handlebar flex- is this right?

Rudd

Hello all,

I have noticied there is some give in my handlebars and am worried if this ok. If I stand with my knee holding the front wheel (looking back at the bike) there is a definate flex when I move the handlebars left to right- is this normal? if not how do I sort it.

Many thanks

Bronzie

My bars will flex a couple of cm either way when held as you describe - it's flex in the carbon forks / carbon steerer tube / stem (but very little in the bars themselves). Carbon forks/steerer will flex more than alloy or steel forks.

So it's probably nothing to worry about, but if there's much more than a couple of cm flex, get your bike shop to check your forks.

Monty Dog

As said, this is relatively normal - provided you don't get any unusual creaking or cracking noises, nothing to worry out and little you can do apart from getting a stiffer fork.

sibx

I had a funny 'cracking' noise develop over the past week. Took it into the shop and they worked out it was the top spacer on the fork that needed a little grease putting on it to stop it grinding/moving harshly against the stem below it. I would never have thought of that!

Rudd

thanks all, that reassuring. Am I right in thinking that the allen key shouldn't be too tight at the top of the headset?

Bronzie

Presuming you have a threadless headset (most common on new bikes), read the Park Tools guide to threadless headset adjustment:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=65