MTB Forks

You got a new MTB Fork? Well. Now you probably need a new MTB Headset. The word headset is a bit tricky. Today everybody who hears the word headset thinks of a headset for your mobile phone but a Mountain bike headset is something else. There are different kinds of MTB headsets.

The most common MTB headset is a threadless headset. The fork manufacturers don’t have to pay attention to the length of the steerer tube of the fork and so the forks will fit to different sized frames. The threadless MTB headset will consist of about ten parts. You can split these in two categories. The upper parts and the lower parts.

The lower headset parts are as followed:

• A crown race will be pressed onto the fork’s crown, then a
• cartridge bearing will be put on it. The
• lower head-tube race will close this lower headset parts.

Now you have to put the bicycle’s head tube on your modified fork in the way, that the bicycle head tube will sit on the lower head-tube race. Next we will cover the steerer tube of your fork with the rest of the parts.

Let’s come to the upper headset parts to end the whole procedure:

• You have to put the upper head-tube race onto your steerer tube. Pick up the other
• cartridge bearing and stick it into the upper head-tube race. Put the
• compression ring into this bundle and end it with the
• seal.

Now you have to try whether you need spacers or not. Just put you stem on it and watch out how much empty space is left to the end of your steerer tube. This depends on how much spacers you need. You can buy spacers in every bicycle shop. Often these spacers are made out of aluminium or carbon. Titan ones are very rare. Just try out how you want your MTB headset look like. Variate the amount of spacers above and below your stem. Figure out what your style is.
As an intermediate step you have to put the star nut inside your steerer tube. Screw a bolt into the star nut, get a hammer and pound the star nut inside. Be careful not to damage the thread of the nut and don’t pound it too far into your steerer tube.

Last but not least put the top cap on your top spacer and screw the cap bolt into the star nut.

The adjustment of your MTB headset to remove play is as follows:

The cap bolt is screwed down until the spacers begin to compress each other. A slight preload has to be applied. Now the MTB headset has to be checked for play and smooth operation. Readjustment takes place as necessary. Don’t compress your MTB headset too much otherwise your handlebar won’t move that easy it should move.