FRUSTRATED....HELP PLEASE

[stoked]

Got a bent springer fork in the mail finally and it went on fine two nights ago.

Went back just now to take it off the bike and the steerer tube must have freakin shrunk or something. I had to go back and forth with the stem to "pivot" it out and now the stem is all scratched up, and also doesn't slide right in. Also, the top of the steerer is like inflated, I couldn't even get the part of the fork that goes over the top off, had to bang it off with a hammer. Now I can't get the "threaded top race" (unsure of terminology) off because of the "inflated section at the top of the steerer.

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?!?

 

[stoked]

You can see the section that's wider here.

And the scratching from trying to get the stem out.

What gives? Anybody know what's going on? My first thought is the temperature, but there hasn't been any drastic temperature change for the fork nor bike.

 

[highship]

I'm thinking the wedge bolt may have been tightened to much...

 

[stoked]

I'm thinking the wedge bolt may have been tightened to much...

How would that effect the diameter of the entire steerer?

And also the wider section at the top?

You're talking about the wedge at the bottom of the stem correct?

 

[low~N~slo]

Unsure exactly....
it looks like the steer tube deformed when tightening the upper race and upset (flared) when the quill of the neck was installed.

Is it new? Chinese steel? Bummer man

 

[stoked]

Brand new, from eBay. So is it useable? I have to cut the steerer anyways, but the hassle of getting the stem in there.....will it get worse in the future?

 

[highship]

yes the wedge is at the bottom of the stem bolt.
If the bolt is tightened to much it can expand the steerer tube, I have even seen it split the steerer tube.
That doesnt really explain how the entire steerer tube expanded but it could explain the flare at the top.
When that happens it generally deforms the tube enough to make the stem hard to pull out.

 

[OneHorsePower]

I say just cut the deformed top part ,and sand the stem a little to make it smooth and fit nicer

 

[stoked]

Any ideas on how the steerer tube supposedly shrunk in diameter?

 

[OneHorsePower]

logically ,it cant really shrink , steal can stretch fairly ease ,but compressed its way harder to do ... your stem is aluminum witch conduct heat ease , my guess is that the stem got bigger from the heat , maybe friction idk , as for the top threads , maybe damaged by pulling the stem a little sideways ?

 

[stoked]

Hmmmmm hopefully it all works out. Gonna go cut it and hope that the steerer expanded or the stem shrunk.

 

[bikejunky]

There are 2 different quill sizes very close in size, 22.2mm and 21.2. I have seen this same look when someone drives a 22.2 quill in a 21.2 steerer tube.

Tim

 

[stoked]

Well my father and I looked at it and we are dumbfounded, no idea. The stem went in perfect two days ago and today nothin. Since I was able to pivot it out but completely trash it, we just filed it down to get it smooth and to go in again. Just put a little grease on it for piece of mind.

About the wider section at the top of the steerer, luckily I had to cut it anyways, so we just cut it off with a hacksaw and everything went well. I'm super relieved, still trying to understand what happened but what's done is done.

We're pretty sure the top part was just stretched out from trying to wiggle the stem out, but that still doesn't explain why the steerer "constricted" in the first place. Anyways, I will be adding pictures to my build thread pretty soon here. Will add link here when complete.

 

[stoked]

If anyone is following this, here's my build thread, updates and pictures are on page 2.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=64231

 

[user 135]

Something unexplained happened......but be sure to grease that stem on final assembly. Pedal axles and seat post too. :wink:

 

[yoothgeye]

I agree that the top bulge was caused by tight stem removal and I was happy to read that you were able to salvage it with a necessary cut.

It's a weird time of year, a few days ago someone said they saw snow around here (and I believe it) and today I've had my windows open driving around.

Were all the parts the same temperature when you put them together for the test fit? Maybe one piece was in a shop, the other inside or something like that?

That's the only mystery here, but temperature is my answer. I heard it from Al Gore, it was global warming of the stem, but not the fork steerer.