Head set Steerer help please

he\'sdownagain

hello. i have just finished a build and found that the the steerer is a little short. i have used a sunline v2 headset which are a little narrower than most i'm told. watching the how too's say the steerer must be about 3mm from the top of the stem. this is about half a inch maybe more. is this ok or can i expect a load of bother. i don't wan't to change the forks because i love them. can i get away with this gap... what would be a no go as far as the gap is concerned. thanks for any help..

supersonic

It is too much, and you risk the stem failing. 3-6mm is about normal.

thepha5e

supersonic, is 8mm ok then? http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12767046

supersonic

Depends on the stem. The top of the steerer should not be below the top of the top stem bolt really.

thepha5e

it's a 3 bolt fsa gravity, so i've just done the bottom two tightly, and left the top one relatively loose

supersonic

I wouldn't do that - the bolts are designed to be torqued evenly to properly distribute the stress and ensure correct clamping.

nicklouse

new fork uppers or a new stem needed.

he\'sdownagain

i have changed the stem which has helped but not sorted the problem it's still not 3mm . can you change the steerer tube... has anyone had this done if so how much does this cost...

nicklouse

he\'sdownagain wrote:

i have changed the stem which has helped but not sorted the problem it's still not 3mm . can you change the steerer tube... has anyone had this done if so how much does this cost...

no you need a full upper assy.

what fork.

pics of the set up.

nicklouse

but if you fitted the Da bomb headset you said in another thread bin it and get one with a lower stack height.

37mm is stupid.

he\'sdownagain

hi. i fitted a sunline v2 head set. the shock is a fox van 32 rlc. i know it sounds daft but i love the forks . best i have ever had.;

kevolution

Sunline V2 has parallel contact bearings and is quite high on stack height.
if you fit something like a Crank Bros directset cobalt you'll reduce the stack height significantly and maybe have a chance of fitting the stem with 5mm clearance which is acceptable.
You can find the stack heights on the web sites for the headset manufacturers.
If you get a 8mm difference, then you're good to go.

I know why you want to keep the forks, i'm a fox van fan too.

he\'sdownagain

ok kev. i will look into it. cheer's.

he\'sdownagain

had a look at the crank bro's stuff. the reduction is bang on for what i wan't, problem is the reviews for the colbat are awefull. they all seem to say it's overpriced and crap. i don't mind paying for what i wan't but i would like to know that it's good to go. all the other stack heights i've looked at don't seem to come close to it. cane creek do a zs series but i'm not sure it will go on frame i can't work out if it's a intergrated one. my frame is a GT Sanction.

nicklouse

yours is standard fitting.

measure your stack height and then download the FSA 2011 headset book and see which standard headset would be suitable and then get something that will work.