I'm gonna punch...

...an infant if I find out my headtube is ovalized.

First off, I know the solution to my problem lies at my LBS, but I want to know what you guys think in the meantime. Hopefully someone's had the same problem, and can comfort me.

I built this guy last weekend - It's my first build, so I like to show it off (never mind the excess shifter cable - I wasn't quite finished when I took this pic).



After the maiden voyage, I noticed that my headset was a little loose. Not sloppy by any means, just a tiny bit loose. After tightening and riding 4 times, it still comes loose after any aggressive riding - bunnyhops, drops, etc. The last night, it got to the point where I was encountering excessive resistance while tightening down the cap, but things still turned smoothly - still came loose.

Since I installed the cups and crown race myself, my thought is that either the bottom cup or crown race is a little off, causing my problem. Will this cause the headset to come loose? I'll be taking it to my LBS in a day or two, but in the meantime I was hoping somebody who's had a similar problem could shed some light on this.

Thanks!

THRILLSEEKA said:

Was it a friggin "Tank" headset? Never had ANY luck with them. A quality headset will certainly stop that. Even being "ovalized" I don't think the headset will come loose, it's not like the cups are wobbling around in the headtube, right? It's the headset. Everyone(including me) tries to cheap out on those since they don't really DO anything. A good one won't make you ride faster or jump higher, but it WILL keep you sane.

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It's a Pig, and the cups are in there firmly... I had considered upgrading to a Pig pro, but the Pig seems to be a halfway decent headset.

BikeSATORI said:

is your star-nut coming loose? do you have enough room under the top cap and over the steerer tube to tighten properly? if not enough space, you might just be bottoming out the top cap on the steerer tube...
headlock might help you out too... good luck.

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I suppose it's possible the star nut is pulling up... I hadn't considered that. I'm pretty sure I have plenty of room between the top of the stem and the cap - about 3mm or so. Maybe I'll take another mm or so off the steerer.

It's funny - I adjust it, and there's absolutely zero play. A couple bunnyhops and it's just a tiny bit loose. I appreciate the help guys.

chuffer said:

two points:

1. the starnut only tightens up your headset for adjustment. your stem is what keeps your headset from loosening while riding.

2. an ovalized headtube will not cause a headset to loosen. when a headtube is ovalized the major symptom is shifting of the headset when you hit something hard, which manifests itself in a clunking-noise.

two questions:

1. is your stem tightened properly on your steerer tube?

2. what is your definition of 'coming loose'? the occasional clunk or a constant rattling?

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1. - I don't know how my stem could possibly be improperly fastened on my steerer tube... 2 pinch bolts, tightened up. I don't have any torque specs for my stem, but I doubt that the pinch bolts aren't tight enough.

2. - By coming loose, I mean the headset develops a little play after any aggressive riding - no constant rattling for sure.

Again, I appreciate all the input.

CreeP said:

don't listen to the guys saying dump your headset because it's a **** model. My pig serves me well. interestingly though, i had the same problem as you when my bike was first built up. But i had a good excuse; i had no starnut or topcap.

Are you tightening the headset before cranking the stem bolts?
my firstest inclination was to suggest that you didn't assemble the headset properly, the Orbit for example is easy to mess up the orientation of the seals; however, i doubt it's possible to make the same mistake with a pig, they're just too dang simple.
So i'll reiterate what i believe to be the likeliest cause of your woes. Tighten the headset before the stem! But that won't do you much good if either your stem or starnut aren't holding, so check those out. If all that checks out (go over the orientation of the parts in the headset too just in case) then your headset is probably out of spec.

worst case scenario your steerer is moving.

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Yes, I am tightening the headset before the stem. :huh: I also double checked the orientation before I installed it.... Is there a surefire way to check for steerer movement?

Mattoid said:

You may need another spacer on your steerer. I think someone already pointed this out, but if there aren't enough spacers around the stem then the top cap will bottom on the top of the steerer rather than the spacers when it is tightened. If this happens then you cannot tighten the headset.

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Yeah, after double checking my clearance from top of stem to top of steerer, I noticed that I've probably got a little less than 3mm of clearance. I'm going to cut the steerer down to lose the spacer between the headset and stem, so I'll be sure to end up with plenty of clearance this time.