I hate dealing with headsets, so I had my local Trek store install this Tange Levin ISO headset for me. I could get a sense they maybe didn’t want the headache (they quoted me over a week turn around time) but they got it done eventually.
It was too loose by the second ride (lots of play) and oscillating feeling when using front brake. I brought it back, and they tightened it, but now it’s right back to giving me a wobbling feeling when I brake.
I’ve tried adjusting myself too, and it’s either too tight, or too loose. Any ideas what I can do? Should I bring it back to them a third time? I kinda feel like they get a sense of dread when this 30 year old bike comes in…
Any help would be great!
by FaxxMaxxer
8 Comments
What is all that stuff above the headset? It looks all loose and not supposed to be there. Maybe try removing those spacers and trying again.
I don’t know shit about shit but that lower looks like it’s in backwards. So disregard this.
Do you know how to adjust a threaded headset? You need two wrenches: one to hold the bottom nut in place when you have it at the correct tension, and a second one to crank the locknut down and lock the whole assembly in place on the steerer threads. If it keeps coming loose, it’s likely that the upper nut is bottoming out on the top of the steerer before putting tension on the lower nut. You may have to add another very thin spacer under the locknut.
(An aside: Not trying to rag on you too much here, but since you brought it up… “I kinda feel like they get a sense of dread when this 30 year old bike comes in…” yeah bud I get that from a single photo. Why do you have a random stack of spacers on top of what is presumably a threadless quill stem adapter…? They’re not doing anything, and because they’re too big for the quill extension they’re all misaligned and look like ass…? Also: travel agent on v-brakes instead of just using canti brakes? Uuuugggghhhh)
The first rule of problem headsets is that if you can’t get it to stay adjusted properly, take it apart and ensure everything was put together correctly.
Also, they should face the head tube to make sure the surfaces are 100% parallel to each other.
I wonder if the bottom bearing is upside down .
That is if those headsets are a regular cup cone ball bearing .
Something is wrong with the lower bearing/race interface. The crown race should not be that exposed.
I don’t know if it’s contributing to your issues, but what is going on with that huge stack of washers between the lockring and the upper cup?
If it’s been your bike without problems for a while maybe it’s the assembly as some said.
If it’s a fairly new to you bike, maybe it’s an ovalises head tube or bearings/cone/race are shot. Or if you had a pretty big crash the steerer tube or head tube could be slightly out of plane and putting pressure on the headset threads to loosen up.
It could be a lot of things. Diagnose any causes you can think of and then go for a careful reinstall.
This reminds me of when I replaced all my loctite fasteners with nordlock washers, but then added regular washers to the nordlock ones and got anti-seize all over the faces as well.
Handlebar clamp kept coming loose until I figured out you actually need friction in some interfaces, cleaned out the anti-seize, and removed the regular washers. Eventually I started using loctite again myself just to be double sure, ha.
Doesn’t the shop have a die to extend the threads on the steerer so you can cut it to proper size and get rid of that mess of washers?