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Am having no end of trouble sorting the steering on my Stooge. Bought a carbon fork to replace the steel OE one.
Right size fork, cut the steerer to length ok, headset is only a few months old so not notchy/worn and it's a new compression plug.
I fit the forks fine and remove the play from the bearings. The steering feels light and fine at first but then feels heavy as soon as any weight is put through the bars.
After taking it apart, cleaning, greasing etc several times, I can't get the problem to go away, Have no idea what to try next but am at the point of handing it over to the LBS to sort.
Any ideas/suggestions?
You did move the crown race over right.....
Yep, moved the crown race onto the new fork.
Races definitely flush? Did you use a proper press or a DIY tool? I'd be tempted to get the frame faced if a proper one.
I wouldn't bother facing the frame if it was working fine beforehand.
It sounds like you've put something in the wrong way, or left something out, or totally under-tensioned it and the steerer is contacting the inside of the steerer tube/headset cups (delete as appropriate) when load is applied.
does it go away if you're using the old fork?
check new steerer for small kinks / that might have forced the race out just a bit.
i had this with my lauf fork on superstar headset, the taper of the fork was binding on the headset shell, id of the shell was small than the headset, so had to file the headeset shell flush, hard to explain but sounds similar
Try using a smaller spacer? Could be the case that your a couple of mm over which might feel right when your nipping up the cockpit but could be just proud enough to put friction on headset bearings when you load the bars .
Update.... Problem solved!
Thanks to all of the replies.
@c_klein87 was right. It was binding on the headset shell. A bit of filing and 1mm removal of material and it's all fine now. Superstar shell too...
Thanks!