Torque settings for tightening up a stem on the steerer.
Hi,
I have a bike with a carbon steerer - and the old stem (an FSA) had a max torque setting of 5Nm for the steerer clamp. That torque setting and the carbon paste worked a treat at holding it all together.
Now, I replaced the stem with a slightly shorter Deda Zero 1. The manual said a max torque of 10Nm. Now, I've been trying to stick to 5Nm on this too to be safe, but it's not tight enough and the headset gets the rattles after 50 miles. I've reset the stem a couple of times now but it's happened each time - and it looks like the stem isn't holding at that torque.
Now, my head says the torque needed on the stem bolts is a function of the compression needed to pinch the two halves together around the steerer. That the Deda's steerer clamp is harder to compress than the FSA one. And that putting 10Nm into the Deda bolts isn't going to make the actual clamping force onto the steerer any higher than that with the 5Mn bolts on the FSA?
That's right isn't it? I don't want to crush the carbon steerer and the only documentation I can find regarding the fork itself says follow the max torque settings on the stem supplied with the bike (which this stem isn't).
Cheers
I have a bike with a carbon steerer - and the old stem (an FSA) had a max torque setting of 5Nm for the steerer clamp. That torque setting and the carbon paste worked a treat at holding it all together.
Now, I replaced the stem with a slightly shorter Deda Zero 1. The manual said a max torque of 10Nm. Now, I've been trying to stick to 5Nm on this too to be safe, but it's not tight enough and the headset gets the rattles after 50 miles. I've reset the stem a couple of times now but it's happened each time - and it looks like the stem isn't holding at that torque.
Now, my head says the torque needed on the stem bolts is a function of the compression needed to pinch the two halves together around the steerer. That the Deda's steerer clamp is harder to compress than the FSA one. And that putting 10Nm into the Deda bolts isn't going to make the actual clamping force onto the steerer any higher than that with the 5Mn bolts on the FSA?
That's right isn't it? I don't want to crush the carbon steerer and the only documentation I can find regarding the fork itself says follow the max torque settings on the stem supplied with the bike (which this stem isn't).
Cheers
0
Comments
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make sure the stem/steerer are grease free
apply carbon assembly paste to the surface
you won't crush the steerer, torque depends on the stiffness of the stem, some take more force to compress than othersmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Cool - cheers. Tighter it is then...0
