Hi Guys

Need some advice on fitting some forks to a mates bike as the top of the steerer tube sits about 1.5 to 2 cm low of the top of the stem. There are no spacers to remove and his headset does not have a particularly large stack height. Can I get away with it or is it not worth the risk

Cheers

2 low if it goes below the clamping bolt

I think you can get away with a shorter steerer if the top stem bolt clamps it, which your post sounds like it won't?

Both stem bolts have to clamp the steerer.

Sometimes you can face a mm or two off the bottom of the stem.

Yep the top of the steerer sits just below I think so its not safe goin off what you guys say. I will just have to convince him to buy a better frame with a shorter head tube in the not too distant future then.

Thanks very much fellas

I run a X-4 wich has 2 stem bolts, my steerer is a (fair) bit below the top one. It's been this way for over a year and I mostly ride everything really, leaning toward more downhill. The steerer has never fallen out, snapped, exploded etc… When I've hit trees at full whack with the end of the bars then the bars become a bit misaligned with the stem but that's fairly expected. IMO it'd be fine, if unsure then take slightly easy and see what happens.

interesting I might try it out on a little street shuffle then but as its not my bike I dont want to cock it up

IMO if the steerer is shy of the top bolt then the bottom bolt will obviously clamp it firmly and the top bolt will tighten enough for the body and plate to clamp fine anyway

Have you ever seen someone's bars come away in their hands whilst riding?

Nope, have you?

Nope but not fun I guess?

Neither have I, I guess at the end of the day it's a judgement call, if I thought it was *too* short then I wouldn't run it.

Twice… Once a steerer tube without enough stem overlap (cough) and once a snapped bar… Both ended up in A and E. Both could have been avoided if a bit of common sense had been used… (the bars had been bent before, but he was too tight to replace them)

I run a X-4 wich has 2 stem bolts, my steerer is a (fair) bit below the top one. It's been this way for over a year and I mostly ride everything really, leaning toward more downhill. The steerer has never fallen out, snapped, exploded etc…

Yet.

It might be OK, but do you really want to risk your handlebars coming away from your steerer, with the inevitable injuries which will result.