Don't Touch This Bolt, Before You Release The Stem! How Not To Adjust Headset Bearings On Your Bike.

I've seen some tutorial on KZbin, where somebody was advising people to check and tighten the compression bolt itself, but that is why you damage your star nut or an aluminum / steel steerer or the expander (anchor) on the carbon steering tube.
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[@desidesigning]

Finally understand what this all about. It's such a pity that non othe other big channels have explained this so well.

[@thierrym6168]

Finally understood thanks to your video. Just at the right moment. Short, efficient tuto. Big thank you.

[@jpandrews2791]

Really good illustration of how the fork and the frame sit together and a clear warning of how not to mess things up, thanks for that.

[@michalgnap5930]

Basic physics and logic don't tell much todays people. We need these tutorials 😁

[@electroman7396]

I started biking this year on July and since then I barely moved my car and nearly rided everyday. Since then I have fixed or adjusted several minor things on my bike. But none of them I have could done without your fantastic and understandable videos. You helped me adjust my gears, adjust my position, clean and replace my brakes and also was able to help a friend to clean and fix the gears of his bike. By this you also help to reduce consumption and decrease carbon footprint, because first he thought his bike is rubbish and needs to be thrown away now we occasionally go touring together. Thanks and Dankeschön! Do you have patreon?

[@davidbee8178]

This is a super well explained tutorial and so well illustrates the sequence of adjustments !! Congratulations on a great video Slick !! Many thanks !!

[@EisBlade]

Exactly the video I needed; and well-explained too. Just last night I switched handlebar risers to an adjustable and tightened those bolts before tightening the stem....and ended up with too much play in the bearings. You have a new subscriber. Thank you!

[@2creativo11]

This is one thing that I was afraid to do but now that I have seen this video I an ready to tackle it. Thanks

[@JoaoSilva-sk5jj]

great, just got an old scott boulder and had no idea how the stem worked, this helped a lot!

[@edwardrowland1853]

Very pleased with the helpful attention to detail showed here. Thank You very much! much appreciated!

[@jamentert3450]

Thanks, i had this problem when adding a stem riser (newbie bike owner) this explained it perfectly so i understand what is going on, many thanks !

[@TheCaoimhin2]

Just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this, Definitely the most useful 5 mins ever spent on youTube. Did I say thank you?

[@Nifty-Stuff]

Beautiful video with so much great info! I wish I had watched this before adjusting my bike's headset! Thanks!

[@rak2liga]

Good job Danny. It is unbelievable how much youtubers gives people wrong advise about that. Also, if you remove stem from your bike, release stem bolt first, then preload bolt. Unlike people from very big channel.

[@drmoynihan]

Thank you for these tutorials. You explained this so clear. I used to be so unsure and even afraid to make this simple adjustment. I remember the terror when the first time I was trying to make this adjustment and the terror of thinking I had broken this complicated machine! The problem with many tutorials is they begin assuming that you know something. P. S. I am still not perfectly clear how to adjust the SRAM Derailleur with the red plastic thing. I need a even more basic tutorial than your previous one.

[@KM-rm2db]

MAN, You have made very good videos thanks, especially for the self-maintenance one. Awesome Content

[@gessler1137]

thank you! only video that explains this properly! you saved me a trip to the store!

[@suemajor2241]

Excellent teaching. Very easy to understand!

[@cristianurrutia7650]

I was going to go ride on my single speed till I noticed the headset/fork was loose and wobbly I swear I took out the fork half way till I looked up this video and saw how simple the fix was got it feeling normal again thanks dude awesome video 🙏🏼

[@paulsscooter]

Thank you for this simple but informative video.

[@alnoordamji6744]

I was having the same problem but after watching your video I was able to fix it. Thank you

[@johnhricko8212]

thank u for showing & explaining the star nut!!!

[@xxxsydxxxx]

You may have far more meritorious and or profitable ideas as to your "life calling", if this is it, well how lucky are we. I googled "loose headset" and after only two drivel packed videos , thankfully i clicked on this one. Your explanation spoke directly to my problem and as i read here i can see that many others feel the same way. Many thanks.

