Star nut

Cameron said:

Hi,
I am trying to fit a new fork to my bike. The fork is a second hand one
from ebay and came without the star nut. The forks are Rockshox Judy.
I have bought a star nut from my LBS and I thought it was the right
size. The packet from the star nut says 1"1/8. From what I read, it
should be necessary to have to use a tool or hammer the star nut into
place, but my star nut seems to be too small and will fall straight
through the steerer tube.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong?
Thanks
Cameron

LOL!!!!

Typical newbie problem. I remember my first attempt at getting the
starnut into the tube. I was banging away with a hammer and a
screwdriver swearing up and down that it was too big.

Your starnut is the right size. I would recommend that you have the LBS
put it in for you because:

1. It needs to be a certain length down.

2. It requires a special tool unless you want to try and fashion one
yourself out of copper tubing.

3. You'll either end up breaking the starnut or seriously damaging your
fork (as I did my first time).

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

"Cameron" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,
I am trying to fit a new fork to my bike. The fork is a second hand one
from ebay and came without the star nut. The forks are Rockshox Judy.
I have bought a star nut from my LBS and I thought it was the right
size. The packet from the star nut says 1"1/8. From what I read, it
should be necessary to have to use a tool or hammer the star nut into
place, but my star nut seems to be too small and will fall straight
through the steerer tube.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong?
Thanks
Cameron

You probably have to "stretch out" each "tentacle" of
the star nut. As Ride-A-Lot said, have an LBS do it
for $5.00 or so...

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC USA
(Remove XSPAM)

Cameron said:

Hi,
I am trying to fit a new fork to my bike. The fork is a second hand one
from ebay and came without the star nut. The forks are Rockshox Judy.
I have bought a star nut from my LBS and I thought it was the right
size. The packet from the star nut says 1"1/8. From what I read, it
should be necessary to have to use a tool or hammer the star nut into
place, but my star nut seems to be too small and will fall straight
through the steerer tube.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong?

Thing is, the star nut is sized for the INSIDE of the steer tube, and
steer tubes that are 1-1/8" OUTSIDE diameter have a lot of different
INSIDE diameters. Perhaps the nut they sold you is for a carbon fiber
steer tube, or one with an aluminum steer tube with thicker walls (the
Judy came with aluminum and steel steer tubes, as I recall).

If the nut is almost big enough to touch, you could re-shape it to fit
snugly. It would probably be better to take it back and talk to the
LBS to see if they have one that's a bit bigger. While it's NOT a
critical fit (just has to be tight enough to do the initial
"pull-down" of the stem to get the headset preload right), it DOES
have to be snug enough to not simply pull up when you try to pull the
stem down.

Oh, and take your time and make SURE you get it in straight.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

"Ride-A-Lot" <mitchell@[NOSPAM]schnauzers.ws> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Cameron said:

Hi,
I am trying to fit a new fork to my bike. The fork is a second hand one
from ebay and came without the star nut. The forks are Rockshox Judy.
I have bought a star nut from my LBS and I thought it was the right
size. The packet from the star nut says 1"1/8. From what I read, it
should be necessary to have to use a tool or hammer the star nut into
place, but my star nut seems to be too small and will fall straight
through the steerer tube.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong?
Thanks
Cameron

LOL!!!!

Typical newbie problem. I remember my first attempt at getting the
starnut into the tube. I was banging away with a hammer and a
screwdriver swearing up and down that it was too big.

Your starnut is the right size. I would recommend that you have the LBS
put it in for you because:

1. It needs to be a certain length down.

Just needs to be reachable by the bolt.

Quoted message said:

2. It requires a special tool unless you want to try and fashion one
yourself out of copper tubing.

An old bolt in the starnut, and then an appropriately sized socket worked
fine for me.

Quoted message said:

3. You'll either end up breaking the starnut or seriously damaging your
fork (as I did my first time).

Hmmm, I don't know what that all has to do with a star nut that is so small
it will fall through the steerer tube.

Greg

Cameron said:

Hi,
I am trying to fit a new fork to my bike. The fork is a second hand one
from ebay and came without the star nut. The forks are Rockshox Judy.
I have bought a star nut from my LBS and I thought it was the right
size. The packet from the star nut says 1"1/8. From what I read, it
should be necessary to have to use a tool or hammer the star nut into
place, but my star nut seems to be too small and will fall straight
through the steerer tube.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong?
Thanks
Cameron

Find a screwdriver with a handle that is small enough to fit inside of
the
steerer tube and then hit it in with a hammer using the ass end of the
screwdriver to set it properly.

G.T. said:

Quoted message said:

3. You'll either end up breaking the starnut or seriously damaging your
fork (as I did my first time).

Hmmm, I don't know what that all has to do with a star nut that is so small
it will fall through the steerer tube.

You don't want to know but think of what a screwdriver grinding against
the side of the tube can do. It wasn't pretty.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Ride-A-Lot said:

G.T. said:

Quoted message said:

3. You'll either end up breaking the starnut or seriously damaging your
fork (as I did my first time).

Hmmm, I don't know what that all has to do with a star nut that is so
small
it will fall through the steerer tube.

You don't want to know but think of what a screwdriver grinding against
the side of the tube can do. It wasn't pretty.

Sometimes this newsgroup makes me laugh (or want to gag?).

Greg is right on.

If the start nut is falling through it's too small.

If it's the right size, all it takes is a steady hand on a
hammer against a bolt that has been threaded through the start
nut and a you're good to go.

