Headtube BANG!!!!

Superstarsi

Hello all.

This is my first time on here so go easy on me please. Any advice will be much appreciated.

I ride a planet-x jack flash easton RAD 'do-it-all' mountain bike. The bike itself is about 9 years old, but I built it to last and it's done pretty well so far!!

However, recently there has been a banging noise when dropping off stuff that seems to come from the headtube. Took it to my local bike shop and they said the headset was knackered, so they put a new hope headset in. But the problem is still there.

Anything over 2-3 foot and BANG!!! I ride with bomber z1 freeride forks, again a good few years old now, but still working well. They're definately not bottoming out. I've tighted the head set up so tight that the bolt for the star fangled nut snapped, but it still bangs.

Spoke to halfords bike hut team (desperate times) and they said its more likely to be the forks rather than the frame. The headset cups are in tight, I can't find cracks or faults with head tube or forks anywhere.

I'm going to fit some rigid forks today to see if there's any rocking, but any other advice/ suggestions welcome.

The noise is not like a little tapping, it's a bloody great banging noise!!

Help please!!!!!!

nicklouse

hard to say not having the bike to hand.

But i would be checking the whole frame over for cracks if the noise is still there after the fork swap.

if it goes with the swap i would just get the forks serviced.

cooldad

Superstarsi wrote:

I've tighted the head set up so tight that the bolt for the star fangled nut snapped, but it still bangs.

Can't be good for the bearings.
If it was that tight the stearing should have been stiff or impossible.
Sure they haven't left a headset spacer out? That could let the forks move up and down in the head tube, although I expect you would feel some play.

Eskimo427

has the damping failed in the forks? This would cause the same effect, it's just happened on my VAN 36's.

ride_whenever

Assuming the headset was fitted correctly before you tightened it, it's either the forks or the wheel.

Is there play in the headset/fork bushings/front hub

Anonymous

cooldad wrote:

Superstarsi wrote:

I've tighted the head set up so tight that the bolt for the star fangled nut snapped, but it still bangs.

Can't be good for the bearings.
If it was that tight the stearing should have been stiff or impossible.

Very much this.

alfablue

Did you tighten the headset without loosening the stem bolts? If you did, no amount of tightening would adjust the headset.

Superstarsi

Firstly thank you all the replies so far.

In response to various:

The stem bolts were definately loose when I tightened the headset bolt. But, as described the steering didn't get heavy/ impossible like suggested by people above. Which I did think was very wierd at the time, hence why I kept tightening to snapping point.

I have just fitted some rigid forks to it and been bouncing round the garden trials style with no issue, bangs or any rocking from the headset. Plus when I did over tighten the top bolt the steering became difficult as expected (so I obviously lossened it again) I did add 2 more spacers, but this was due to differing lengths of steerer tube as opposed to the headset not being set up right innitially.

I'm 99% sure the stem passed the top of the steerer tube by about 3-4 mm before I tightened the headset with the bombers in. But maybe I should try it with a another 5mm spacer in to see if it makes a difference.

I would like to drop off the set of steps at the skate park the noise keeps happening on to see if it does the same, but I fear after 5 years plus of riding pursely with 5 inch of suspension it'll be 2 broken wrists for me!!

I've looked over my forks and can find any signs of cracks and don't think it's an issue with the damping as the noise generally happened on impact and only on awkward or big landings. Could be wrong though.

Think I'm going to have a trials day tomorrow and see what happens. Probably refitting the bombers with an extra spacer would be a good start unless anyone else has other suggestions?

Again thanks for all the advice so far

supersonic

Don't add anymore spacers, you risk under supporting the stem.

You only have to adjust to remove play from the bearings.

Strip and service the forks if you can.

nicklouse

I am thinking that the Hed Doc was poorly fitted and slipped up the steerer. (Again presuming it was fitted as they come with Hope headsets).

leaflite

I had a similar problems. What caused it was that there wasnt enough spacers, so tightening the top cap just made it press harder against the stem and didnt actually tension the headset. Adding another spacer should help.

The Rookie

leaflite wrote:

I had a similar problems. What caused it was that there wasnt enough spacers, so tightening the top cap just made it press harder against the steerer and didnt actually tension the headset. Adding another spacer should help.

Corrected for you.

Simon

Superstarsi

I'll try refitting the forks when I'm bored of trials and sore wrists (shouldn't take long!!)

Spoke to my friend about it last night and he said he had a similar problem when the seals had gone in the forks and the legs were catching on the fork stanchions if that makes sense? He said to strip the fork down and replace the seal, as did a poster on here.

I'll refit the forks soon, give the headset another rejig and see what happenes then if it continues if off to the mechanics for some new internals, etc.

Anonymous

Sounds more like fork bushes, but I think I know what you mean, yeah.

Superstarsi

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Sounds more like fork bushes, but I think I know what you mean, yeah.

He could well have said that. Never stripped a fork before and all the terminology is a bit over my head to be honest.

Anonymous

Fair enough. But in case you have to order new parts, seals are the bits that keep fluids and gasses where they're meant to be and keep muck out, bushes are the things that keep moving parts correctly aligned.
If that makes sense.