[Closed] Why don't we install ALL top caps like this??

I guess some people don't like to invalidate their fork warranty. Seems like a step backwards to me as a way of mounting a top cap, although the storage is nice.

Bmx forks have had threaded top caps for years (not sure if they still do, mind) - but manufacturers tend to makes frames AND forks together for complete bikes, so they can thread forks to the right depth themselves.

It'd be much more of a faff to co-ordinate with Fox, Rock Shox etc.

Why aren’t we all tapping out steerer tubes?

I thought a-headsets were invented so we didn't have to tap our steerer tubes any longer.

Star nut or wedge is much easier than all that faff

Star nut or wedge is much easier than all that faff

But where would you do put your special tool?

nickc

Subscriber
Why aren’t we all tapping out steerer tubes?

I thought a-headsets were invented so we didn’t have to tap our steerer tubes any longer.

Posted 2 hours ago

Brings back memories of dies and poorly cut threads.

Why aren’t we all tapping out steerer tubes?

Because by the time you buy the tap, the top cap and the tool kit that goes inside it costs about £100.

A SFN is £1.99 from Halfords.

But if all forks and top caps were like that then you wouldn't need to buy anything.

Ah shit, this'll be 2019's revolutionary new part won't it, new forks with a .63% bigger width and a thread.

<tongue in cheek>

As a GP - you know when patients come in to see you and say "I've googled it - I have XXXX problem and I think the solution is YYY" ?

Speaking an engineer - just like that.

</tongue in cheek>

For OEMs it's much easier to bang in a Star-Fangled-Nut than tap threads.

For consumers, it means you can put the SFN further down if you want to if you cut your stem down, )rather than have the whole stem threaded)

Finally - internal threads would significantly weaken the structural integrity of the stem - it both removes material and created stress raisers at the "bottom" of the threads, so for the same factor of safety stems would be thicker therefore heavier. Realistically, most stress is on the bottom of the stem where it joins the steerer, so this is probably irrelevant anyway.

I seem to have undermined my original point, but never mind.

Nah, I think you're right.  If you pre-threaded the whole of the steerer so that it could just be cut to size, then on larger frames you'd have threaded steerer at the bottom of the stem.

If you pre-threaded the whole of the steerer so that it could just be cut to size,

Forks are expensive enough now without the extra cost of doing that to them all

You see those fine threads that have been carefully cut in to you steerer tube?

They tend to get complete trashed when a hamfisted IT manager gets involved.

Then you you end up putting your expensive proprietary multi tool in your rucksack like everyone else.

Expensive solution to to a problem that doesn’t exist.

<i>But where would you do put your special tool?</i>

In your £8 lightweight drybag obvz.

If you are tempted by the EDC DrP don't buy the tap borrow mine. I may even have a spare top cap so long as you like black. You'd just need to buy the multitool to stick in your steerer

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/221046-specialized-admits-niki-terpstra-paris-roubaix-bike-failure-was-due-pre

http://www.velonews.com/2010/07/news/felt-bicycles-recalls-road-bikes-due-to-aluminum-steerer-tube-failures_124377

http://cycling.today/hidden-flaw-in-4000-bike-causes-death-of-cyclist/

https://www.allinmultitool.co.uk/

Bmx forks have had threaded top caps for years

Tree bike co. bars have threaded ends to screw their bar end plugs into as well.

It would take a lot more torque than a SFN to preload the headset bearings, and won't tolerate much misalignment which the SFN copes with well. The bolt in a conventional top cap allows the top cap to sit still while the bolt rotates, which makes it easier to tighten appropriately too. I've got a bung in one of my carbon steerers that has a much larger thread, and every time I disturb the headset it takes a couple of goes to get it tight enough again (this also applies when a shop has disturbed the headset), and that's still a smaller diameter thread than this arrangement

And stress raisers in the steerer.

And different internal diameters on different materials/intended uses of steerer make threading the internal face a ball ache, and would make for 10 different cap nuts for the new "standard".

I've fitted the OneUp EDC top caps to two sets of Pikes and a Lyrik so far.  Simple enough to do, simple to adjust the headset and so far no death in a ball of flame.  Instructions say to have a minimum amount (3mm I think) of steerer above the stem and the thread is only cut to a limited depth so I'm not fearing any steerer snappage in my lifetime

Incidentally - £80 for full EDC kit from Ubyk

https://www.ubyk.co.uk/oneup-components-edc-tool-system-full-kit/71786

been pretty impressed with mine, installed on two bikes.... I like it 🙂

As a GP – you know when patients come in to see you and say “I’ve googled it – I have XXXX problem and I think the solution is YYY” ?

Speaking an engineer – just like that.

Chuckle...true!!

My issue is that my steerer is about 3mm BELOW the top of the stem.. hmm... THat's what happens when you get a new frame with a longer head tube!

I'm going for one of the EDC pumps... can swap from bike to bike a bit more easily!

DrP

FWIW, I think the pump is the better solution for someone with multiple bikes especially.  I guess the hardcore ‘nothing that isn’t pocket size’ won’t agree but that’s fine and healthy... 🙂

*sits back to wait for the "I've just tried to cut some threads in my carbon steerer tube" thread*

As above, BMX has had threaded streerer tubes for years.

I've cut many without mangling the threads. In fact I think they thread them a bit lower down so you don't have to cut through the thread.

The threads also aren't fine threads, they're quite substantial. Works great. I used to remove the topbolt afterward the stem is done up to give it a cleaner look.

