The Un-Official Guide To Fixing Headset Play - Please Add Your Advice Here

[patliean1]

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to create a guide to help troubleshoot headset play regardless of bike brand. By no means am I an expert, and I hope others can add to this thread. Please understand this guide/thread isn't intended for airing our bike brand grievances or calling out user errors. Ultimately we all just want our bikes to work as intended.

Common Reasons For Headset Play

1. Steerer/Fork isn't cut low enough, or an extra spacer is required above the stem to properly compress the top cap. When initially cutting the steer tube, an extra 2-4mm below the cut line needs to be accounted for in order for the top cap to recess properly.

2. The headset bearing (upper or lower) doesn't sit inside the head tube cup snug enough (laterally, front to back). Velobuild, for example, provides 52mm diameter headset bearings. Other headsets sold online or for other bike brands may only be 51.8mm diameter. That 0.2mm is the difference between a snug fit or loose headset. If your bearings are loose this will always cause play. You can add a couple layers of tape inside the bearing cup to prevent the bearing from moving around. Or just buy a new 52mm headset.

3. The top headset bearing is recessed too far into the head tube cup, causing the headset cover to rub on the frame, preventing the complete headset stack to properly compress. If this is the case you will need a thicker headset bearing (7mm, 7.5mm or 8mm thick) or a thicker c-ring so that it sits flush with the top of the headset opening on the frame, thus preventing the headset cover from rubbing the frame. EDIT: Another resolution is adding some micro spacers between the c-ring and top cap.

4. The upper and lower headset bearings are installed in reverse. Some bikes (like Yoeleo's recent G21 gravel bike) provide a set of headset bearings, with one of the two bearings being slightly thicker than the other. The thicker of the two bearings needs to be installed on top of the head tube, and the thinner bearing on the bottom. If these two bearings are installed in reverse order then...see Common Issue #3

It is critical to do a dry run of installing the crown race, headset bearings, c-ring, headset cap, stem/cockpit, and any additional spacers before actually proceeding to building up the bike. Also be sure to compare and inspect the two headset bearings to confirm they are in fact the same size and thickness.

[Icyseanfitz]

Great idea

[zxcvbnmjm]

good idea!

for number 3, could you include the fix of adding some micro spacers between the c-ring and top cap?

[patliean1]

Will do! Great point

[hazzer19]

Great idea to get this thread going patliean1 !

[1Sigma]

Timely thread. 
I was helping someone with a 168 build.
He was getting headset play, and I had no advice, as I didn’t have the same issue.
Will forward this on

[BrianO]

Great Idea, Can anyone do a youtube video series on this?

[dukey]

Hi all,
My question is more for the VB-R-099 headset, I had used a 3mm shim between the top cap and c ring but there's still a very slight play, which I believed is due to the thickness of the shim. It also created a 1+mm gap between the top cap and the head tube. I couldn't find a thinner shim so I was thinking to try a thicker top bearing. Would appreciate if anyone could share the info for the dimensions of the headset bearings used on the VB-R-099, thinking of sourcing for a slightly thicker top bearing online to try. Thanks.

[ThomasNovak]

Number one did the trick for me. Thank you!

[ejump0]

just to add.

if your fork is in this design (has a face, C-shape style mounting, do consider using these micro-spacers in between c-ring to stem).

i was troubleshooting why my headset is still loose despite i already have my bearings snug, trying tip#2
then i remembered my supplied headset kit came with these, as i was re-reading tip #3 few times.

now my headset issue is solved   

[coffeebreak]

just to add.
if your fork is in this design (has a face, C-shape style mounting, do consider using these micro-spacers in between c-ring to stem).

Yes. Same for Yoeleo R12. I missed placing a thin nylon washer that they supply in the headset kit and couldn't figure out headset play. Such a small thing but absolutely necessary.

[PLA]

Sometimes sufficient compression can be hard to get from a bung, even from a deda hss 70mm.

If that happens, just clamp down your stem using a quick clamp to get sufficient compression then go about it as normal.

Sometimes when slammed and you have hoses and cables that need to form an S bend to clear stem/bar interface before being accepted into a semi integrated stem, this can be an issue. Especially hard if the stem fits tight from the box and the c ring is particular strong.

[jonathanf2]

Those thin metal washers make a huge difference. Putting one right under the first stem cap spacer can make all the difference in headset play. Also I always use a sander block to make sure the carbon steerer is perfectly flat after cutting it down to size.

[bremerradkurier]

Plastic headset caps (looking at you various Canyon replica integrated bars) can break under fairly low amounts of preload-helps to use a spacer and an alloy cap during initial set up.

[Sakizashi]

Hey Everyone,

2. The headset bearing (upper or lower) doesn't sit inside the head tube cup snug enough (laterally, front to back). Velobuild, for example, provides 52mm diameter headset bearings. Other headsets sold online or for other bike brands may only be 51.8mm diameter. That 0.2mm is the difference between a snug fit or loose headset. If your bearings are loose this will always cause play. You can add a couple layers of tape inside the bearing cup to prevent the bearing from moving around. Or just buy a new 52mm headset.

Hey, so this is as far as I know incorrect. 51.8mm bearings are 52mm bearing according to reps from Cane Creek, Deda and FSA. There are 51mm bearings out there that are a different size and you do want to avoid those. In the IS installation found on these frames, the bearings are all designed to make contact on the chamfered outer surface and so should self center with preload via contact to that surface not the along the OD of the bearing. Adding tape or any soft material to the bearing seat is probably not a good idea.

I would make sure the bearing seats are clear of paint and any excess resin prior to installation.

The bearing height difference is a key call out, and I would measure the bike prior to check fit against the specs that Deda or FSA provide for their headsets prior to ordering a replacement if you are planning on doing so.

I personally would replace the headset bearings to reduce potential maintenance down the road and would go with one of those other systems since the design of the C Ring is really important to ensuring safety.

@PLA mentioned that these systems need need a lot of preload and you might pull out your expander. FSA and Deda both suggest ~5nm of preload which means you do need to install the expander really well and may want to use an alternate stem cap to get everything tight and avoid breaking the pretty streamlined one.

Microspacers and shims can work and you can also cut Delrin ones from DUB spindle kits. One thing to keep in mind is that I have heard it mentioned in passing that use of those metal shims is discouraged as they tend to cut into the steerer really fast if you end up with headset play.

Edit: I should mention that the metal shims issue was mentioned by two different carbon repair experts, one in australia and one in the US in two different conversations. I didnt ask more as I dont use metal shims as I 3d print my parts so its not an issue for me.