Help required please

[daswolfgang]

Hi there,
I have just brought a 2007 Kona Cinder Cone. Got some issues. Back hub bearings are shot and need replacing. Also, found out that the head race bearings are in need of replacement. However, in my attempt to grease these up as a stop gap to getting the job done properly...i have over tightened and ripped out the bolt that tightens up the head race on the Rock Shocks . I'm old school and my 1992 Cinder Cone is a very different beast. Can I assume I've buggered up my shocks.. or is there a repair kit available? I'm miffed of with myself. Trying to get my head round the modern equivalent of my old 1992 bike.

 

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Re:

Do you mean the bolt that goes through the cap the goes on top of fork steerer and screws into the star nut inside the steerer?

 

[daswolfgang]

Re:

Yes

 

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Re:

So you've tightened the bolt with enough force that you've ripped out the star nut, is that correct?

 

[daswolfgang]

Re: Re:

So you've tightened the bolt with enough force that you've ripped out the star nut, is that correct?

Is this going somewhere?

 

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Re: Re:

So you've tightened the bolt with enough force that you've ripped out the star nut, is that correct?

Is this going somewhere?

I am trying to find out what you have actually done, your OP isn't clear at all saying you ripped out the bolt, 3 times. So have you pulled out the star nut?
There is no point in giving you advice until it's clear what you have done.

 

[syncrosfan]

"Is this going somewhere?"
Probably the setup to call you hamfisted ...
Star nut are very cheap and easy to get. You will have to drill out the old star-nut if it's just stripped but still in the fork steering tube.
As a rule of thumb: the top bolt on aheadset setups is just for bearing preload (just enough so that your fork doesn't wobble in there) but not too much, otherwise the headset will bind and wear out really easy (stripping the bolt is definitely way too much preload).

 

[daswolfgang]

Re: Re:

So you've tightened the bolt with enough force that you've ripped out the star nut, is that correct?

Is this going somewhere?

I am trying to find out what you have actually done, your OP isn't clear at all saying you ripped out the bolt, 3 times. So have you pulled out the star nut?
There is no point in giving you advice until it's clear what you have done.

Although I may not have been 100% clear in the original post, I didn't say I had ripped out a bolt three times. I'll take some photos tomorrow.

 

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Probably the setup to call you hamfisted ....

I would probably have given him some advice on that aspect of what he has done. As you say to tighten the bolt to that amount that he has either stripped the threads in star nut or pulled it out, is way too much preload. Chances are the bearings may be damaged by being compressed so much, they may have made tiny dents in bearing races.

"i have over tightened and ripped out the bolt that tightens up the head race on three Rock Shocks" And this means, what?

As syncrosfan says you can replace the star nut cheaply, but before you do any more please Google for info on Aheadsets so you have some idea what to do.

 

[daswolfgang]

Re:

Chaps,
Thanks very much for your advice so far. I don't mean to get off on the wrong foot here but as an explanation to where I am in the cycle scene, I was very much into mountaing biking in the in the mid 80s to mid 90s. I used to do approx 30 miles a day and used to go on cycling holidays to Greece and was a bit of a keep fit nutter. However, since that time my interests moved into motorcycles, cars, scooters and camper vans. As i say I still have my trusty 1992 Cinder Cone and since I have been using it more lately, I have been inspired to move towards something that it a little more modern and maybe use it for something more than a daily commute. So this is what I have brought and colleced on Sunday night.



Now I do like tinkering and I am usually pretty good doing so. On my old Kona the bolt in the top tightens everything up. The fact that this didn't seem to be doing the job lead me to over tighten it. And this is the issue I am confronted with.



Totally my fault but I have learned the hard way. I know how it all works now....and I even know that it is call an Aheadset . Makes Googling a lot easier is you know the name of the thing you need to Google I have found a video on how to adjust the Aheadset, but in terms of the issue I have can anybody offer any further advice. Is it repairable or have i shagged the forks? :?

Thanks in advance

Andy