Car & bikeBacked by experts
Adjust the headset: loosen the stem bolts before tightening the top cap
How to adjust a bike headset properly: loosen the stem bolts first, then tighten the top cap.
- Time
- ⏱ 15 min
- Difficulty
- ◆ medium
What you need
- Hex key
- Torque wrench
How to do it
- Loosen the side clamp bolts of the stem slightly.
- Set the preload with the bolt in the top cap of the steerer tube.
- The steering should have no play and still turn smoothly.
- Align the stem and tighten it again to the correct torque, as given by the manufacturer.
Why it works
The stem prevents the bearings from actually being preloaded.
Variations
- As a check, tilt the bike slightly to one side. The steering should then turn almost by itself in that direction.
Sources
This is where we found the tip. The badge above shows how well it is backed up.
- bike-magazin.de (opens in a new tab)
Die Vorbauschrauben werden nicht gelöst.“ und „Der Grund: Der Vorbau verhindert, dass die Lager tatsächlich vorgespannt werden.