[@tiofayer2528]

Gracias amigo, it help me a lot using the stem and the fork next time. My previous bike had same prob.

[@davidcuddy5609]

I hope this helps me fix and stops the knocking when i go over bumps on the road. So a big thanks.

[@sibekoloimo2792]

The best explanation ever! Many thanks to you👍🏼👌

[@kirangokhan]

Fantastic. I finally undetstood it. Many thanks. You are the man 💯💯

[@thejohnson9204]

Hi mate. Thanks for the video. Really well explained. It helped me a lot. Thanks again bud.

[@SmokeyStoner]

Excellent, well explained, thank you.

[@kcwebbuilder]

Like others, I added a stem riser and ended up with play in the front fork. After watching this I see my mistake. I tightened the screws in the wrong order. The proper technique is to adjust the fork first, then tighten the stem riser. Thanks!

[@h7opolo]

this is the best video on this subject. ty

[@pcmjpcmj6854]

Very helpful. Thank You. Could you do a similar tutorial for Canyon road bikes..they seem to be a slightly different set up. Thanks again.

[@h1orxrah]

Thank you again for another very helpful video

[@stevieboy4302]

Thanks,helped me a lot happy Xmas.

[@mhouslay7281]

Brilliant video. Thanks so much 😊👍🙏

[@paulsscooter]

THANK YOU, excellent video, I learned a lot.

[@joeh773]

Excellent vid and explanation, thank you!

[@DennyFilms]

So mayny youtubers show fork change etc., but never mention this info! Good for you.

[@Daniel08353]

Thank you!! I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Fortunately, I didn’t torque it enough to step the bolt/nut.

[@edteach3r]

Essential advice! The only addition I can make is to use a torque wrench to ensure that head and pinch bolts are tightened to specs.

[@jimmydseeker5321]

Thank you Sir. Now i know what are the steps in tightening the headset screws

[@boybawang1701]

your videos are big help bro...thanks

[@Johnkhawlhring]

Today i have done wrong, i tighten the stem first and tighten the upper one at the last, so i'm riding today and there is small play on the steering 🤦.. after watching this i think i solved the problem now. I hope it will not have severe effect 😭

[@bigbadwolf200335]

Thank you, really helped me out.

[@edvango]

Thanks for the information.I took out those nuts. I ruin my ball bearings during transportation. Now i have to order parts.

[@leonidjhonecuacion2312]

Oh... That's how it works. Now I finally understood. Hehe... Thanks bro. Very helpful video

[@juluisreyes9094]

And we must tighten the two stem bolts alternately and gradually to avoid damaging threads and for equally distributing force and tension.

[@tolstoipie]

Useful video. Thank you.

[@Elephantine999]

Good presentation!

[@xHESENBERGx]

Thanks helped me fix my new mtb❤️

[@VegasElement]

Thank You so much for this!

[@chrisbiker4702]

Before I even saw this video I unscrewed that top bolt on an old single speed high tensile steel bike (in an attempt to raise the bars a little) and moved the handlebars side to side and lifted them up about half an inch. Then I made sure the bars were straight and tightened that bolt. It ended up pulling the bars right back to where they originally were LOL. I accomplished nothing. Luckily there seems to be no damage.

[@yal100]

I just made a similar mistake, I added an extender in order to raise the handlebar higher. But the bottom of the extender didnt hit the bottom spacer, it was off by 3cm. Didnt notice, started tightening away and ended up dragging my star nut upwards and damaging it.

[@JA-ew5ov]

This fixed my wobbling headset thanks

[@johnreese3762]

Good info, thanks!

[@alexfleischmann1668]

Thx for your Videos!

[@garikgarik1310]

Great video thanks! But how much torque to use to tighten the compression plug/cap? Cheers

[@J.C...]

Weird. The bikes I had as a kid in the 80s and 90s all had a weird way to attach thr handlebars. It was sort of like the star nut. There was a nut welded into the fork and you used a long bolt to bolt the handlebars in. I never saw the wedge stem that most bikes used. Only ever a captive nut inside the fork.

