Stiff Steering Issue

[Tomt51]

I just purchased a new Trek Verve +3 and find the steering to be very stiff compared to my Haibike and my wife’s Cube. It also feels a little unstable at lower speeds, hard to hold a straight line. It’s not loose or wobbly, just vaguely doesn’t track right.
When I lift the front end off the ground and lean the bike the handle bars do not fall to one side or the other easily.
I’m wondering if I should loosen the stem and see if that fixes the issue. Any other thoughts? Thanks much.

 

[smorgasbord]

I think the Verve +3 has a threaded headset with a quill stem, right?

If so, this video explains it pretty well:

So, don't loosen the quill/stem. Instead, loosen the top nut at the headset, and then you'll want to slightly loosen the nut just underneath that. Doing that last part will usually require a narrow wrench, which is kind of special purpose for headsets. The video shows the process pretty well.

 

[Tomt51]

Okay, thanks for that. I now see the adjustment nuts, they were covered by a plastic collar.
I don’t have the correct tools, so I guess I will load up the bike and take it back to the shop. Apparently they didn’t notice when setting up the bike. Appreciate your help.