How to Adjust a Cane Creek Headset

Your bicycle's Cane Creek headset contains a series of small parts that helps hold your steering column in place. It also allows the column to turn left and right smoothly. Too much pressure on the bearings causes the steering to bind when turned in either direction. Too little pressure on the headset bearings results in "loose" steering, whereby there is movement between the parts of the headset and the steering column. Adjusting your Cane Creek headset properly helps provide safe and effective steering.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 mm Allen wrench
  • 5 mm Allen wrench
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Instructions

    • 1

      Note the two stem bolts, where the handlebar stem attaches to your bicycle's fork steering column. Use a 4 mm Allen wrench and loosen both bolts one turn at a time. Turn one bolt, then turn the other bolt, to prevent damage to the threads on the stem.

    • 2

      Use a 5 mm Allen wrench to loosen the pre-load bolt. This bolt runs vertically through the cap at the tip of the steering column.

    • 3

      Lift the front of the bike roughly six inches off the ground, then drop it to unseat the headset compression ring.

    • 4

      Use the 5 mm Allen wrench and turn the pre-load bolt counterclockwise to loosen.

    • 5

      Turn the pre-load bolt clockwise until resistance is felt, indicating that the pre-load bolt is engaging the "star fangled nut" inside the steering column. This nut anchors the end of the pre-load bolt.

    • 6

      Squeeze the bicycle's front brake and rock the bicycle back and forth to check for play in the Cane Creek headset. If play is felt, give the pre-load bolt a quarter turn clockwise. Check the adjustment a second time. Continue this adjustment until no play is felt in the headset.

    • 7

      Turn the handlebar from side to side. The handlebar should turn freely, indicating a properly adjusted headset. If the steering binds, slightly loosen the pre-load bolt.

    • 8

      Straddle the bicycle's top tube and place a foot on either side of the front wheel. Align the handlebar stem with the front wheel.

    • 9

      Continue to hold the handlebar stem and front wheel in alignment while using the 4 mm Allen wrench to tighten the two stem bolts to secure the stem.