[@ThePrinterPaddy]

Thank you , please do a Video on how to upgrade from the bearing race headset system to the fully integrated one and how to get the right size fully integrated headset

[@MaplePanda04]

You can’t. Integrates headsets require that your frame is designed for them. You cannot retrofit them.

[@soihavetoplay]

Thanks for the video, this is obvious now, very well shown. feel silly now. LOL

[@pristiawanwibisono3803]

Thanks for sharing 👍👍

[@alfarttosiameen8085]

great work

[@meshark_t]

I put a raiser stem, and now got little play on the fork. I'm afraid to tighten anymore, don't know how much tight I can go, not causing any damage.

[@avava_Ilovewisdom]

Hi can you help me pls. I purhased a new stem extender yesterday and the top screw bolt is stuck in the fork i cannot get it out. Please give me some ideas on how i can remove it.

[@aronrazaelevale2831]

Hi sickbiker, how's the gx rd paired with nx shifter? Waiting for your review after you replaced your nx shifter. Thanks!

[@alexanderbobrovitskiy956]

Good! Thank you!

[@iCobra-ik7by]

My dirt jumper head set bolt snapped in half when it is screwed in. Help plese

[@shillongnatureasmr3602]

Thank you so much!! I was cleaning the fork and then I assembled it back but then it was still loose so I was disappointed but then I was checking my phone and I saw a notification and I opened it and saw this. But one thing is that the fork is not so smooth while steering it.

[@motogp9253]

The fork should twist back and forth smoothly without much effort. If it doesnt, make sure u didnt overtighten the stem bolt that threads into the star nut. It only needs to be snug. 2nd, check for unusual noise. If it makes any noise when turning back and forth, the headset bearings may be shot. You could also remove the bearings and inspect them by twisting them by hand. They should be super smooth, no resistance, no gravel noises etc. Good luck, hope this helps!

[@shillongnatureasmr3602]

@@motogp9253 thanks alot it works perfectly...

[@fiokgoogle8779]

I hawe the annoing problen , the bike front head are allways turni g at least 170⁰ degre when im not siting on the bike i will that it cant turn from it self if im just standing be side

[@thatsthewaytobikeit4145]

Hello can i ask if compression plug or steerer expander is suitable on steel or alloy forks?

[@ibrahimqari9189]

Thanks, I tight my headset to 4 nm without loosen the stem bolt. Is that ok or I need to do something?

[@chifordenis]

Too late😅😅😅

[@ianmangham4570]

TOO

[@tallcip65]

Yeah, I wish I’d seen this two days ago 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@rickymahoney6664]

I feel the pain

[@mestubbs]

This is me

[@fitnessnutrition7298]

Thank you very much

[@sharifmunshi]

Is it advisable to use a stem riser ? What’s the maximum height to use for a riser ?

[@dragon82fly]

hi damage my star nut how to fix that

[@phillipanderson2607]

I wonder if you could put grease fitting in the frame for lubrication like a bearing on the deck of a riding mower. Just a thought.

[@davidbee8178]

I hope Slick Biker will answer you but in the meantime I"m a trained bike tech so I'll throw in my 2 cents :-) A grease fitting would not only be very ungainly looking but also would be VERY complicated to install and besides, ONE fitting wouldn't be effective in keeping the TWO bearings/races lubricated! IMHO the grease that one uses in the initial assembly is ample and should last a LONG time unless the bike is constantly going through torrential rains and or high pressure washings on a regular basis :-) the best thing to do is to monitor the fork/stem assembly and if you suspect any degradation in the system, simply disassemble, clean and re-grease - hope this helps !

[@abawsabaw]

Oooh, lesson learned. I do dis mistake all the time

[@xSF5150x]

Thank you!! 👍🏼👍🏼👊🏼

[@kulantro6576]

*_Does anchor bolt or headset expander can be used in alloy steering tube?_*

[@HKJWYK]

Good point!

[@guyjackson1763]

Ah. Now I know! Thanks.

