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Triple Clamp Stem Cap came loose...anything to check for?

N

nuckaman

Training Wheels
Something interesting happened yesterday.

On the way to work, I noticed a slight shudder/vibration under light/medium braking through the bars. On the way home, same but little worse under the same condition.

When I pulled into my garage, I looked down and noticed the triple-clamp stem cap worked itself loose and was rested on top of the head-tube of the frame (explaining why I felt a loss of range of movement in the bars during a slow speed turn).

I do not have the bike with me at work today so I cannot look at it in detail, but does that stem-cap hold the head-tube bearing nut in place?

I need to pick-up a 14mm allen on the way home from work so I can re-install that cap securing in place.
 
It's a pretty common issue, and probably something every new owner should check. I'm not sure if they aren't torquing them properly at the factory or if they are working their way loose, but whatever the cause, it would probably be smart to periodically check it. It is supposed to be torqued to 80 ft/lbs (see page 14-3 of the service manual).
 
Mine should have come off the bike but some how the cap settled right between the frame/headtube and left fork...stayed put for some 30 or so miles.

Anyways, just got done screwing the cap back on, torqued to spec, took for a test ride and seems A-OK.

If it comes off/loose again, little blue-loctite should do the trick as extra insurance.

The cap is one thing I never gave a once-over at the 1000 mile mark....probably should have.

 
That is just a cap nut, there are 2 castelated nuts underneath it that adjust the tension and unless those came loose all you should have to do is torque the cap back and call it done.

However, I would take this opportunity to check the head bearing adjustment,  I find mine needs to be retorqued every 3 - 5k miles (and was loose from the factory)
 
That is a known, occasional problem on this particular bike. The screw did not loosen, it was never tightened at the factory. That screw has a very fine thread and is tightened with a lot of torque so once it is properly installed it will not loosen, much like lug nuts do not loosen (both have tremendous tension force on the stud when installed). I have found two of those screws not tightened on two different C-14s among the perhaps dozen I have accessed the steering stem on.

You are lucky that you noticed it before it disappeared. There was one unfortunate gentleman who not only had that screw fall off his C-14 but also had it bounce through his radiator one time.

Brian


NuckaMan said:
Something interesting happened yesterday.

On the way to work, I noticed a slight shudder/vibration under light/medium braking through the bars. On the way home, same but little worse under the same condition.

When I pulled into my garage, I looked down and noticed the triple-clamp stem cap worked itself loose and was rested on top of the head-tube of the frame (explaining why I felt a loss of range of movement in the bars during a slow speed turn).

I do not have the bike with me at work today so I cannot look at it in detail, but does that stem-cap hold the head-tube bearing nut in place?

I need to pick-up a 14mm allen on the way home from work so I can re-install that cap securing in place.
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