headset adjustment question

I have a crane creek threadless headset that I'm having trouble getting adjusted properly. If I
tighten it enough to take out all of the free play in the front end, it's too tight and the bike
doesn't steer correctly. In order to get the front end loose enough to ride predictably, I have to
live with a little free play (putting the front brake on and rocking the bike back and forth yields
a little free play). Is this ok or correct? If not, any suggestions? Please email. Thanks - Bill

"Nil actum reputa si quid superest agendum." - Lucan (M. Annaeus Lucanus)

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 01:10:02 GMT, "Bill" <bildomnospam@optonline.net> wrote:

>I have a crane creek threadless headset that I'm having trouble getting adjusted properly. If I
>tighten it enough to take out all of the free play in the front end, it's too tight and the bike
>doesn't steer correctly. In order to get the front end loose enough to ride predictably, I have to
>live with a little free play (putting the front brake on and rocking the bike back and forth yields
>a little free play). Is this ok or correct? If not, any suggestions? Please email. Thanks - Bill

In some Cane Creek headset installations, you will need to put one or more thin spacers between the
top bearing cover and the bearing compression ring. Cane Creek offers these spacers in various
thicknesses (.25 mm, .5 mm,). If your headset is binding without taking up all the excess bearing
play, you probably need at least a .5 mm one.

-------------------------------
http://www.businesscycles.com John Dacey Business Cycles, Miami, Florida 305-273-4440 Now in our
twentieth year. Our catalog of track equipment: seventh year online
-------------------------------

"Bill" <bildomnospam@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:KbEWa.28707$Wd5.6786792@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net...
> I have a crane creek threadless headset that I'm having trouble getting adjusted properly. If I
> tighten it enough to take out all of the free
play
> in the front end, it's too tight and the bike doesn't steer correctly. In order to get the front
> end loose enough to ride predictably, I have to
live
> with a little free play (putting the front brake on and rocking the bike back and forth yields a
> little free play). Is this ok or correct?

The most common scenarios are an upside down bearing retainer, an upside down seal or a headset
spacer bearing against the top race rather than the centering ring.

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

No. It is not.

Sounds to me like one or more of the races/cups is out of alignment. take it to your LBS and explain
your problem. They may simply may not be seated correctly, a piece of grit may be holding them out
of line, or the headtube ends may need facing.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

"A Muzi" <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote in message news:vioovna3p63h98@corp.supernews.com...
> "Bill" <bildomnospam@optonline.net> wrote in message
> news:KbEWa.28707$Wd5.6786792@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net...
> > I have a crane creek threadless headset that I'm having trouble getting adjusted properly. If I
> > tighten it enough to take out all of the free
> play
> > in the front end, it's too tight and the bike doesn't steer correctly. In order to get the front
> > end loose enough to ride predictably, I have to
> live
> > with a little free play (putting the front brake on and rocking the bike back and forth yields a
> > little free play). Is this ok or correct?
>
> The most common scenarios are an upside down bearing retainer, an upside down seal or a headset
> spacer bearing against the top race rather than the centering ring.

Mr. Muzi knows his stuff. I recently was swapping forks around between 3 bikes & didn't pay careful
attention to the order of the headset components. Everything would look fine, but things would
bind as soon as you put on a little preload. Even though all headsets were from the same
manufacturer (Cane Creek), they went together a little differently. The only way I was able to
sort it out (if I did!) was to carefully dry fit things and look closely at how they mated.