![]() It is an assembly that contains both a wheel and a bracket for it, sometimes called a “fork,” or “yoke” And this bracket that contains it is what separates it from the regular wheel. CastersĪ caster does indeed include a wheel. If you’re inquiring about the difference between a wheel and a caster, chances are you’re more interested in the caster and what it can do for you. But it’s only been about 150 years since the even more versatile caster was first patented. The invention of the wheel 5000 years ago has changed the way humans live, work and create. The wheel is used for many mechanical purposes. One might also define it as a circular cylinder of greater or lesser width that spins around on an axle, much like the wheels on a car. It’s a round object that will have a hole in the center to use as a shaft to make it work for whatever purpose you need, and that can be anything. So let’s define exactly what the difference between a caster and a wheel is. And knowing the correct name of the product is key there. In materials handling, as in many other fields, when it comes to looking for a certain product, you have to be very specific in naming what you want. A typical torque spec is 4–6 Nm.Many people may not know what a caster is, but when they see it, they may simply define it as a wheel. Verify that the bars still turn freely with little resistance. If you feel play, loosen the pinch bolts, tighten the top cap another 1/8th turn, re-tighten the pinch bolts, and check again. It may also help to turn the handlebars 90 degrees - this isolates fork play. Put your fingers on the top bearing cover of the headset and the top cup of the headset and feel for play, which can be felt as a slight knock. Test the headset adjustment by holding the front brake firmly and rock the bike back and forth. It can be helpful to use a ruler or other long object against the fork legs as a reference point. If the motion of the bars feels sticky or hesitant, loosen the top cap 1/8th of a turn and test again. Test the headset adjustment by lifting the bike and pushing the bars back and forth - the bars should turn freely with very little resistance. ![]() Snug the top cap down until there is slight resistance. Many bars have markings to aid in centering It can be helpful to straddle the bike for stability. This procedure can be done with the bike in a repair stand with the front wheel removed, or on the ground. Measure to center of bar clamp if desiring to replicate bar height Steering column spacers can be moved above or below the stem to change bar height. Note that a new stem may have a shorter or taller stack, which you will then need to account for with more, fewer, or different spacers. If you’d like to match the height of the original stem, measure from the top of the tire to the center of the handlebars and write it down for later reference. When installing a new stem it is important to pay attention to the height of the stem and the amount of spacers that you were running before. They allow for height adjustment, and they also play a role in headset adjustment. These spacers come in a multitude of different thicknesses, colors, and materials. Stems are usually accompanied on the steerer tube by spacers. Positive Rise (Top) and negative rise (bottom) When making drastic changes to the angle or length of the stem, changes to housing length may be required. This is often referred to as positive and negative rise. Stems can be installed in an up or down position to adjust the bar height without changing spacer orientation. These measurements are generally marked somewhere on the stem or its packaging. Stems also come in different lengths - measured from the center of the steerer tube to the bar center - and angles - typically between 0 and 20 degrees. They will also have 2–6 bolts (F) securing the faceplate (G), although in some cases they hook on with one side and bolt on with the other. Threadless stems will typically have 1–3 pinch bolts (D) used in conjunction with a compression slot (E) to hold the stem to the steerer tube. For more information, see Stem Removal & Installation: Quill Stems The stems used with these systems are referred to as “quill stems”. Many older bikes and some lower-end bikes have threaded steerer tubes. Threadless Stem (A), Spacers (B), and Top Cap (C) Finally, a top cap (C) keeps everything in place and acts as a headset adjustment. A stem (A) then clamps around the outside of the steerer tube along with spacers (B) if necessary. Torque wrench or torque driver with appropriate bitsĪ “threadless” stem refers to a system where a fork with a non-threaded steerer tube extends through the head tube.Appropriately sized hex or Torx®-compatible wrenches.
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