New tyres and clamping screw

[Timbo]

Had new tyres fitted today front and rear. When they handed the bike back to me they said that the clamping screw on the right hand fork end had been very difficult to remove so that hadn't fully tightened when reinstalling the wheel. They said that this wasn't a safety issue but I should get it replaced sometime.

The offending item is labelled"2" in the diagram below.

Now to my mind something holding the wheel on is quite important. Should I get it fixed before I ride any further?

 

[Timolgra]

There was no need to remove it in the first place, just needs slackening.

 

[motobiker]

No brainer to me.. I would've been straight onto one of the parts sellers and ordered one immediately. what price for that? a couple of quid. I cant see it being a highly risky enterprise riding on the road with it not fully torqued. but if you go off road I would definitly avoid doing so until the new one was in place.

Have you taken it out and examined it? is it damaged - the thread?

could need just a clean and a smidge of copper grease.

 

[Timolgra]

No brainer to me.. I would've been straight onto one of the parts sellers and ordered one immediately. what price for that? a couple of quid. I cant see it being a highly risky enterprise riding on the road with it not fully torqued. but if you go off road I would definitly avoid doing so until the new one was in place.

Have you taken it out and examined it? is it damaged - the thread?

could need just a clean and a smidge of copper grease.

If it wouldn't tighten up, it's more likely the threads in the forks (alloy) are fecked than the bolt (steel).

 

[motobiker]

If it wouldn't tighten up, it's more likely the threads in the forks (alloy) are fecked than the bolt (steel).

oh dear.

 

[Dragon Master]

What would I do? I'd try it myself, it may just be a bit of crap on the threads; Aluminium and steel do react and can form a salty deposit. Try loosening it gently, if it comes right out, check the threads for a whitish deposit, what you don't want to see are bits of ally in the threads.

If it is salty, try a smidging of copper grease on it, and put it back in slowly, one turn forwards, half a turn back, until it begins to nip up. You should be able to see if this is at the right point. Then bring it all the way back out slowly, and give the threads a clean off. A bit more copper grease, back in until it nips, and gently torque it to the required setting.

If it won't torque up; it just keeps spinning, not good news, but I wouldn't think it's a 'new fork leg type of 'Oh dear'. Not sure what size the bolt is, but I'd be looking at getting the hole re-threaded one size up and fitting a bigger bolt. A decent independent (car or bike) or a light engineering spot should be able to do that with no probs. Don't try this yourself if you're not used to tapping; the tap can bind in the hole. If the tap snaps in there, that is an 'Oh dear'!

No doubt somebody will be along soon to say I'm talking a load of bollox, but that's what I'd do...

 

[ianboydsnr]

What would I do? I'd try it myself, it may just be a bit of crap on the threads; Aluminium and steel do react and can form a salty deposit. Try loosening it gently, if it comes right out, check the threads for a whitish deposit, what you don't want to see are bits of ally in the threads.

If it is salty, try a smidging of copper grease on it, and put it back in slowly, one turn forwards, half a turn back, until it begins to nip up. You should be able to see if this is at the right point. Then gently torque it to the required setting.

If it won't torque up; it just keeps spinning, not good news, but I wouldn't think it's a 'new fork leg type of 'Oh dear'. Not sure what size the bolt is, but I'd be looking at getting the hole re-threaded one size up and fitting a bigger bolt. A decent indepencent (car or bike) or a light engineering spot should be able to do that with no probs. Don't try this yourself if you're not used to tapping; the tap can bind in the hole. If the tap snaps in there, that is an 'Oh dear'!

No doubt somebody will be along soon to say I'm talking a load of bollox, but that's what I'd do...

use a timesert or helicoil kit, timeserts are better though, actually if you put the bike on a lift, unbolt the telelever bridge, wheel, brakes, the fork leg just slides out, its full of oil mind, drain and take it to someone who can helicoil, assuming you cant yourself, without stripping down

 

[cookie]

1) They said that this wasn't a safety issue

2) Should I get it fixed before I ride any further?

1) they're either lying or idiots.

2) yes.


as said before, the thread in the fork leg is probably damaged. try a tap of the right size and see if it cleans up. any doubt, get it helicoiled.

"not a safety issue". feck me! it only holds the fecking axle straight & partly affects the structural integrity of the forks

muppets.

 

[THE PICT]

Get a longer bolt/set screw long enough to go all the way through and put a nylok nut on the other end.