How to adjust your headset

Play in the steering head bearing impairs steering and leads to wear. Find out here how to quickly tighten the headset again.

• Hex key set
• Torque wrench incl. bits

• Stand next to your bike and tighten the front brake firmly.
• Apply light weight to the handlebar from above and make short movements forwards and backwards. Strong play can be identified quickly.
• An even better way to feel for possible bearing play is to enclose the gap between the fork and frame with the thumb and index finger of your other hand.
• Also check to make sure the headset isn't too tight: To do this, lift the bike by the top tube. The handlebar should move freely and silently and tilt to the side by itself.

• First, loosen the side clamp bolts on the stem until it can be rotated freely on the steerer tube.
• If present, take off the removable rubber cap of the headset screw. You can now use the screw to tighten or relieve the bearing in small steps (see illustration).
• As described in step 1, check after each tightening to ensure that the bearing still has some play and is not overtightened.
• Repeat the process until the headset is optimally adjusted.

• Now straighten the stem again. To do this, stand over the wheel, secure it with your legs and twist the stem until it is aligned with the wheel.
• Now tighten the stem bolts lightly and then tighten them to the required torque, which you can find printed on the stem or in your bike manual.
• Don't forget to put the rubber cap back on the headset screw, if there was one.

Tip: This procedure can also be used to remove dirt between the fork and the head tube. To do this, remove the stem cap completely and push the stem slightly upwards on the steerer tube. If you now lift the frame, you can easily clean the gap between the fork and frame with a clean cloth.