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Headset cap and bolt disappeared while on bike rack

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Headset cap and bolt disappeared while on bike rack

Old 12-26-20, 09:07 PM
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Captain_Canada
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Headset cap and bolt disappeared while on bike rack

Hi! had a bizarre experience for my Giant TCR headset cap/bolt. Somehow the headset bolt and cap worked their way off and fell off during a trip on my car bike rack (kuat).

Has anyone had this happen?

The spacer above the stem was still on there. So strange. I did lower the stem/put a spacer that was below the stem above it maybe 500 miles ago. I think I did everything right (fingertight on the headset cap first, then tightened the stem bolts with torque wrench).

Think there's any chance I lost anything else? I forget what it looked like without the cap. I can see a bearing and the hole where the bolt goes.

I'm seeing a number of stem caps/bolts available for sale online-any recommendations?
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Old 12-26-20, 09:30 PM
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Sounds like someone stole your baby bike bolt.
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Old 12-26-20, 10:40 PM
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Well, if your top cap was only on finger tight, it probably rattled loose from riding and fell off when the bike was turned and tilted while lifting it up at some point. I imagine your headset is probably loose also, if you did not properly add preload with the top cap after you moved the spacers around.
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Old 12-26-20, 10:41 PM
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I tho0ught I might be the first with stollen baby bolts, but ....
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Old 12-27-20, 04:30 AM
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Top cap bolt should be tight enough that there is no play but not so tight as to cause binding. Is there a little play in the fork now?

Once your stem is correctly torqued the top cap does nothing, apart from holding that the extra spacer.
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Old 12-27-20, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
Sounds like someone stole your baby bike bolt.
Beware the Baby Bike Bolt Bandit

I'm sure it was on there when I loaded it on the bike rack. I drove 400 miles though and it must have worked itself loose. Thankfully looks like a cheap fix!
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Old 12-27-20, 01:22 PM
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Sounds like you didn't have enough load on your topcap, which means it's actually good that it fell off: if you kept riding it like that, something might have been damaged.

Get a new stem cap and bolt, and read up on proper headset adjustment.
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Old 12-27-20, 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by znomit
Top cap bolt should be tight enough that there is no play but not so tight as to cause binding. Is there a little play in the fork now?

Once your stem is correctly torqued the top cap does nothing, apart from holding that the extra spacer.
The bike or headset will have a torque spec. If you loosen the stem to adjust the bars the cap maintains that torque spec until you tighten down the stem bolts again.
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Old 12-27-20, 04:01 PM
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Um. After I tighten my stem I alway tighten the top cap bolt a bit. Was afraid it would come loose. Guess I made the correct choice. I just have to remember to redo the headset bearing preload if I loosen the stem for adjusting.
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Old 12-27-20, 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by sfrider
The bike or headset will have a torque spec. If you loosen the stem to adjust the bars the cap maintains that torque spec until you tighten down the stem bolts again.
No, the headset will not have a torque spec. The stem bolts and bar clamp bolts will. The only bike that has a torque spec for the headset is the Trek Domane w/ front Iso Speed.
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Old 12-27-20, 04:49 PM
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Originally Posted by biker128pedal
Um. After I tighten my stem I alway tighten the top cap bolt a bit. Was afraid it would come loose. Guess I made the correct choice. I just have to remember to redo the headset bearing preload if I loosen the stem for adjusting.
No. That is not the correct choice.

Loosen stem bolts, adjust headset with the topcap bolt, then torque the stem bolts. That's it.

Plenty of online tutorials which explain how to adjust the topcap bolt.
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Old 12-27-20, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by znomit
Top cap bolt should be tight enough that there is no play but not so tight as to cause binding. Is there a little play in the fork now?

Once your stem is correctly torqued the top cap does nothing, apart from holding that the extra spacer.
Correct.

OP, if your bike was set up properly you can ride it as is. Get a replacement stem cap and bolt, unlikely you lost anything else if spacers are intact.

And the jokes about stollen baby bike bolts is a bit of BF history/pop culture.
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Old 12-27-20, 05:10 PM
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Update for closure: I got a new cap and bolt for $8 from my bike shop. The mechanic showed me how tight the cap/bolt should be, and it was tighter than I thought fingertight was. Nothing was missing other than the cap and bolt.

Very happy that this lesson only cost me 8 bucks and a drive.
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Old 12-28-20, 08:29 AM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
No, the headset will not have a torque spec. The stem bolts and bar clamp bolts will. The only bike that has a torque spec for the headset is the Trek Domane w/ front Iso Speed.
Chris King specifies a torque for the NoThreadSet top cap - it’s pretty low - 10-12 in.lb, IIRC.
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Old 12-28-20, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Litespud
Chris King specifies a torque for the NoThreadSet top cap - it’s pretty low - 10-12 in.lb, IIRC.
It's 6-15in lbs. It's also step 2 of a 4 step process that ends w/:
4) C h e c k h e a d s e t f o r p r o p e r a d j u s t m e n t . W h e n p r o p e r l y a d j u s t e d , t h e fo r k w i l l ro t a t e smoothly without play or restriction. Some settling may occur after a few rides; readjust if necessary.

There are no torque values on bearing preload. You adjust 'properly' and that's it. They give a 6-15in lb value when initially putting everything together then finish w/ 'adjust it properly'. You might get away w/ somewhere in between 6 and 15 but you just don't know. I've been at this a looooong time and the only headset I've put a torque wrench on is the Domane Iso Speed.
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Old 12-30-20, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
It's 6-15in lbs. It's also step 2 of a 4 step process that ends w/:
4) C h e c k h e a d s e t f o r p r o p e r a d j u s t m e n t . W h e n p r o p e r l y a d j u s t e d , t h e fo r k w i l l ro t a t e smoothly without play or restriction. Some settling may occur after a few rides; readjust if necessary.

There are no torque values on bearing preload. You adjust 'properly' and that's it. They give a 6-15in lb value when initially putting everything together then finish w/ 'adjust it properly'. You might get away w/ somewhere in between 6 and 15 but you just don't know. I've been at this a looooong time and the only headset I've put a torque wrench on is the Domane Iso Speed.
6-15 in lbs = somewhere in the vicinity of 1Nm ? At that low of a value, I'd be guessing anyway as I lack a torque wrench that measures in this area.
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