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[Roger Longbottom]

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[GetFatty]

Are you tightening the top cap before tightening up the stem bolts?

 

[fossyant]

You are probably not tightening the stem bolts enough if coming loose - they are what holds the headset on. All the top cap is for is to adjust the pre-load on the bearings, not to hold it there. The stem bolts do that. Undo the stem bolts before tightening the top cap bolt.

 

[Cycleops]

Maybe a bit of threadlock wouldn’t go amiss.

 

[Sharky]

Do you have enough spacers? Are they 3mm above the steerer?

 

[GetFatty]

unfortunately it's key for you to take the top cap off so we can see how much steerer you have. Taking the top cap off without undoing tge stem bolts won't create any issues

 

[Smokin Joe]

This is my spacer situation, without taking it all apart I can't say where the steerer ends in relation.

View attachment 538231

How are you tightening the top cap? It isn't just enough to torque down just enough to stop any play like you had to in the old days of loose bearing threaded headsets. With cartridge bearings you need to take up the play and then give another 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn to settle the cartridge into the tapered seat in the head tube.

One other thing to check if your frame has a bung rather than a star nut, did you tighten the bung in the tube before you fitted the cap? If the bung is loose it will pull up as you tighten the top cap bolt rather than grip and hold it.

 

[Sharky]

Never been right in there to be honest Joe, will take the stem and spacers off tomorrow and get some photos.

No need to take the stem off. Just take the top cap off and upload a picture of the top end. If the spacers don't go beyond the steerer tube, then that is the problem.

 

[Venod]

Posters above have highligted the possible problems

1 Are you preloading the bearings by tightening the top cap before the stem bolts.

2 Is the bung tight and not moving, check the tightness of that cap screw you can see.

The other thing I can think of is the crown race was not seated correctley and has moved (very unlikely but not impossible)