Is it a case of a long bit of wood and a hammer up the steerer tube?

Why do you need to remove it?

Personally, I wouldn’t bother. I’d leave it in and put another on top.

If I HAD TO get it out, I’d use a screwdriver to bend the tabs inwards

bang it DOWN

Drill it out? Won’t be able to reuse it obviously.

Stop

It’s a PITA, especialy if the steerer is internaly tapered, just leave it alone or very paitiently drill it out.

Yeah, Bang it down, personally I wouldn’t bother removing it, just bang it down far enough to get a new one above it.

It’s slowly working loose on rides. That’s why I need to remove it. going to replace with a head doctor.

It’s slowly working loose on rides means that your stem is not done up tight. The star fangled nut is just meant to apply tension till you clamp the stem in place and the stem holds the whole lot together.

The SFN shouldn’t have any load on it while you’re riding.
What exactly is working loose ?

What oblique and MTG said.

They are a bastard and a half to get out. Big **** off bench drill and 1″ bit.

They are a bastard and a half to get out. Big **** off bench drill and 1″ bit.

or just anything long enough to push it out the bottom of the steerer tube and a few taps with a mallet..

Old piece of copper plumbing pipe and a mallet – knock it down through the base of the steerer.

HedDoctor 🙄 never managed to get one of those stupid things to work properly

or just anything long enough to push it out the bottom of the steerer tube and a few taps with a mallet..

Don’t do this on long travel forks – they are normally sufficiently tapered inside the steeer tube that if you try this you’ll split the steer tube. Just tap it down far enough that you can fit a new one.

Remember the tensioners that cane with FSA headsets? Can’t remember what they are called. I love them and they really work for me but most hate them. Prob same for Head Doctor.

It’s slowly working loose on rides means that your stem is not done up tight. The star fangled nut is just meant to apply tension till you clamp the stem in place and the stem holds the whole lot together.

Errr, no, not totally correct.

The SFN should fit tight on it’s own and not move. It’s function is not to ‘apply tension’ but to be solid enough for the top bolt to take the play out of headset bearings and no more.

The SFN should fit tight on it’s own and not move. It’s function is not to ‘apply tension’ but to be solid enough for the top bolt to take the play out of headset bearings and no more.

Yes, I always thought that it was to preload the bearings??

Use smallish drill to drill out the litle silver bit that connects the two “star” bits that grab the steerer. You might need a little screwdriver to push the bit of alloy out from between them as the drilling will loosen it and it’ll just spin round with the drill at the end.

Then you should have two separate star bits in the tube. You should be able to flip each one around enough to just pull the out with pliers or something.

The SFN should fit tight on it’s own and not move. It’s function is not to ‘apply tension’ but to be solid enough for the top bolt to take the play out of headset bearings and no more.
Yes, I always thought that it was to preload the bearings??

yep then when you have applied the preload (which is via the stem to the headset), you lock the stem in position using the stem clamp bolts and this then retains/fixed the preload position you achieved.

once you have bolted up the stem, you could remove the top cap and bolt and it would have no effect on the headset adjustment….

Unless your stem is not done up properly and it slips…