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heasdet gap - is it dangerous?

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Old 05-05-12, 04:10 AM
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roadrunnerblink
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heasdet gap - is it dangerous?

so im doing up an old frame, just bought a set of carbon forks and went to put them on today. Obviously because the frame is old and the forks are new there is very little clearance between the top of the steerer and where it exits the frame at the top, Because of this, i have had to use NO spacers whatsoever between the stem and the headset cone, and even doing that, there is still a huge gap between the top of the steerer and the top cap of the headset cap. i.e. only about half of the stem is actually clamped to the steerer tube. Is this safe as long as its all done up tight as f*** ? anyone know of a solution. Don't really want to have to weld on an extra bit of steerer tube..... Thanks!
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Old 05-05-12, 05:05 AM
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I think you need to post a pic...

And the stem needs to be fully clamped on the steerer...
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Old 05-05-12, 05:09 AM
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Sounds unsafe. Was the fork used?? Sounds like the steerer tube was cut.

Post pic if possible but from what you describe it's not safe.
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Old 05-05-12, 06:36 AM
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Originally Posted by roadrunnerblink
Obviously because the frame is old and the forks are new there is very little clearance between the top of the steerer and where it exits the frame at the top,
As noted by datlas, this sounds funny. Typically, if the forks are new and UNCUT, you'd have much more steerer tube to work with.
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Old 05-05-12, 07:09 AM
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Yeah, a new, uncut fork should have a 300mm steer tube, so unless you got a used frame from Bill Walton it should be more than long enough.
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Old 05-05-12, 07:39 AM
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Originally Posted by roadrunnerblink
so im doing up an old frame, just bought a set of carbon forks and went to put them on today. Obviously because the frame is old and the forks are new there is very little clearance between the top of the steerer and where it exits the frame at the top, Because of this, i have had to use NO spacers whatsoever between the stem and the headset cone, and even doing that, there is still a huge gap between the top of the steerer and the top cap of the headset cap. i.e. only about half of the stem is actually clamped to the steerer tube. Is this safe as long as its all done up tight as f*** ? anyone know of a solution. Don't really want to have to weld on an extra bit of steerer tube..... Thanks!
I don't know how much compression teh top of the fork tube can take, but if you clamp it tight enough it can collapse. We can all just guess at how tight that needs to be, or how close you will get to that limit.
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Old 05-05-12, 10:14 AM
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Answer is no, that is not safe. the steerer needs to go completely through the stem and you can put a small spacer on the top below the cap.
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Old 05-05-12, 10:49 AM
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Ditto to above.

The top of the stem should be about 2mm above the top of the steerer tube. That small gap is to allow the cap to rest in place an tighten down. Anymore than that, especially as your described as only half the stem clamping the steering tube, is 100% not acceptable or safe.
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Old 05-05-12, 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by datlas
Sounds unsafe. Was the fork used?? Sounds like the steerer tube was cut.

Post pic if possible but from what you describe it's not safe.
yeah the fork was used, it was from a much newer frame so I guess the guy had cut it to fit that. I'll get a pic up soon.
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Old 05-05-12, 12:24 PM
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Ok thanks for clearing that up. Like I say, only half of the stem is doing the clamping, I did compress the the headset cap real good to try and unsure that the stem does slip off at some point (I know thats not the point of the cap but seems to make sense to me) I'll get a pic up soon anyways and you can let me know what you think. cheers.
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Old 05-05-12, 12:39 PM
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its a no go
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