Originally Posted by
SoSmellyAir
If I understand you correctly, you have filled the entire internal volume at the top of your steerer down to the bottom of the stem clamp with epoxy and embedded a star nut (with its OD ground down) at the bottom of this epoxy cylinder, which is supported by a rubber plug. Do you then drill a hole through the axis of this epoxy cylinder so that you can thread a top cover bolt through the embedded star nut? How to set preload?
I screw a bolt that is covered with a plastic drinking straw or heat shrink tubing, into the star nut, before filling with epoxy. I slather the star nut first, insert the bolt and star nut, the add more to fill completely.
Preload is no different than an expanding plug. The top cap can't bottom out on the epoxy. I've had to use a countersink bit to add a bit of clearance.