[@elijahlord]

Wish I'd watched this before attempting a stem upgrade. I've "cooked" my headset .-.

[@DeepakYadav-rg1mx]

good info

[@pwatom22]

Excellent

[@alutious]

Love your videos but I'm not sure I agree with this, mostly the title. Obviously almost everything i agree with, especially including how you are testing for play at 4:49, nice job. I don't believe the start nut is being damaged when you take the top cap off. The top bolt's main job is to initially load the bearings, not take the force of riding the bike as the bike is going up and down. And the stem and 2 bolts are not there to just hold the handle bars, the two stem bolts' job is to hold everything together, the stem taking the load not the top cap. The vertical position of the stem on the fork's steerer and thus compression force on the bearings is Set by the top cap screw. Once it is set and the stem bolts tightened on the stem, the top cap could be removed (not advised but yes). Also note, the stem bolts must be alternatively screwed and Unscrewed. Not just have one fully screwed and the other not. This can damage the steerer, especially carbon, if only one is unscrewed. That is my understanding of the physics, but a certified bike mechanic would be the person to verify this info with. In terms of a bung on a carbon fork steerer I can't say what happens if this is unscrewed as it gives support to a carbon steerer, where the star nut does not really do that job. I don't have a carbon frame or steerer. Also note when you first load the bearings you may be able to move/rotate your handle bars, so when you tighten or retighten the stem bolts, you will need to ensure your steering is straight before alternatively tightening the stem bolts. Ah, the other subtle point is when all 3 bolts are tight, and you unscrew the top cap bolt, what happens? What happens is the bolt simply moves upwards, it does not push the star nut down, nor the fork and all the weight of the wheel, none of this is being pushed down, and if the wheels are on the ground the top cap bolt does not push the entire bike up or down. All that is happening is the top cap, which is about 2g of weight is being pushed up with the bolt. Everything else is being held in place by the stem bolts. You should be able to notice that nothing moves when you unscrew the top cap first, except the top cap. Also note many top caps are not metal or steel, many are nylon or plastic. The other subtlety, probably on a different video is you need to have spacers that end up Above the steerer, so that the topcap is pushing down on the frame and spacers while it's screw is pulling up on the starnut/fork. If the fork's top of its steerer is poking up above the spacers, the topcap can't do its job to load the bearings, it would just be pushing down on the fork and pulling the fork against the top cap which would eventually break.

[@alutious]

and the other small job of the top cap is to keep water and debris from entering the top of the steerer and corroding the inside of your steerer. After 22 years of riding and lots of rain, i finally removed my topcap and found ZERO rust lol. But the bb had rust in it and the seat tube a little rust. On my wife's 25 year old mtb, its steering tube was totally rusted, her stem is a quill based system with two large external lock nuts. It also works more like a bung, inside the stem. I did this two years ago, the whole reason i started doing this is she was not able to turn her handle bars. Not only was the inside rusted, she had a 2-3mm lump of rust which was pushing the frame and the steerer and her handle bar was turning like crap. I couldn't believe it. So i had to take my time to remove it and the rest of the rust without damaging the frame. After doing this it turns beautifully. Now i check steering and remove the topcap and pull the fork out to inspect the upper and lower bearings at least twice a year, usually before and after winter. I want to make sure if there is any gunk in there that it is sealed correctly (both positioned and tightened, and with enough grease - especially on the bottom race, Before winter). Thanks again for your vids!

[@alutious]

simpler explanation than mine, the post from May 22, 2019 at 8:53 by mattnz, 2nd paragraph. bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/62125/replacement-stem-cap-and-bolt#:~:text=Once%20the%20stem%20bolts%20are,and%20do%20the%20bolt%20up.

[@bartholomeusclever]

thanks danny ! PS are you still training/racing?

[@sokoloft3]

The starnut mechanically confuses me. You would imagine you would want it retained more so than just a friction fit. I need to put a new fork on the bike I have eventually. Going to try to rebuild it over the winter. Just a cheap RST coil spring. Doing light riding for the most part so.

