The headset on my stunt bike is loose, i've tried tightening the rings on the outside, but it's not working...

Question: What do i do? This is a non-motorized bike by the way. Also please specify what tools your using, thank you!

Answer: first, you can always bring it in to your local bike shop, to make sure it's tightened up correctly, and they can tell you if they see any problems with your headset. they also have the right tools for the job. there's two basic types of headsets: threaded and threadless. since you're trying to tighten up the rings, i'm assuming you have a threaded headset. to tighten it up, you'll need two adjustable wrenches, if you don't have special headset wrenches. tightening it by hand won't cut it. You should see at the top of your headset (below your stem)two things: a top "cap" that tightens down on the top ball bearings with the top of this cap cut like a six-sided nut. And you should see a separate six-sided nut called a "locknut" on top of the "cap". sometimes there's a spacer in between. to tighten this, you won't have to loosen your stem. 1) loosen the locknut with a wrench by turning it counterclockwise. 2) now that the locknut is out of the way, you can tighten the top cap. first tighten by hand if it's really loose, and then with a wrench. you want to tighten it so that there's no wobbling, but not so tight that it's difficult to turn your handlebars left and right. I usually tighten it so its a little difficult to turn, and then back it off a little til turning is smooth. 3) once you've got it where it feels good, what you want to do is tighten down the locknut on the cap without moving the cap at all. you do that by using one wrench to hold the cap in place while using the other wrench to turn the locknut clockwise until it's jammed against the cap. the main problem you'll encounter is that often times, the locknut and cap are too close to each other to be able to use two adjustable wrenches. and adj wrenches that can open that big (usually 32 or 36mm) tend to be kinda chunky. that's why they make special headset wrenches that are flat. but if you can fit two adjustable wrenches in there so that you can turn the locknut while holding the cap in place, go for it. good luck. PS if you don't see any locknuts or threads, just smooth spacers (or even nothing) between your stem and headset, then you have a threadless headset, that locks down is completely different way.

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