Originally Posted by
Gary12000
Those few posts help a lot, I didn’t know if FSA was a decent brand for a headset so I have more than one bike so I’ll expect to do 2-3000 miles per year on this headset, and as far as the stem I wondered if i would have to shim a 1&1/8 which as long as it work and is safe I’m ok with… you guys please forgive me but threadless is new to me… I guess there will be a void after I have shimmed and when I put the top cap that the bolt goes through and I screw into the star nut …? meaning I’m not trying to shim it to clamp on the steerer tube perfectly am I ?
...it's safe, and done all the time. Not sure where you envision the void ? The shims are pretty solidly machined, they slip over the top of the steerer, and the stem slips on over that. some of them have a collar on them, some don't. For proper installation, there's no void. You figure out how much steerer you want to keep, and fill the space between the shim and the top race of the headset with spacers, so you can preload the bearings using the top cap. then you tighten the stem to the steerer (with the shim inside it), and you're done.
I guess there is a small void where the shim ends don't quite meet together, but it's small and of mno consequence.