bike handling - I Love Bicycling

How To Fix Sloppy Bike Steering

August 31, 2020 by Sarah Lauzé

You may have noticed a clunking noise in your front end. You might feel a bit of play in your steering. You might notice more vibration than you think is normal. All of these symptoms are typical of loose bike headsets. Bike steering adjustments are routine, and nothing you can’t handle yourself.

Bike Steering

Bike steering is made possible by your headset. The headset is a rotating joint at the bottom of the stem. It allows the steering column (tube) and front wheel to rotate and turn. The headset is your focus for bike steering issues. All you need to fix it is your multi-tool, or alternatively a 4-mm, 5-mm or 6-mm hex wrench, depending on model of bike. Tightening your headset is one of the most basic of all bike maintenance procedures.

Quick Test For a Loose Headset

If you’re not sure about bike steering or your headset, a quick test will help you decide if it needs attention, here’s how to do it: Apply pressure to your front brake by squeezing the lever. Place your other hand on the front of the stem, just above the fork. Rock the bike forward and back. If you feel a slight knocking your headset is loose. If you look close, you may even be able to see a slight separation (very slight) between the steering tube and the bushing when you rock the bike. A loose headset may also produce a more dramatic clunking sound when you bounce the front tire, or if you hit a bump when riding. That sharp clunk when you pass over railroad tracks is a perfect example.

Step One: Loosen the Pinch Bolts

Your bike should have two pinch bolts (some people call them stem clamp bolts) located on the vertical part of the stem facing the seat. The bolts are horizontal and perpendicular to the top tube, and a critical part of bike steering. Note that one bolt typically enters the stem from the left, and the other from the right. Loosen them just enough so that the stem goes slack, or that you can move the handlebars without turning the wheel. Start with the 5-mm hex wrench, if it doesn’t fit, use the 4-mm or the 6-mm.

Step Two: Tighten the Headset

Tighten the large, vertical bolt (aka pre-load bolt) on the top cap of the stem using the 5 or 6-mm hex wrench. This is important: tighten it only enough to take the play out of the headset. The tightening motion squeezes the parts together (bearing tension) inside the headset, if you get them too tight, your bike steering will be stiff, and it will wear out the headset. In most cases, you won’t need to tighten the bolt more than about 1/4-to-1/2-turn. If you think you’ve over-tightened it, back it off a 1/4-turn.

Step Three: Test It

Grasp the front brake, and rock the bike forward and back. If you hear a clunking it’s not tight enough. If you’re not sure, do the test with your hand on the front of the stem. When you’re satisfied, go to Step four.

Step Four: Align The Handlebars

Your bike steering is still loose at this point. Stand over the bike and do a visual straightening of the handlebars. One way is to center the drop-outs (the ends of the axle on the front tire) with the center of the stem. Or you can just use the tire. This can be tricky, but easy to adjust later if you’ve tweaked it the wrong way. When you’re satisfied that the handlebars are straight, tighten the pinch bolts. These bolts need to be tight, they’re the only thing securing your stem to the steering tube.

Torque and Carbon

Something should be said about over-tightening bolts on bikes, especially carbon-fiber bikes. Even a slight miscalculation in torque can be a very expensive mistake on a carbon fiber frame. That sickening crunch can literally cost you thousands. Here’s how to avoid it: Invest in a bicycle specific torque wrench. A majority of carbon fiber bikes require a setting of 5nM. (newton meters) Using the torque wrench won’t allow you to ruin your carbon fiber frame, because you’ve set it according to manufacture’s instructions. (Don’t use the torque wrench to tighten the top cap bolt on your headset though, that’s a feel thing — unless specified to do so by your bike’s manufacterer).

Check With A Mechanic

If you’re not sure about any of your bolts torque requirements, or how your bike steering mechanism (headset), works, check with your bike’s manufacturer or local mechanic. For extra help, check out the video below!

Bike Handling Tips for Spring Conditions

June 12, 2020 by Sarah Lauzé

Early season riding conditions can be challenging. During the winter, a ton of grit and salt gets dumped on roads to keep them grippy and snow-free, and, come spring time, all of that stuff ends up in one place – the shoulder where you want to ride. Spring is also pothole season, as water seeps into cracks in the road and freezes overnight, opening up holes the size of the Grand Canyon on your favorite roads. There are a few simple bike handling tips to keep your skin off the road and your bike in one piece.

Take It Slow

This seems obvious, but it is easy to forget in the middle of one of your favorite descents. Slower speeds mean more time to react to what is in front of you. Slow down well in advance of corners so you aren’t braking hard while turning – doing so increases the chance of losing traction.

Move Into the Lane

Most of the road grit accumulates on the shoulder of the road, and you can avoid this by moving out into the travel lanes. Be VERY careful when doing this – think ahead, and don’t try to move out in front of a line of cars just before your corner. Wait for a large gap in traffic, and move out well into the lane, so cars aren’t tempted to try and squeeze by you. On long, switchbacking descents, I will usually just stay in the travel lanes to avoid having to move back and forth.

Relax

Hitting a small patch of gravel or wet spot won’t necessarily cause you to crash. Overcorrecting for a small skid of your back tire will. Staying relaxed and confident will help you ride through small skids instead of tensing up and turning the small skid into a huge wipe-out. You can build this confidence through other types of cycling – mountain and cyclocross riding will both give you the experience of feeling your bike sliding through turns, which will help you become a more confident road rider.

Avoid Obstacles

Be it potholes, glass, or ice, there is a lot of stuff on the roads that you and your bike would rather avoid. Your first key to avoiding this nasty stuff is to look ahead – the earlier you see something, the easier it will be to avoid. When you know what you want to avoid, doing so requires a bit of practice. Anyone who has managed to hit the only pothole on a clear stretch of road knows what I am talking about – your bike will tend to go where you are looking. If you are looking at that one pothole, there is a good chance you are going to hit it. Instead, work on keeping your eyes focused on the clear path you want to take, and your bike will follow.

Master the Bunny-hop

Sometimes, despite your proactive road reading and all of your best obstacle avoidance techniques, you just can’t ride around something. Often this has something to do with the 2 ton hunks of metal passing by on your left. This is when the bunny-hop comes in handy. Bunny-hopping is like jumping on your bike – both wheels lift off the ground for a split second. If you have never done this before, practice at slow speeds first. Clipless pedals make it much much easier and safer as well. When you do encounter something you can’t ride around, don’t try to jump too high – for potholes, your wheels barely need to leave the ground.

Keep these tips in mind when you head out on your next ride, and you will be well equipped to deal with whatever the spring roads will throw at you!

Bike Handling Tips for Early-Season Riding

February 28, 2014 by Aaron Robson

Early season riding conditions can be very challenging. During the winter, a ton of grit and salt gets dumped on roads to keep them grippy and snow-free, and, come spring time, all of that stuff ends up in one place – the shoulder where you want to ride. Spring is also pothole season, as water seeps into cracks in the road and freezes overnight, opening up holes the size of the Grand Canyon on your favorite roads. There are a few simple bike handling tips to keep your skin off the road and your bike in one piece.