headset drags according to spacer order

On 11/2/2014 4:59 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Choose a profession where you make something and
you probably have access to a lathe.

Worked for me! :-) But then I retired. So I had to buy my own lathe.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Sunday, November 2, 2014 8:08:06 PM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 11/2/2014 4:59 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Choose a profession where you make something and
you probably have access to a lathe.

Worked for me! :-) But then I retired. So I had to buy my own lathe.


--
- Frank Krygowski

..............

we envy you.

the grouping is obvious but mostly unconsidered. When I stumbled across group club meetings and shop photos I was entranced...

caws I run into not owning the equipment nor having training for using the tools.

seeing the stuff in your garages is a mind blower.

On Sunday, November 2, 2014 5:08:06 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 11/2/2014 4:59 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Choose a profession where you make something and
you probably have access to a lathe.

Worked for me! :-) But then I retired. So I had to buy my own lathe.

If I had a metal working job to do (usually brazing up a broken frame), I'd sign up for the night metal shop at a local high school. I got rudimentary instruction on a lathe, but not enough to really do anything but destroy random pieces of mild steel.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Sunday, November 2, 2014 9:58:18 AM UTC+2, dstamat wrote:
Hello All,

My bicycle is setup with a 1 1/8" Chris King NoThreadset headset and a Ritchey Classic stem. When I bought it I also had 4 1cm spacers added in order to raise the handlebars (4 spacers - stem). Everything worked fine.

I recently decided to lower the riding position and moved the stem between the spacers (i.e. 2 spacers - stem - 2 spacers). After tightening the headset to the prescribed torque (1.7 Nm according to Chris King) I noticed that the headset drags a bit when the handlebar turns left but runs fine when it turns right. I removed the handlebar to make sure that no cables were rubbing but the result was the same. I even tried to loosen the stem cap bolt but with anything more than 0.5 Nm the headset drags when turned left.

Out of curiosity I changed the spacer/stem order back to the original (4 spacers - stem), retightened and there was no dragging. Everything was back to normal.

So, my question. How does the spacer/stem order affect the headset setup? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Many thanks in advance

Dimitris

Thank you for your comments and advice so far. I played around with the spacer order and direction and found a combination which seemed to work. I tightened to top cap to 1.7 Nm and the handlebars turned fine.

And then things got weird (for me at least). I continued tightening the steer tube clamp bolts of the stem to 5 Nm and the whole system ... froze. No turning whatsoever!

How does tightening the clamp bolts affect the headset adjustment? I must be doing something very wrong to get this results. Any ideas?

Many thanks again

Dimitris

On Monday, November 3, 2014 8:31:02 AM UTC+1, wrote:
On Sunday, November 2, 2014 9:58:18 AM UTC+2, dstamat wrote:
Hello All,

My bicycle is setup with a 1 1/8" Chris King NoThreadset headset and a Ritchey Classic stem. When I bought it I also had 4 1cm spacers added in order to raise the handlebars (4 spacers - stem). Everything worked fine.

I recently decided to lower the riding position and moved the stem between the spacers (i.e. 2 spacers - stem - 2 spacers). After tightening the headset to the prescribed torque (1.7 Nm according to Chris King) I noticed that the headset drags a bit when the handlebar turns left but runs fine when it turns right. I removed the handlebar to make sure that no cables were rubbing but the result was the same. I even tried to loosen the stem cap bolt but with anything more than 0.5 Nm the headset drags when turned left.

Out of curiosity I changed the spacer/stem order back to the original (4 spacers - stem), retightened and there was no dragging. Everything was back to normal.

So, my question. How does the spacer/stem order affect the headset setup? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Many thanks in advance

Dimitris

Thank you for your comments and advice so far. I played around with the spacer order and direction and found a combination which seemed to work. I tightened to top cap to 1.7 Nm and the handlebars turned fine.

And then things got weird (for me at least). I continued tightening the steer tube clamp bolts of the stem to 5 Nm and the whole system ... froze. No turning whatsoever!

How does tightening the clamp bolts affect the headset adjustment? I must be doing something very wrong to get this results. Any ideas?

Many thanks again

Dimitris

I think the faces of your stem are not square relative to the steerers axis.. When you tighten the bolts the faces of the stem tilt because the bore of the stem aligns with the steerer and **** up the adjustment.

Lou

I think the faces of your stem are not square relative to the steerers axis. When you tighten the bolts the faces of the stem tilt because the bore of the stem aligns with the steerer and **** up the adjustment.





right. with used parts, clean, inspect, try reassemble 2-3 times with parts in different positions...then drag your junk to the machine shop LBS for a resurfacing and parts.

On Sunday, November 2, 2014 9:58:18 AM UTC+2, dstamat wrote:
Hello All,

My bicycle is setup with a 1 1/8" Chris King NoThreadset headset and a Ritchey Classic stem. When I bought it I also had 4 1cm spacers added in order to raise the handlebars (4 spacers - stem). Everything worked fine.

I recently decided to lower the riding position and moved the stem between the spacers (i.e. 2 spacers - stem - 2 spacers). After tightening the headset to the prescribed torque (1.7 Nm according to Chris King) I noticed that the headset drags a bit when the handlebar turns left but runs fine when it turns right. I removed the handlebar to make sure that no cables were rubbing but the result was the same. I even tried to loosen the stem cap bolt but with anything more than 0.5 Nm the headset drags when turned left.

Out of curiosity I changed the spacer/stem order back to the original (4 spacers - stem), retightened and there was no dragging. Everything was back to normal.