[@LykeArgy]

"The starnut mechanically confuses me." If i understand , it's only there to help you pull the fork in where it needs to be and the stem is the actual part that holds the fork from slipping out, if you removed it you could probably still ride the bike without it failing, but ofcourse it's gonna be quite a bit stronger with the starnut, also starnut is not just friction fit but expansion fit, cause it digs into the tube a bit like an anchor 1:13 ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5jLYYClf8h9ipYsi=b5DJgmIaSQtv8Det&t=100 something like this, just imagine it's 6 arms instead of 2)

[@TomyCroSound]

I do not have movement, but i have “clunk” sound when hard brake in place..

[@pixieloco]

time for a new headset.

[@tallcip65]

I was trying to lower my bars because the former owner of my bike had put a bar riser on. I made the mistake of tightening the bolts on the stem before the cap. What added to the situation is that even though the bike is a newish trek it has a cheap plastic stem cap and the hex screw hole stripped out really easily. I’m pretty sure it was already starting to strip from the work the other guy had done. Now I’m stuck with a loose headset and a stem cap that I can’t loosen to remove and replace. Any tips on how to get that old cap out?

[@19walsh85]

Use a torx bit sometimes they will help out, if not bike shop would be your best bet

[@beaudjangles]

Just did the exact same thing today!! I ended up cutting the stem and the star nut out; lost 30mm. Unintentionally got slammed hangers now.

[@RonaldMiddleton-yq5sn]

Easy to assemble! Comfortable ride. Easy gear changes.

[@jtgarcia181]

What do I do if my steering is way to tight? Like it is hard to turn left and right

[@ianmangham4570]

Slacken the compression, release the two stem bolts 🔩 gripping the steering tube ,then tighten the top bolt 🔩 this pulls the fork up by grabbing the star fangled nut ,just tighten enough to have no play but don't crush the bearings.

[@hollandbamboosounds5332]

I didn’t exactly what I wasn’t supposed to and no the main screw is stuck in the fork. How do I remove the screw?

[@toplapie6078]

I have the same problem did you how did you fix it?

[@dannystafford5532]

I tightened my compression bolt to tight and now all it does is spin , now I got a $700 paperweight... any help please...

[@Daniel08353]

Based on this video; it looks you just need to replace that star-shaped threaded insert, and a new bolt. Or, just take it to a bike mechanic and you’ll know it’s done right.

[@johnnyleemail77]

So… if I want to take the stem off the bike.. if I release the top bolt first and then the stem bolts it’s not the correct thing to do?

[@Saolinn]

I'm so confused.

[@JensHermann]

I‘m always too careful when tighting the bolt. What is an average torque range just to be sure?

[@rak2liga]

Correct torque is by feeling. It is not loose and it moves freely from left to right. Or you need to replace bearings if it is impossible to adjust correctly. Same as Shimano crankset.

[@woduk]

Yes done by feel tighten the bolt until there is no play by holding the front brake on and rocking the bike back n forth etc. Then do up the stem bolts and your done

[@MaplePanda04]

What type of headset? Loose ball ones usually are pretty loose, cartridge bearing zero stack are medium, and integrated are very firm. The “rock back and forth” test doesn’t work with integrated headsets.

[@geoffzed8481]

i did it correctly but still have play. can i remove a spacer to get rid of the play in the headset?

[@kinju8912]

Do you have too many spacers or not enough?

[@Zaque-TV]

If there is head tube taller than your stem, you need another spacer. The cap goes on to pull the head tube tight and sandwich everything together. Removing a spacer will make it worse. Trust me I just wasted 2 hours figuring this out like a caveman.

[@Hardi26]

If you have some expensive lightweight top cap, you probably break that, before anything else goes.

[@RetiredTSgtUSAF]

well if you do this on the floor and not hanging in the air you don't have to worry about the fork coming out. Tighten at 4 nm

[@Sagarpawar-ix7ky]

ಮುರ್ಗಲಖಲಿಸಿ ಮುಕ್ಳಿಹಡಿಸಿದೆಯಾ?

[@NeloXVIII]

thanks man