thought it was the bearings issue
Great info. I just fix my bike with your instructions. You just save a person with little funds to do the repair. Thank You!
Your explanations are always so thorough and clear. Also that bar tape is *!
Clear, calm and correct.... watched the video and then went and fixed my headset 1st go! Thanks :)
Oh God thank you... thought my new to me bike was broken after changing out stem.. close call all sorted thank you thank you thank you!!
Cracking vid. Having been brought up in the days of threaded headsets and quill stems, aheadset set ups remain a mystery! Interesting how little tension on top cap is needed.
WARNING: like he says, use a torque spanner!!!
Excellent video - this series is going to be very useful
Finally!! AVery informative video in layman's terms even a noob like myself can discern, thanks so much
Great video, helped me out. Gave myself a big smack on the head for not realising the cap sandwiches everything and that's what tightens it all up! Solved the rattle I was having. Thanks!
You're an excellent communicator and teacher. Thank you.
Excellent video, clear, well-paced and very complete. Thank you very much!
Great video - new subscriber. If I hadn't watched this video, I might have done up the stem bolts before tightening the top bolt. I can't wait to watch more videos. Oh....great camera work - very important.
Brilliant l, thank you, exactly the explanation I needed to get my head around this problem.
A brilliant video! Clear, concise and precise. Thank you so much Sir. Stay safe and be well. Namaste.
Very clear and helpful explanation. Thanks 👌🏻
Thanks. I watched another video and it suggest doing something completely wrong! This was simple and got it right. sorted!
Thanks for the great video! Just bought an e-bike and the headset was loose and I couldn't figure it out. I had no idea the gooseneck and top cap actually hold everything in place. The other videos I found before yours didn't make that clear. I was looking all over for a nut to tighten on the stem. 🥵😆
brilliant video sorted all my problems out very informative great job thank you
Good step by step guide. Fixed my issue today. Thankyou
Nice and clear explanation, keep up the good work 💪
This is the best explanation on youtube.
mega ,youth, cheers. i travel a lot and have been fking around for years with my headset ! just about to be sorted, i reckon! thanks a lot
Excellent explanation and video. Thank you!
We want more from Jim! 6 videos is waaaaaaaaayyy to little
Thank you for the help. this was the first carbon fork Ive tried to get the slop out of. It turns out the head cap bolt had bottomed out on the expansion sleeve and wasnt functioning properly. I had to use a pair of pliers to hold the shaft of the expansion sleeve and use an allen wrench to get the cap undone. I just added another spacer up top and it seems to be good now
Thank you, sir! I have never worked on a Giant OD2 headset before and was afraid to start in. This video was excellent -- especially the up-close views. I had the whole thing disassembled in a few minutes, new lithium grease applied to the bearings & reassembled in less than 30 minutes. Until viewing this, I thought that top hex screw & washer was just a vanity piece. Whoops. BTW the larger hex into which that the top screw goes into should also be checked for tightness. Mine was not tight -- I'll assume that connects the steerer tube to the fork (?). All good now and no clank! 👍
Brilliantly done. Thank you for a great video.
Great tip on the top cap bolt tightness.
Perfect description, thanks.
This video was very helpful, thank you!
Great video. Very detailed, probably best one I’ve watched
Brilliant explanation thank you! - subscribed
Thanks brother, fixed my issue!!!
Exactly what I was looking for. Excellent!!!
Very grateful for this video, thank you. I've just bought my first road bike and had this issue, the usual easy fix didn't totally solve the issue. This worked a treat. Needed to go through the process twice (initially made the looseness worse on the first attempt) but got there in the end!
Thanks for the EXCELLENT explanation!
Great video simple to follow and thank you very much
Thank you - another fabulous video.
wonderful how to video. thank you!!
You SIR, are a LEGEND!! Such a great channel!
Superb video, easy to follow and very logical.
Helpful, and easy to understand. Thank you.
Of course, if the bottom headset bearing has rusted away to nothing because you haven't looked at it in years, there's still gonna be play in there, until you replace the rusted-out bearing. Don't ask how I learned that.