On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:02:13 -0700, Cameron <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hi,
I am trying to fit a new fork to my bike. The fork is a second hand one
from ebay and came without the star nut. The forks are Rockshox Judy.
I have bought a star nut from my LBS and I thought it was the right
size. The packet from the star nut says 1"1/8. From what I read, it
should be necessary to have to use a tool or hammer the star nut into
place, but my star nut seems to be too small and will fall straight
through the steerer tube.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong?
Thanks
Cameron

Screw the whole star nut thingy; I hate those things. It will cost you
more, but
won't require a special tool to remove or score the hell out of the inside
of the steerer.
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11339
--
Slack

Slack said:

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11339

"enhances steering stability and overall control"

Weaksauce marketing pap.

If you want to eliminate the star fangled nut and enhance
steering stability, there's only one solution:

http://www.hopey.org/

pete fagerlin said:

Slack said:

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11339

"enhances steering stability and overall control"

Weaksauce marketing pap.

That is funny. I was just snickering over that, too. Stupid marketeers

Quoted message said:

If you want to eliminate the star fangled nut and enhance steering
stability, there's only one solution:

http://www.hopey.org/

Amen... I got one.
--
Slack

"Cameron" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,
I am trying to fit a new fork to my bike. The fork is a second hand one
from ebay and came without the star nut. The forks are Rockshox Judy.
I have bought a star nut from my LBS and I thought it was the right
size. The packet from the star nut says 1"1/8. From what I read, it
should be necessary to have to use a tool or hammer the star nut into
place, but my star nut seems to be too small and will fall straight
through the steerer tube.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong?
Thanks
Cameron

I need a star nut and the website I'm ordering from reads these size star
fangled nuts are available: 1", 1 1/8" and 1 1/4". Is that the steerer
tube size? (outside diameter) I also got the wrong size on my last order.
I've asked this question of the vendor but no response yet.

--
DTW .../\.../\.../\...

pete fagerlin said:

Slack said:

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11339

"enhances steering stability and overall control"

Weaksauce marketing pap.

If you want to eliminate the star fangled nut and enhance steering
stability, there's only one solution:

http://www.hopey.org/

The only real solution to this vexing problem is the unicycle.

Slack said:

pete fagerlin said:

Slack said:

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11339

"enhances steering stability and overall control"

Weaksauce marketing pap.

That is funny. I was just snickering over that, too. Stupid marketeers

Not "stupid" - more like "disingenuous".

It's a lot like political ads (something we're suffering through right
now in the US). Most of what they say is true, but only in a
tortured, turn your head and squint your eyes sort of way.

IF you make the leap of logic that the alternative to the wonderful
star-nut replacement device is to NOT have any way to adjust the
headset preload, they're "right".

The really, really sad thing is that a certain number of goobers will
order one of these things, slap it in their bike, and "feel" the
enhanced control. Sigh....

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

D T W .../\\... said:

I need a star nut and the website I'm ordering from reads these size star
fangled nuts are available: 1", 1 1/8" and 1 1/4". Is that the steerer
tube size? (outside diameter) I also got the wrong size on my last order.
I've asked this question of the vendor but no response yet.

It has to be the OD of the steer tube. But there is a large variation
on the ID of the steer tube as well. A star nut for an aluminum steer
tube of a given size will be too small for a steel steer tube, and too
small for a carbon fiber steer tube... though you might be able to get
it to work with a little fiddling around (or a lot of force).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

Ride-A-Lot said:

You don't want to know but think of what a screwdriver grinding against
the side of the tube can do. It wasn't pretty.

Sure,
Please explain how the plastic/wood handle of a screwdriver is going to
damage
a steerer tube...

pete fagerlin said:

If it's the right size, all it takes is a steady hand on a
hammer against a bolt that has been threaded through the start
nut and a you're good to go.

That's what I have always done.

That steering damper is funny, endorsed by mtbidiots.

JD arms are steering dampers

JD said:

That steering damper is funny, endorsed by mtbidiots.

JD arms are steering dampers

Arms are shock absorbers too but folks still run front shocks...

http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/wtf.jpg

Pete an mtbidiot

Mark Hickey said:

Slack said:

On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 21:41:00 -0700, pete fagerlin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Slack wrote:

> http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=11339

"enhances steering stability and overall control"

Weaksauce marketing pap.

That is funny. I was just snickering over that, too. Stupid marketeers

Not "stupid" - more like "disingenuous".

It's a lot like political ads (something we're suffering through right
now in the US). Most of what they say is true, but only in a
tortured, turn your head and squint your eyes sort of way.

IF you make the leap of logic that the alternative to the wonderful
star-nut replacement device is to NOT have any way to adjust the
headset preload, they're "right".

The really, really sad thing is that a certain number of goobers will
order one of these things, slap it in their bike, and "feel" the
enhanced control. Sigh....

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

I think you are correct on all points, but, their engineers would probably
argue the operative word is "enhances" (?).

Side bar: I guess there are lawyers who look for stuff like this in order
to launch lawsuit attacks against companies with deep pockets. Several
years ago we (my work) received a letter from a law firm for a similar
type of marketing issue. Yes, our technical writers and sales team did a
less than optimal job of describing the product. So, we did some testing
and I sent samples to an independent lab for verification. We got the test
back and told the lawyers what they could do with their letter/threat.
--
Slack

CowPunk said:

Ride-A-Lot said:

You don't want to know but think of what a screwdriver grinding against
the side of the tube can do. It wasn't pretty.

Sure,
Please explain how the plastic/wood handle of a screwdriver is going to
damage
a steerer tube...

Re-read it. Eventually, it will sink in.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws