Play in headset on T50 - how to adjust?

[Frank Costantini]

I noticed that when I shake my T50 laterally (holding by the handlebars), something in the frame is loose, and I can see some slight movement where the steerer tube enters the frame (underneath several spacers - see red arrow in first photo).

The allen bolt at the top of the steerer tube is already very tight, and I didn't try to tighten it any further.

There are three spacers underneath where the boom attaches to the steerer tube.
The top one (labeled Problem Solvers) is tight, and when I loosened the Allen nut holding it, it would rotate but not move up or down.
The two lower spacers can both rotate freely, and there is no apparent way to tighten them.

Lower down, there is a gap of about 2mm between the fork and the frame ( green arrow in second photo)

Is this something easy to fix, or should I take it to the LBS?

Frank

 

[Doug Burton]

I would consider the headset bearing adjuster (below the problem solvers clamp in your photo) to be upside down, but as a practical matter it probably doesn't matter.

Loosen the small allen head screw in the adjuster, hold the top half of the adjuster stationary, and rotate the bottom half counter-clockwise until the play is reduced (but not so tight that the headset bearings are binding.) This makes the adjuster "taller" and takes play out of the headset bearings.

Then tighten the small allen head screw to secure the adjuster. Don't overtighten the small screw - it doesn't do anything but lock the rotation of the adjuster, and being so small it's easy to strip.

Note that the space between the bottom of the headtube and the top of the fork crown will not become smaller - don't try to make it go away - the resulting stress will damage something.

Good luck.

 

[Frank Costantini]

Thanks, Doug. That did the trick!

Frank

 

[Tuloose]

Thanks for the tip Doug.
I didn't realize that part was actually a headset tension adjuster.
There are no instructions anywhere on how it works.

 

[Rumbleseat]

My bike was built by a local bicycle shop and I'm experiencing this too. I'll go home and see if this works for me as well.

 

[benphyr]

My blue QX100 has a very similar adjustment (though it doesn't say problem solvers on it): Clamp locks onto the top of the fork providing something for the piece below to push against. The below piece screws out to expand putting pressure on the bearings, and a tiny allen provides the locking mechanism. Very similar to the old threaded headsets actually but easier to lock in place.

Note: it is virtually impossible for me to do this with the fork extender in place so you will want an extra set of hands to hold the handlebar and fork extender out of your way while you adjust the bearings. Then just slide them back on and tighten up and away you go with happy headset.

Does that sound right Doug?

 

[Rumbleseat]

Note for anyone attempting this. You'll need a 36mm and 40mm headset wrench. I'm going to order two Park Tools HCW-9. Thing is I'll need two of them. But they're not very spendy.

 

[Frank Costantini]

I just used a small allen key to loosen the set screw, and then adjusted the "adjuster" by hand until the play was gone, then tightened the set screw - no special tools required

 

[Rumbleseat]

I could not get enough grip on there to get the adjuster to tighten up by hand. That may work for other people though. Always good to have options.

 

[benphyr]

The QX100 I have has holes in it that I put a 3 or 4mm allen key into the hole and that got me enough extra grip to get the tension right and then tightened the set screw.

 

[Rumbleseat]

I got the play out of headset. What I did was take out as much space for the headset bearing adjuster to be free in. First I loosened the problem solvers adjustable headset spacer and levered it down as far as it would go and tightened it back. Then I loosened the boom clamp and moved it down until it was touching the headset spacer again. Once I did this I did not have to expand the bearing adjuster out much at all.

 

[benphyr]

I got the play out of headset. What I did was take out as much space for the headset bearing adjuster to be free in. First I loosened the problem solvers adjustable headset spacer and levered it down as far as it would go and tightened it back. Then I loosened the boom clamp and moved it down until it was touching the headset spacer again. Once I did this I did not have to expand the bearing adjuster out much at all.

For mine (QX100 same concept, slightly different mechanism) I found that no matter any of the many different things I tried that the problem solver adjuster (thing with 3 radial holes in it for mine) inevitably either loosened, was unable to be locked by the locking set screw, or was unable to be tightened enough without some kind of special tool. I would clamp the problem solver on as tight as I could get it with the same techniques described by @Rumbleseat and others and then stick an allen key in the hole and adjust as tight as I could, then wiggle, thump, turn etc. the headset and everything would be perfect but by the end of a commute or two the headset would be loose again. I even tried putting the problem solvers upside-down so that I could use the adjustment to push against the extension/boom clamp with the problem solvers loose and then tighten up the problem solvers clamp. That was the best option with the stock parts that I had but it left openings for dirt to get in and even that came loose, though it was the best of the above options.

I eventually stole the extension stem bolt from my conversion kit bike from @Hamish_Barker (I think it was his upgrade not stock) and so now I have a 12" or so stem bolt running from the stem bolt at the top of the fork extension all the way down through the extension and to the star nut in the fork. This has been perfect for a couple weeks now. (The conversion kit is still working until such time as I unclamp the boom/extension clamp when the tension on the bearings will be removed. I just have a piece of tape over the top cap where the stem bolt usually sits with its cover.)

 

[benphyr]

...Lower down, there is a gap of about 2mm between the fork and the frame ( green arrow)
View attachment 6603

As mentioned by @Doug Burton, the gap at the bottom is necessary in order for the bike to be able to steer. And if you try to squish it by tightening the adjustment too tight you will just end up damaging something: bearings or their components or some other part of the fork mechanism.

(If there was no gap you would be trying to steer metal on metal - no bearings to reduce friction! Other forks and bearing setups have gaps in different places not necessarily easily seen - you might have to look from below with an overlap and the gap might be internal (think of a large capital H above and surrounding a smaller capital H that the bearings are in between - the gap is not obvious but still leaves space for movement.)

However, if you are looking at providing a low cost seal because you don't want water and/or dirt to get into that area to promote corrosion and wear, don't want to clean one more crevice, etc. then one way is to take an old piece of inner tube maybe an inch or so - long enough to cover the gap and with a slightly smaller diameter than the fork so that it can seal out water/debris. You would need to take the fork off, put the inner tube on above or below its final location, reassemble and adjust and then pull your new lower headset seal into place. It will result in slightly more resistance to the turning of the handlebar but I doubt that most would even notice it. This may be overkill but if you ride in salt-bath winter weather like I do it may give you just that little more protection.

 

[iambent]

From what I can tell by the OP's photo is there is a Problem Solvers adjuster and then a clamp. In the photo the clamp is on top of the adjuster and the clamp should always be on the bottom of the adjuster. After adjusting the preload you tighten the clamp. If clamp has 4mm bolt tighten to 5 Nm if a 5mm bolt tighten to 7 Nm. The clamp is what holds the fork on, the adjuster is there to just set preload. It does help if you use blue threadlocker on the threads of the adjuster.

I have had quite a bit of experience with the PS adjusters and they almost always tend to loosen. That is why if the clamp is on top of the adjuster and the adjuster loosens then you will have play in the fork.

Here's a link to a Sheldon Brown article on how he sets preload by just applying pressure on the bars. You can see that he is using a clamp to hold on the fork and maintain headset preload. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html

 

[iambent]

One other thing I forgot to mention. Make sure there is no grease on steerer tube or inside of clamp. Wipe off the steerer tube and inside of clamp with rubbing alcohol.