My wife bought this fantastic rose xeon bike second hand but I have noticed something crucial is missing .
What is this part called please from the front stem ?
by mcmutley63
My wife bought this fantastic rose xeon bike second hand but I have noticed something crucial is missing .
What is this part called please from the front stem ?
by mcmutley63
5 Comments
See you on BCJ
You need a new top cap and stem spacer. The bike has an expanding star nut which may have an oddball thread so best visit your LBS and get it resolved.
Ok, the bike has a steerer extender on there, with an adjustable stem, angled down. That’s an odd combination, and possibly a problem in itself, as steerer extenders are not recommended for a carbon fiber steerer. You may want to consider replacing all that as you get the bike adjusted / fitted for your wife.
All that being said: Since you have a steerer extender on there, the top cap (the bit you’re missing) is not crucial. The steerer extender itself has the hardware to set headset bearing preload, which is the function of the top cap.
If you want a top cap, either for cosmetic reasons or because you’re removing the steerer extender as I’m suggesting, most bike shops will give you one from the pile they have of cast-off bits. The bolt is a standard 5mm, which I would get in Stainless Steel at any good hardware store (if the bike shop doesn’t give you one of those, too.) The bolt isn’t a high-stress bolt, so stainless is more than sufficient for tensile strength.
I suspect the star nut that is actually tensioning the headset bearings is down below, under that steering tube extender and those spacers. So that could be why it doesn’t have one.
You should take it to a bike shop asap and have someone who knows what they’re doing take it apart and take a look at it.
The frame is too small for her, obviously she wants a frame with a higher stack height, which a modern gravel bike could provide.
I don’t want to be a nervous Nellie and needlessly press the danger button, but what’s going on there with the steerer and the stem looks downright risky to me.