Thank you, great guide!
Excellent. Many thanks.
Thank you very much, very useful
Thanks, great video!
Mate, you re absolutely the best!
I had to add another spacer, perfect
fantastic explanation mate!!
after countless videos...this one explains it all!!
Given the risk of potential catastrophic failure a loose headset can cause a carbon fork, it is always worth dropping out the fork to check if the bearings have gouged into and compromised the integrity of the fork steerer. If the bearings have (it will be evident where the upper the upper bearing meets the steerer) it's either a case of negotiating a decent price drop as you will need to buy a new fork or alternatively walking away from the bike. Any knowledgeable and honest seller will have no issue with you dropping out the fork to check this as it's literally a 10 minute job to drop and reinstall and could save your life.
Thanks very informative
Great video Jim. I like the way you explain things.
I have a question. Can I use expansion plug on mtb, or is that purely for road bike?
Love these videos - hoping there are more coming!
Hi Jim I had to tighten the top bolt really tight to stop the jiggle down the bottom
I like to have the tallest spacer at the top so it reaches the steerer tube wall for extra support under load. With the thinnest one up there it is only being held central by the top cap from the very top. What you think?
Very useful indeed! Thank you so much!!!!
Great video. Please do some other service video, too.
Good video - IMHO you needed a few extra comments about checking both bearings + grease - even a new(-ish) bike can have issues with moisture ingress and corrosion - since you have the bike apart and it's important for safety
Best bike mechanic on net, explained brilliantly 👍 HNY
Liked and subscribed . Very good video . I have a 1995 Raleigh Ft 500 mountain bike style bike . It has a SR DuoTtack 8005 spring type fork on it . The spring part isn't working any more . I'm 65 this year and I'm not going to be doing any type of riding that I need the shock type forks so I'm wanting to just get the rigid type . I'm trying to figure out what type of bar is going up through the frame and how it all works so I will know what I need for the rigid fork .
High thank you some much very well explained…just a question how tight should the expander plug be in the fork?
Perfect.. As soon as I realised that the bearings are to be compressed inside the tube It clicked..
@8:03 "Cheat yourself to a CHEAP torque wrench." There is no such thing as a 'cheap' torque wrench. You need a smaller inch-pound/newton-meter one - and they cost $200 up. However, this guy's a mechanic, so how come he's not using one? I just swapped out my factory stem for an adjustable angle model and I love it. My bike shop did the work, but I have no idea whether they used a torque wrench. Disconcerting because 3 different torque setting are stamped on the various parts of the stem. The stem's variable angle rotation joint calls for a whopping 12-13 newton meters (106-115 inch-pounds), while the other stem screws call for 5 & 6 newton-meters.
I didn't realize that you should tighten the top cap first, before tightening the stem in place. Thebheadset was loose even though the parts had not changed. I watched this video, went back through the steps and tightened the top cap first and voila, no excess play in headset!
Really well done. Thanks.
Not exactly what I'm looking for but close enough lol. I've had a bike from philodo for a few months now. They sent the front backwards. Meaning I can't put the front fender on, the light is on the wrong side so its not secure, and the wheel spins the wrong way. I though reverse polarity but it'd actually just backwards because of how they sent it lol
Sorry! The expansion plug will not be supporting the bottom of that stem! So your now clamping a section of steerer unsupported on the inside, also how did you not notice the expander plug is sat at least 2 to 3 mm higher than it should be, it should be flush to the steerer, which means probably some clot has tried to adjust the preload whilst the stem bolts are tight and pulled it up.
Basic stuff. But critical, look at the Bianchi rider last year who snapped his steerer, that was caused by the crap expander not given enough opposite pressure to the clamping forces of the stem 🤷🏻
Well spotted there; the expander plug is clear of the steerer as you say, as this fork is yet to be cut down and so formed a perfect example for this tutorial, which was purely about spacers and bearings. We will cover the cutting down of fork steerers, and installation of starnuts/expanders, in a future video.
appreciate the video, well done. What is the sweatshirt you are wearing? I want one !!