Steering Tube Wobble

[YoGe]

Can you give me a hand with this adjustment to my Creo Turbo? I noticed some play had crept in to my steering tube. Not major, but when clamping the front brake and applying forward force to the frame, I could see and feel a definite wobble. Maybe only a millimeter or two but definitely something new. I've put 2,200 miles on the bike since it was assembled - just about a year ago.

It's a FutureShock 1.5 assembly. I pulled off the boot and found these two bolts, labelled T73. I tightened these down with a 2.5 hex key.

The wobble went away, but something tells me this can't be right. Can it be that the steering tube is held firm against all those pounds of pressure, over thousands of miles, by those two miniscule pins?

Did I do this right? Or did I simply effect a cosmetic fix which is going to come undone as soon as I hit the road for my next ride? Thanks for your advice!

 

[jabberwocky]

Generally the head tube is held tight by the stem. If it has play, you would loosen the bolts holding the stem on the steer tube, tighten the top cap to pull it together and then retighten the stem bolts.

See:

 

[YoGe]

Hey jabberwocky, thanks for your reply. Is it the same with a FutureShock? My understanding is that the top cap on a FutureShock is purely cosmetic, it exerts no compression at all. The compression is lower down, under the boot there. I watched this one, but I don't completely understand it.

(Sorry, I referenced Headshock earlier, but the correct term for the assembly is FutureShock.)

In that video, the guy demonstrates that first you tighten the collar with the pinch-bolt and then you tighten the compression screws. He says that it almost makes more sense to call the compressions screws post-load, rather than pre-load. So I think that my adjustment is in line with that video. The collar was installed a year ago and the pinch-bolt was tightened at that time. It remains tight. I just adjusted the compression bolts to eliminate the wobble. I just don't understand the engineering. How those two tiny bolts can take all that stress.

 

[jabberwocky]

I missed that. Sorry, I have zero experience with the future shock. That video looks like it describes the process well, and its largely the same. Just that they have their own pinch collar for preload below the stem. It looks like, yes, those two vertical pins are what takes up the preload, and thats all you need to tighten. As long as the bars move freely and theres no knocking when you lock the front brake and push the bike front and back you should be good.

 

[YoGe]

As long as the bars move freely and there's no knocking when you lock the front brake and push the bike front and back you should be good.

Yes, that's exactly how it feels now. Thanks for confirming!

 

[Prairie Dog]

Here’s a schematic diagram of what was shown in the video. I haven’t noticed any play on the steerer tube of my Creo but no doubt will keep an eye on it.

 

[YoGe]

Thanks! Anyone know where I can get that thin 3mm spanner? I've been googling around for it, but I can't seem to find it.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Thanks! Anyone know where I can get that thin 3mm spanner? I've been googling around for it, but I can't seem to find it.

This one came with my wife’s charging kit along with a bunch of other misc parts. Check your own as it might have been there all along.

If not, this might do in a pinch.

https://www.amazon.com/Acu-Min-51-1832-Wrench-millimeter-Overall/dp/B004W8C068

 

[YoGe]

Unfortunately, I did not receive that tool in my kit. Thanks for that link! I saw that as part of a set but I did not want to pay $44 for the entire set. I just ordered the single tool for $8. Thanks!