So, my question. How does the spacer/stem order affect the headset setup? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Many thanks in advance

Dimitris

Hello again,

I continued testing different combinations of spacers with no luck until I turned the stem up side down to +6 deg, where it originally was before my attempt to lower the riding position. As it turns out with the stem at +6 deg the headset adjustment is very easy while at -6 deg it just does not be done.

So, as many of you pointed out, the issue is the stem. It works on one side, it does not work on the other. How can I fix it? What kind of reshaping/resurfacing will I have to do?

Thanks

Dimitris

On Thursday, November 6, 2014 7:44:36 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Sunday, November 2, 2014 9:58:18 AM UTC+2, dstamat wrote:
Hello All,

My bicycle is setup with a 1 1/8" Chris King NoThreadset headset and a Ritchey Classic stem. When I bought it I also had 4 1cm spacers added in order to raise the handlebars (4 spacers - stem). Everything worked fine.

I recently decided to lower the riding position and moved the stem between the spacers (i.e. 2 spacers - stem - 2 spacers). After tightening the headset to the prescribed torque (1.7 Nm according to Chris King) I noticed that the headset drags a bit when the handlebar turns left but runs fine when it turns right. I removed the handlebar to make sure that no cables were rubbing but the result was the same. I even tried to loosen the stem cap bolt but with anything more than 0.5 Nm the headset drags when turned left.

Out of curiosity I changed the spacer/stem order back to the original (4 spacers - stem), retightened and there was no dragging. Everything was back to normal.

So, my question. How does the spacer/stem order affect the headset setup? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Many thanks in advance

Dimitris

Hello again,

I continued testing different combinations of spacers with no luck until I turned the stem up side down to +6 deg, where it originally was before my attempt to lower the riding position. As it turns out with the stem at +6 deg the headset adjustment is very easy while at -6 deg it just does not be done.

So, as many of you pointed out, the issue is the stem. It works on one side, it does not work on the other. How can I fix it? What kind of reshaping/resurfacing will I have to do?

Send it to Lou in the Netherlands, and he will will face it for you. Or you could go to your local bike shop and have them do it, but it will lack the surgical precision Lou is known for. Really, you could do a heart transplant in his garage. It's that clean.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 11/6/2014 9:44 AM, wrote:
On Sunday, November 2, 2014 9:58:18 AM UTC+2, dstamat wrote:
Hello All,

My bicycle is setup with a 1 1/8" Chris King NoThreadset headset and a Ritchey Classic stem. When I bought it I also had 4 1cm spacers added in order to raise the handlebars (4 spacers - stem). Everything worked fine.

I recently decided to lower the riding position and moved the stem between the spacers (i.e. 2 spacers - stem - 2 spacers). After tightening the headset to the prescribed torque (1.7 Nm according to Chris King) I noticed that the headset drags a bit when the handlebar turns left but runs fine when it turns right. I removed the handlebar to make sure that no cables were rubbing but the result was the same. I even tried to loosen the stem cap bolt but with anything more than 0.5 Nm the headset drags when turned left.

Out of curiosity I changed the spacer/stem order back to the original (4 spacers - stem), retightened and there was no dragging. Everything was back to normal.

So, my question. How does the spacer/stem order affect the headset setup? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Many thanks in advance

Dimitris

Hello again,

I continued testing different combinations of spacers with no luck until I turned the stem up side down to +6 deg, where it originally was before my attempt to lower the riding position. As it turns out with the stem at +6 deg the headset adjustment is very easy while at -6 deg it just does not be done.

So, as many of you pointed out, the issue is the stem. It works on one side, it does not work on the other. How can I fix it? What kind of reshaping/resurfacing will I have to do?


In theory, something sorta like this:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfr...t/lathcrnk.jpg

In practice, go exchange the stem wherever you bought it.
Or just buy a new stem, they are cheap.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

wrote:
On Sunday, November 2, 2014 9:58:18 AM UTC+2, dstamat wrote:
Hello All,

My bicycle is setup with a 1 1/8" Chris King NoThreadset headset and a
Ritchey Classic stem. When I bought it I also had 4 1cm spacers added in
order to raise the handlebars (4 spacers - stem). Everything worked fine.

I recently decided to lower the riding position and moved the stem
between the spacers (i.e. 2 spacers - stem - 2 spacers). After
tightening the headset to the prescribed torque (1.7 Nm according to
Chris King) I noticed that the headset drags a bit when the handlebar
turns left but runs fine when it turns right. I removed the handlebar to
make sure that no cables were rubbing but the result was the same. I
even tried to loosen the stem cap bolt but with anything more than 0.5
Nm the headset drags when turned left.

Out of curiosity I changed the spacer/stem order back to the original (4
spacers - stem), retightened and there was no dragging. Everything was back to normal.

So, my question. How does the spacer/stem order affect the headset
setup? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Many thanks in advance

Dimitris

Hello again,

I continued testing different combinations of spacers with no luck until
I turned the stem up side down to +6 deg, where it originally was before
my attempt to lower the riding position. As it turns out with the stem at
+6 deg the headset adjustment is very easy while at -6 deg it just does not be done.

So, as many of you pointed out, the issue is the stem. It works on one
side, it does not work on the other. How can I fix it? What kind of
reshaping/resurfacing will I have to do?

Thanks

Dimitris

At least one of the faces is square (the one at the bottom when everything
work OK). You can use the face as a reference in a milling operation. If
you don't have access to a milling machine then go with Andrew's advice and
buy a new stem. This is a really bad one if this causes the kind of trouble
you describe.
--
Lou