Nearly two weeks have gone by since my last attempt to get the slack out of Kuroko’s new headset. At last today it’s a bit cooler, and too rainy and windy to ride. Taken together, it made the perfect opportunity to take my time and get it right, without constantly wiping sweat out of my eyes.

I’d had a couple of thoughts in the intervening weeks:

• Have a look at the split washer at the top of the headset to make sure it’s fully engaged, and
• Replace the cinq5 stem cap (with its integrated USB charging port) with the stem cap that came with the new fork

The split washer holds the steerer tube in the upper headset bearing. It can keep the fork from slipping out of the frame when the stem is removed, as well.

So, stem off and spacers removed, I had a look at the split washer. It seemed a bit proud of the upper edge of the bearing. I tried wedging and hammering it down a bit with the tip of a screwdriver, but didn’t make any difference.

I could easily pull it out, though, so I did to have a look. And I noticed a bit of the manufacturer’s seal still stuck on the steerer tube. So I pulled the fork out of the frame (balancing the fork, handlebars and frame in two hands) and managed to pull off the remainder of the seal without dropping anything.

I put the newly clean fork back in the headset and replaced the split washer, which fit in with a resounding snap. In the process I noted it’s a metal washer, not like the flimsy extruded plastic bit on Dionysus’s headset. So it was fitting in place well, and I wasn’t going to improve on that with any pressure or hammering.

One culprit remains

(Other than my own incompetence, of course … )

I put the spacers back on the steerer tube (less the one I’d added two weeks ago, as I’d determined it wasn’t helping), and screwed on the cinq5 stem cap again. As soon as I tested the headset — holding the front brake and rocking the bike back and forth — I knew I hadn’t fixed the issue. I could still feel the slack in the headset. In addition, the top cover of the headset and the spacers were turning freely when they should have been clamped in place.

I tried once again by working the stem down firmly on the steerer tube with one hand while tightening the stem cap with the other, but it didn’t make any difference.

And after what was now something like the 10th try, I knew it was time to give up on the cinq5. I fetched the stem cap and plug that had come with the new fork. The plug was not even half the length of the one on the cinq5, but it was a much tighter fit. I had to grease it up to get it into the steerer tube.

That done, I tried the White Industries stem cap that came with the headset, for a bit of bling, but it wasn’t a good fit. I shrugged and used the cap that came with the fork. I made a token effort to line up the lettering with the front of the bike. And then I snugged it down.

And the spacers and headset were snug. Not quite holding my breath, I aligned the handlebars and front wheel and torqued the stem up to spec. And I pulled the brake and rocked the bike.

And it was good. There was no wiggle, no play. And I’m happy. As a finishing touch I put a bit of electrical tape over the hole in the stem cap. (It’s there to allow me to wire up a charger, the same solution as the cinq5 cap but without the actual USB port.)

As to that front brake

I’d given the front brake a bleed after installing the new lighting, but wasn’t satisfied with the result. While waiting for a chance to have another go I ordered some fresh hydraulic fluid and a replacement for the bleeder cap, which was getting a bit rounded from repeated attacks with a hex wrench.

And just this week, I stumbled across this Tech Tuesday with Calvin and Truman, explaining how to clean brake pistons. “Hmm,” thought I, “that might help with the disc rubbing I’ve had recently.” So I resolved to give it a try, and in prep for that I got the hydraulic brake piston press used so effectively in the video.

After removing the front wheel, I opened the toolbox. And there I saw not one, but two Shimano professional disc brake bleed kits, in addition to the fresh bottle of fluid. I opened the first kit and to my surprise found a couple of ParkTook wrenches suitable for brake bleeding nuts. I’d looked in vain for these before bleeding the brakes more than a month ago. I’d obviously placed them in this box knowing they’d be there the next time I needed them — and then neglected to look in the box on the last go.

Truman doesn’t mention how difficult it is to get the cleaning towel all the way around the brake pistons. There’s barely any clearance. But I did what I could using paper towels and cotton swabs with a bit of brake fluid. The result was not pristine white pistons, but they were much better than when I’d started.

After pressing the pistons back flush with the calipers using the piston press, I sprayed everything with brake cleaner and put the pads back in. (They’ve got a few hundred kilometers in them yet.) Then I put the wheel back on and gave it a spin while squeezing the brake lever.

After a few squeezes, the pressure came up. And while not perfect, it was good enough. A big improvement on where things had been after the last bleed — and without actually doing an additional bleed this time. The piston cleaning paid off.

(I’ll do the rear when I replace the pads, which may still be later this year.)

I’m happy with that. I haven’t seen any light out of the dynamo yet, so for the moment I’m putting the battery lights back on. (If I find the dynamo lights are in fact not working, I’ll have another go at the soldered connections.)

The Tour de Chiba is in two weeks. I’ll be able to get in some commuting this week and next on Dionysus, and probably one ride on Kuroko next weekend. In preparation I’ve put the saddle bag back on, and I’ve put the new minitool in there along with the things I previously had in the now-missing cockpit bag: tissues, patch kit, a tensioning wrench for the Brooks saddle.