Star Fangled and Headset - How?

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Just taken delivery of my new frame and forks. 1 1/4 steerer I think. I've fiddled with the bearingy bits and I think I have it in the correct order.

From Fork crown upward I have a split Aluminium ring then a bearing with a 45 degree chamfer which seems to mate with the head tube. Then at the top end the 45 dgree chamfer thing happens again but I have to push something down the steerer which is grippy and has the logo on it (which I put to face upwards. Everything appears to fit quite tidyily together but it's not the smoothest headset I've ever turned. Nor is it adjustable for bearing play.

Now I suppose I need spacers and an extension to finish the job. Assuming I have the extension it clamps to the steerer so what does the star fangled bolty thing do? The bolt seems quite short.

Also - how do I get the correct steerer height?

My excuse - I've only ever had "proper" headsets with threads in the past.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

So - I have to guess at the required steerer length and chop some off (it's quite long) I suppose. In the past one fiddled with the handle bar height (over maybe inch or so) to get things correct by riding it about and checking.

So I suppose I need to guess the length on the long side, use enough spacers, do the ridey thing and gradually reduce the length as I feel is needed. And to get the first guess roughly correct I'll need my saddle height about right.....

Is this progress?

 

[accountantpete]

I cut my steerer tube slightly longer than I really need - with about 40mm of spacers under the stem so that with the stem you have 80mm or so sticking out of the top of the headset which presents the bars slightly higher than I like.

This way you can fine tune the height of the bars by taking one spacer from under the stem and putting it on top to lower the bars etc.

You wont get a really smooth turn to the bearings until the SF nut is installed and then tightened. You tighten up until the play in the forks disappears -but if you over tighten then the bearings will feel very rough and so you slacken the nut until you have free running bearings and no play in the forks.

 

[TheDoctor]

It's progress in the sense that you can fit and adjust the headset with a 5mm Allen key rather than a headset press and two ruddy great spanners.
BTW, don't use the star-fangled nut above if you have a carbon steerer tube. Use something like this instead.

 

[02GF74]

if steerer is aluminiuim, then use a pipe cutter. makes a cleaner and striaghter cut than a saw, or at the very least, will mark the steerer for sawing.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Ah - thanks chaps. That feels better. And yes I guess it is progress.

Spacer stacks above and below sounds the way to start and then to Mr Paul's method for finishing off.

It is an Aluminium Steerer on carbon forks - so the star fangled supplied should be OK - and I'll need to chat up the LBS to get it fitted. Will it be adjustable up and down inside the steerer when it's fitted (i.e. if I start off with everything too high and want to shorten later)?

I'll wander off to the LBS soon and buy the necessaries. I'm transferring most of my stuff from my ageing 531 steel frame and I reckon all but the bars/stem and gear levers will transfer (currently have down tube levers ). May need a longer seat post too as I looked and looked at frame sizing and then went with a sensible top tube length (but shorter seat tube). So fitting me to the bike is what's bothering me. I've only ever had "properly shaped" 531 frames before.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Well I've spent the day dismantling and cleaning from the old bike and fitting things to the new frame. Everything fits apart from the front mech whose band on is too small. I can now see where the bars/stem need to go in rough terms. Seat post goes in OK but not by much. Safety suggests a longer post I think but at least I can measure using the current post. So I'll measure up and get the stem and spacers etc next. That'll have to wait till next week now.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

By the way...the tube cutters in poundland (not the "mini" ones, the silver coloured ones with a big knurled thumbwheel) that look like this but in silver, do work a treat. For a couple of uses at least, on a fork steerer.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Thanks Sheffield Tiger . I won't be doing many steerers anyway