Maybe the length of streerer tubes on forks or something stops that working on MTB.

I suspect it's more to do with the fact that BMX forks tend to be made out of scaffold poles and MTB and Road either out of lightweight alloys or carbon - neither of which will hold a thread as well.

Also, when the whole point of aheadsets is that you don't need a threaded steerer adding one back in seems a bit of a retrograde step.

All that cocking about just to save carrying a tool in your back pack? Oh and the extra money for the work to be carried out and the potential warranty invalidation for your forks?

Well I'm sold. Blank cheque ok? Don't worry about the numbers, whichever looks nicest to you is fine.

All that cocking about just to save carrying a tool in your back pack? Oh and the extra money for the work to be carried out and the potential warranty invalidation for your forks?

It's more "not having to carry a pack at all"

And you do it yourself, as opposed to paying money to have the work done..

And in the unlikely even that it did invalidate the waranty, you could always trim the top few mm of seeter off before returning them. Mine are well out of warranty anyhow, so makes no odds.

And if you manage to stress the top 5 mm of your steerer enough that an internal thread casues a crack, you've probably installed the fork upside down (not mentioning any Scottish STWers in particular here)

[i]<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">It’s more “not having to carry a pack at all”[/i]</span>

Yes, wait til you’ve installed the water bladder what I’ve invented to go in your seat tube! Then no need for any pack 😀

<div class="bbp-reply-author">DezB
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Yes, wait til you’ve installed the water bladder what I’ve invented to go in your seat tube! Then no need for any pack

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I'll probably go with a water bottle...... having said that, I'm almost sure someone has actually done something along those lines in reality

Wattle bottle? Pah! My invention intravenously feeds water through the saddle as you need it. Just takes a small body mod and you’re away.

Wattle bottle? Pah! My invention intravenously feeds water through the saddle as you need it. Just takes a small body mod and you’re away.

Why stop there? Let's have it dual function and perform a colonic irrigation at the end of the ride 🙂

Why would it affect the warranty of your forks? When you chop 5cm off them when you first set them up, adding a thread is hardly any different.

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> </span>

Ask the manufacturers. Windwave posted on facbook that it would impact on the warranty. There were several follow up posts saying it was the same for other forks.

Are we being told that we must be like the roadies with mud and carrying anything in a backpack is verbotten? Waterbottles? No ta. Been there done that. Supping on a bottle with sheep crap on the spout or having to do an emergency stop halfway down your favourite descent to chase the bottle that decided to eject at warp speed, never again.

I'll stick with my camelbak which holds my food, my tools, my phone, wallet and 3l of water.

its much more convenient for the sheep crap to be on the camelback nozzle i agree.

much prefer bottles but my ibis hasnt got a bottle cage in a useful place 🙁

One Up tool on my main bike for a few weeks. Absolutely brilliant. Now ordered one for my other bike and any bike I have going forward will have it. Haven’t ridden with a bag on my back in years and I don’t miss one. Absolutely pointless for anything less than a very remote winter ride.

not even for a remote summer ride ?

Not really.

one up tool

bontrager rapid pack round the waist

bottle cage on the frame

dakine hot laps on the frame

everything I need

Are we being told that we must be like the roadies with mud and carrying anything in a backpack is verbotten? 

Nobody's telling anyone to do anything, it's just a growing number of people seem to be questioning the "trailcentre uniform" requirement to lug 5kg about on your back when all the nooks and crannies of your dandyhorse might provide adequate stoage for certain essentials... The lack of a camelbak certainly won't make you "like the roadies", honest.

Of course if you're still perfectly happy with the bicycle backpack, crack on fella.

Expensive solution to to a problem that doesn’t exist.

Exactly.

I love the idea and if all forks came with a thread as standard I would definitely buy into it....

As they don't, it's just too much hassle for me personally. I always wear a pack on longer rides or just throw a multitool into a pocket for the short ones.

Each to their own though, there is no "right" to this argument. Choice is a good thing over all.👍

The bit i like about all this get rid of the pack that my mates have adopted with the one up tool and all that jazz is there is always a call at the start of a long ride .... Can someone with a bag take my jacket and this  food, whos got a map , whos got a first aid kit.

Now while we may only take a comunial oh shit kit between us - clearly theres no intention of spreading the load when they show up haha

That’s some serious overkill.

If only 1.5in steerer tubes had taken off instead of pointless tapered this might have been a good idea. Could have got your sandwiches in a 1.5in steerer 🙂

Really struggling to see the hate in this. If you want to ride with a pack crack on no one is stopping you.

If you prefer to not ride with a pack here is a solution to carrying a multi tool.

I have the one up EDC there is a tube strapped to my bike and the pump lives there all the time. Means that all I have to grab is the water bottle and away I go. I used to take a pack and still do on longer rides where you need more food jackets etc, but as the majority of my rides are sub 2 hours there is no need.

At the  end of the day I prefer riding without a pack bouncing around all over the place, it just feels better. Others disagree hence why they are happy with their bags, end of.

To be honest, most trailcentres don't require you carry much other than water and a pump, and possibly a multitool because you're never that far away from your car or the cenrte.

However 99% of the riding I do is not in a trailcentre, so pretty much everything I might need goes in the camelbak. I'd like to see how you carry 3l of water without a camelbak or similar.

Anyways, I like my Camelbak and others like festooning their bikes with overpriced tools shoved into tight orifices. Its a free country.