very slight play in headset

mogulkila

my boxxer forks seem to have slight play in the bottom part of the headset ,i've not had the the bike that long ..not sure if its always been there ,surely thats not normal ..can any one help ?

sungod

if there's play it's most like that the preload isn't set correctly, but it's also possible that the stem is slipping

go to lbs and get them to do it, or if you're happy to diy...

remove top bolt and cap, undo stem bolts to remove stem, make sure inside of stem clamp and corresponding area of steerer tube are clean and free of grease

replace stem, cap and top bolt

a) adjust stem bolts clamping it to the steerer (so they only just tight enough to stop it flopping around), then tighten the top bolt just enough for to preload the bearings, not tight!

check the steerer still rotates freely, if it is stiff/notchy, the top bolt is too tight

reclamp the stem

check there is no play, if there is, go back to a) and tighten the top bolt a smidge more

clamp the front wheel between legs, try twisting the bars, make sure the stem is clamped tight enough to be secure