Fixing problems with your Bike's AheadSet

There's nothing worse than having problems with the AheadSet of your mountain bike, especially when riders find that their AheadSets have come loose resulting in dangerous situations, when the connection between the steerer tube and headtube is gone – and it is remarkable how many people have absolutely no idea how to tighten the AheadSet.

The modern AheadSet concept was supposed to take the complexity out of adjusting headsets. But to this day, many riders are still confused.

If you're tired of being confused, we have the solution. But first you'll need: Find the Allen wrench that fits your stem bolts and the star-fangled nut bolt, it is the Allen bolt on top of your steerer tube. In most cases, these bolts will all be the same size, so you'll only need one Allen wrench. That's it.

You think your AheadSet is loose, but you're not positive. To find out for sure, run this quick test. With your bike on a flat smooth surface, hold the top tube between your legs, apply the front brake and press the handlebars forward then back. If you feel any play (it will feel like a soft clunk or knock), then your AheadSet is loose.

Now that you've determined that your AheadSet is loose, you must first loosen the pinch bolts on your stem. Use the Allen key and slightly loosen the pinch bolt affixing the stem to the steerer tube – just a few turns will do. You don't want these bolts too loose.

Take the Allen key and tighten the star-fangled nut via the Allen bolt on top of the plastic (or in some cases Metal) cap that plugs into the steerer tube. Do this a few turns at a time. To test to see if you've tightened the star-fangled nut enough, apply the front brake and rock the bike back and forth just as you did in the beginning.

Now that you've removed the play from the AheadSet, it's a good idea to make sure you haven't overtightened the star-fangled nut. Raise the front end of the bike off the ground and turn the bars and forth. If you feel friction or resistance, then you've overtightened. Back off the tension one turn at a time, retesting as you go, until the resistance is gone and there is still no play.

Retighten stem pinch bolt and you're ready to hit the road or trail again...