The Spesh shop in Chester may have sold me a 2020 Roubaix with a non-functioning front brake and a RD that was only held on by a couple of threads of the bolt, with DT Swiss wheels made from cheese that went out of true on the first hill I climbed but the sales guy did take the trouble to explain how to take apart the headset, which is quite different from what we have grown used to.
So while enjoying the bike with some decent Hunt wheels fitted I was constantly niggled by the need to know how it all worked and yesterday I couldn’t resist any longer. It’s quite a clever system and it all hinges on a collar that fits on the oversize steerer and has two functions: it clamps the Future Shock unit thingy in place inside the steerer and it exerts upward pressure on the steerer, which is what compresses the bearing system together to take out play. It does this by having threaded holes drilled at 3.00 and 9.00, each of which contains two grub screws; the lower takes a 2mm hex key and the higher a 2.5mm hex. You loosen off the top 2.5mm grub screw then screw down the lower 2mm, which presses on a steel plate on top of the top bearing, pulling the steerer upwards. Once you’ve done that and checked for rocking you tighten the 2.5mm grub down on top of the smaller one to stop it unscrewing. The correct position of the collar is assured by a tiny dome-headed bolt at 12.00, which registers in a small hole drilled into the steerer and the collar must be clamped firmly in place using the 4mm pinch bolt at 6.00 before you start adjusting the play.
One other thing the sales guy showed me is that if you have removed the Future Shock it needs a sharp push downwards to ensure it clicks fully down into the steerer.
As with many things bicycle it seems complicated at first but once you’ve understood the system it looks quite a clever solution.
