Hi all. I've recently purchased a Specialized Tarmac SL6 Comp 2020 and have enjoyed it tremendously thus far. However, yesterday I noticed this cracking sound when moving the steer in either direction. I thought this may just be bearings in need of replacement, but I was wondering whether I'm missing something obvious which I may fix before bringing the bicycle in for repair.
by Howard0171
3 Comments
Sounds like the headset bearings. People tend to over tighten the end cap causes the bearings to wear quickly. They are often easy to replace.
I can’t think of anything it could be besides the headset. The Tarmac SL6 still uses a very simple integrated headset without any of the complexity introduced by through-headset cable routing (which can cause sounds like this if the cables aren’t sized well), so any sounds would likely be coming from the headset itself.
One thing to check: is the headset top cover/cone spacer rubbing against the top edge of the frame at all? Many SL6’s had tolerancing issues where the cone spacer sat too low and pressed against the frame instead of the compression ring. If that’s the case with yours, you’ll want to grab a couple of 0.25mm or 0.5mm headset shims and add just enough on top of the compression ring to space the cone spacer away from the frame.
If it’s not that, then I’d suggest going ahead and dropping the fork and checking the bearings. If they’re crunchy, replace them. If not, clean up everything really well, assemble it with grease in the cups and on the crown race, and preload it properly. See if the sound remains.
Luckily, this is easy to do on the SL6 because, again, it doesn’t have integrated through-headset cable routing.
My first thought is the cables?
You’re moving the steerer through a wider range of motion than would be typical when riding, so they might be dragging a bit near the entry points or at the BB if they’re dirty or a little short.
The headset appears to be moving freely but it might be worth checking there is nothing sticking.