I noticed a post a year go from Julians with exactly the same problem I am experiencing on the same tapered headset. Julians thread never concluded, Julians or any one else who has had the same problem what did you do it over come the free play ? Thanks Paul

nope.

fitted, refitted, faced head tube, refitted, tighten, OK. ride for a week. loosens, not much but enough to rattle upon braking.

tighten, feels a bit tight but I can still just about steer no handed.

not ideal though.

Ooo, ooo!

Can I join in. I have the same issue as lovewookie described. It started with a Cane Creek S1 though. Steps I have taken to cure it are: clean, and re-clamp with carbon assembly paste between stem and steerer; new Hope headset; new stem. I am now thinking about getting the headtube re-faced.

I am a competent bike mechanic and am slightly embarrassed that I haven’t been able to trouble shoot such a seemingly simple problem. I’m beginning to think that the steerer tube of my fork might be undersize or something.

You may be aware of these already and I’m sure you’ll have checked for the obvious like clearance between the top of the steerer and stem when fitted but 2 reasons I’ve encountered a quality headest not tighteneing or working loose:-

1. Very short steerer tube – so short that the chamfered ring sit’s on the top of the taper of the fork steerer taper. Solution = external lower cup.

2. The chamfered ring not doing its job and binding on the top bearing but not clamping – if you see what I mean. Solution = grease the outside of the chamfered ring and inside of the bearing so it snugs down nice.

My first issue was with the steeter bung, but that was sorted, plenty of spacers and gap between the top cap and steerer. Just concluded that all the rubber around the headset means that it’ll never be easy to move but it will be well sealed.

^^^ the second point, it could be that. all things back when clean though I’m in the workshop delivering a class tonight so I’ll strip and rebuild again.

Cool – if it’s a hope the rubber sealing shouldn’t really give much resistance, most of mine have had 1 or 2 of the shims in to compromise between excessive drag and good sealing. Plus they may also ensure that what I referred to as the ‘chamfered’ ring (maybe should be called the ‘tapered’ or ‘compression’ ring depending on who’s exploded view is read !) works properly.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-are-the-3-metal-shims-in-a-hope-headset-for

Let us know how you solve it 🙂

I think it could have been a schoolboy error from me. I took everything out cleaned it, checked it against the hope diagram, all ok to look at. Re-assembled it and then had a ahhh moment. The steerer tube is about an inch longer than it needs to be (I typically upgrade and sell my forks on after a couple of years so more length = more potential buyers in theory)and the tube spacers were just a tad longer than the tube however as I’ve tightened down I think the spacers have spread out allowing the cap to bottom on the tube rather than the spacers and thereby introducing a degree of play. Changed the plastic carbon lookalike spacers for better ally ones and a few more m.m.s of height and it feels nice and tight. Tonights ride will be the acid test. Watch this space 😉