Handlebars feel loose under braking

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ohnovino

Large Member
Location
Liverpool
When I brake hard on my hybrid and my weight goes forward, I've noticed a slight jerkiness in the bars. It's as if the bolts at the front of the stem are a tiny bit loose so there's a little play when the bars are under a lot of force.

I'm intending to swap the stem anyway (a new longer one arrived this morning), so if that is the cause then it won't be for much longer. But is there anything else I should be looking out for?

I know creaks and clicks usually end up coming from the last place you look, so I just thought I'd check if anyone else has experience with this.
 

Norm

Guest
If it's juddering when braking, it's possible that it's the head bearings which need adjusting and, if so, changing the stem may not affect.

Do you have a threaded Quill headset or a threadless Aheadset?

If you hold on the front brake and rock the bike backwards and forwards, can you feel any movement where the steerer joins the head tube?
 
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ohnovino

ohnovino

Large Member
Location
Liverpool
Threadless aheadset and v-brakes.

I've tried the "brakes on and rock" thing and there's no obvious movement, but I've never serviced the bearings in the 8,500 miles I've had the bike, so I wouldn't be surprised if they needed looking at :blush:

Is that an easy thing to service?
 

Norm

Guest
...but I've never serviced the bearings in the 8,500 miles I've had the bike, so I wouldn't be surprised if they needed looking at :blush:
Nice mileage! :becool:

At that mileage, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't a little tired but, if there's no movement at all (wrap your hand around the join when rocking, it's easier to feel than to see the movement) then that's an ok sign.

How about the wheel bearings? Can you rock the wheel from side to side? Again, it's a very slight movement at the axle but it gets magnified up the forks.
 

VamP

Banned
Location
Cambs
Could be headset, could be brake judder. Check your pads are toed in correctly, that should eliminate brake judder.

If it's the headset, I would expect some play all the time, not just when brakes are applied.

I assume that you have checked the stem bolts for tightness.
 
Three things I'd check...

Quick Release Axle on front reel
Brakes
Headset

My money's on headset, but only because I've just had the same issue!

PS and if you're worried it's not a difficult issue to fix apparently. LBS did mine for a tenner - probaly one of those things I should learn to do myself.
 
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ohnovino

ohnovino

Large Member
Location
Liverpool
Thanks for all the advice, it was indeed a slightly loose headset.

I'd put off the repair for a while but on yesterday's commute I lost all confidence in the handling and braking, which is a really horrible feeling. Followed the excellent videos on the Cane Creek website and thankfully a bit of loosening, shaking and re-tightening was all it took.
 

Norm

Guest
Excellent. :thumbsup:

I was, strangely, thinking of this thread on the train yesterday and thought that, if it was the bars or stem which were loose, I think that they would start spinning in their clamps long before you felt any jerkiness in the bars.
 
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ohnovino

ohnovino

Large Member
Location
Liverpool
Excellent. :thumbsup:

I was, strangely, thinking of this thread on the train yesterday and thought that, if it was the bars or stem which were loose, I think that they would start spinning in their clamps long before you felt any jerkiness in the bars.

Ha! That's a very good point. Why didn't I think of that?!
 
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