How to fix loose fork?
Posted by Affectionate-Home938@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 46 comments
when i pick it up the whole fork moves and when i put it down done it goes back to the front meaning its like leaning at an angle, if i need to put a video i cant try but its hard to see in the video.
niffcreature@reddit
Take a picture. It depends on what type of fork you have, threaded, threadless or dual crown threadless.
For normal threadless you have to loosen the stem bolts where it clamps to the fork, then tighten the top cap bolt, then tighten the stem bolts.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I dont know what any of that means but i can tell you what forks i have, also might top cap just tightens to a starnut and nothing else.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Also i think ita something go do with my headsets but thwre slotted in properly(atleast i think)
forks
niffcreature@reddit
Did you install the fork yourself
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
yes it was working fine the first time, (came with single crown) the i swappes to do dual crown and ot was fine but it need adjsutment so i took it all down, but here we are today with a not straight fork
niffcreature@reddit
Did you move the bearing race (crown race) from your old fork to the new one?
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
What is that? And no probabaly not but it was working normally befote i dissambled it again
niffcreature@reddit
When you say it needed adjustment, why? Was it too tight? Because it makes sense that it would feel kind of solid but still be too tight without a crown race. And then when you loosen it it gets too loose immediately. The crown race provides an angled surface for the bottom bearings to contact. Without it the bearings aren't really doing anything. If it doesn't have that angled contact part then the fork can only tighten vertically, not horizontally if that makes any sense.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
It needed adjust ment bc i had put the headtube im the middle of the crown race and they were sticking up (let me see if i have a pic) so i just lowerd the headtube and removed some spacers)
Before
niffcreature@reddit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU55Iw9zsbs
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Ur the goat, and thanks my next bike is going to be that kind of bike ill save this, i also bought a headset press that i thought i was going to use but didnt need too so thanks
niffcreature@reddit
If you have the headset press, you can buy a new headset that doesn't need a tool for the crown race. Some of them have a split in the crown race like this one. You can just put the crown race on with your hands but you should replace the whole headset if you do that. Might be nice to have a new headset anyway. https://www.amazon.com/BUCKLOS-Threadless-41-8-52mm-Straight-Mountain/dp/B0C89SZH4W
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Dont i need some type of headset removal tool? Aslo im trying to get this fixed asap bc its my ride to school.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Thats my top headset, am i missing anything?
niffcreature@reddit
That's everything you would typically see installed in the frame like that. That's just the cup and bearing. The more important part that would be on the fork steer tube (and would probably fall off easily after pulling the fork) is referred to here as the top cover assembly. It's similar to the crown race, kind of wedge like but it's for the upper part so it's like upside down.
Friend unfortunately from looking at it, I can't see all that well, however it looks like you might have an integrated cup headset that could use an unusual cup standard. You may not be able to replace the cups. Usually you can remove them with just a long screwdriver and a hammer. However the good news is that different parts might still be compatible or at least work pretty well together so you can probably just take the whatever parts are missing from the headset that you ordered. Normally headsets are "external cup" or what Google says it's ec34.
Integrated cup systems are outside of my skill set. It's not so much that I wouldn't be able to install one but that it's a little hard to tell exactly what standard you have from the pictures and what needs to be fixed. I could be wrong though, maybe you have external cup, I could tell from just a side view. I feel your pain buddy, incomplete headset systems can be a real pain in the ass.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I think the top piece is the one i lost, also i dont have intergreated systems bc my top headset popped off.
niffcreature@reddit
No, the main top "cup" part of your headset is still in, if it wasn't the bearing wouldn't be in.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
The headset in the smallest size was to big, then my dumass got the old bearing stuck in the stuck and it wont come off, are there any smaller headset sizes?
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
This headswt is 44mm but mine is 42.6 top in bottom is this fine?
niffcreature@reddit
No, that won't fit a 42.6mm hole. I think your bike probably has integrated cups and you're measuring the cup not the head tube size.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Ive fixed it, i installrd a whole new headset system and no more wobbles😃, i installed with a video, and a installation image, now all thats left is to get new brakes.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I popped the headsets out and I measured 42.6 43mm but my calipers are off by some 1mm
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Woops i odered the correct size measured wrong, ordered 30m instead of 44mm
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I put it back in lol, it came out, thats wht i bought the headset press.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I also think i lost the thing you were talking about, along with a crown race, better to just buy a new headset
niffcreature@reddit
Yeah to be clear, a lot of the 1 1/8" steerer systems have compatible parts regardless. You don't have 1" or 1.5" tapered or anything weird like that (at least it's very unlikely you have tapered)
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Alr im buying the ones that match my 28.6 steer tube diamter
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
How do i found out what headset diamter i have if i missing ant
niffcreature@reddit
I don't think you understand the terminology correctly because what you said doesn't really make sense. The part that you have damaged there with all the silver metal shavings coming off it is your stem. I'm guessing you put the top crown on top of it and also didn't tighten the bearings at all.
It seems you've made several mistakes with this install and I really recommend you start over and watch a full video multiple times before trying to put it all back together. There are videos specifically on double crown forks that should make it easier to follow.
It's very important that you get this correct. The metal shavings that you see missing on your stem are pretty significant, looks like mm of gouging out the metal. That is probably also happening somewhere on the lower side of where the fork installs on the frame. It needs to have ball bearings. It needs that bearing race. Trust me. If you ride it like this, you will gouge through some structural metal and your bike will fold in half while you're riding at speed. You are likely to lose teeth, break bones.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Noo therye there bc i was trying to replace it and the bolts were stripped so i used an angle grinder, i also put the top crown under it. And i also havent been riding it at all.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
And wont i need to grease them again?
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Should i follow this? Also i think i figured out why, im missing a piece in my top headset along with crown race, i thi k ill just buy a new headset, but doesjt that mean i need a headset removal tool
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
It seems as if its its slanted in the the headtube or whateveer its called, bc when u pick the bike up you can feel the forks drop backwards
niffcreature@reddit
Yeah, I mean it could just be loose. You might need more spacers to tighten it. But that also sounds like the crown race could be missing.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
It could be that ill take a pic of the old forks, but if it is thr crown race i didnt install that when i first put them on so i dont know
niffcreature@reddit
Yeah check your old fork to see if the crown race is still there, you'll have to knock it off with a flat head and hammer
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Is this it?😭😭
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I dont think that it is bc it looks to be attached to the old fork
niffcreature@reddit
That's it, yes it's attached to the old fork, it needs to be removed with a screwdriver and hammer and set into place on your new fork with a tube and a hammer. Sometimes you can use a PVC pipe or a seatpost but more likely you need to use a professional crown race setting tool to install it. Sometimes they're tight, sometimes not.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
bruh so i have to waste MORE money🥺
niffcreature@reddit
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I do gave dualcrown tho
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
Alr i watched a video, from it i have dual crownthreadless
Salemsara@reddit
Sounds like your headset is loose, not the fork itself. Might be easier to tell with a video, hard to diagnose just from text.
Inciteful_Analysis@reddit
First, disclose highly relevant info when asking for help. Like this is a fork you just installed yourself.
Second, include pictures.
Third, watch YouTube videos on how to do repairs before attempting them.
Fourth, do not ride this bike until the fork is installed properly or it could cause serious injury.
Things that can cause a loose fork: leaving out bearings, leaving out crown race, leaving out headset spacers, stack too high (should only be a couple of millimeters above fork), improper torque on top cap bolt, star nut at wrong depth.
Affectionate-Home938@reddit (OP)
I have threadless forks, but you can feel the fork fall backwards when u pick the bike up, but ill try and get a video tommorow