How To Tighten Road Bike Headset
The headset is the bearing assembly that fits to a bike s head tube and allows the fork and front wheel to turn.
How to tighten road bike headset. Headsets are the bearings and cups that allow you to steer your bike. Again check the adjustment of the headset turn the handlebars back and forth then grab the brakes and rock then turn the handlebars at a 90 degree angle and rock as previously described. Luckily tightening a headset is an easy job. A loose headset can make the whole bike feel a bit wobbly and unstable.
While it s possible to swiftly tighten a loose headset a closer inspection is required to discover the underlying cause. This will most likely tighten the race a little despite any washers that may be between the two which means the headset will tighten a little bit. If there is any movement between the bike and the spacers the headset bolt isn t tight enough. How to bleed your road shimano disc brakes 13 18.
If you hear or feel a knock or rattle or clunk stop and try to re create it. I own a cannondale super six 105 ultegra now carbon 2012 bike and i can t stop the wobble in the headset. It might not be the sexiest component in the world but it does a vital job. It can affect braking and steering and make the bike less safe.
When it s working as it should you probably won t notice your headset too much but you will become conscious of it if it needs regreasing or starts to wear out because your steering will begin to suffer. We couldn t have expected this simple method of pre loading headset bearings to change the way we attach forks to frames forever but it did. We show you how to tighten your headset in a few easy steps. If i tighten down the top cap with 6mm hex i can get rid of the wobble hands on the drops holding brakes headset has a fair bit of play but i cannot move the wheels freely with the handlebars.
The easiest way to find a loose headset is to pay attention when you re moving your bike around like rolling it up over a lip in the pavement or curb to park at a coffee shop etc. Diagnosing a loose headset.