How does a stem clamp work on a mountain bike?
Rotating the bar in the stem clamp changes the position of the controls surface, giving more or less backsweep and upsweep. How you set up the bar depends on personal taste and riding style, but most riders opt for a position where the rise section (between the bends) is near vertical.
What happens if you loosen the stem on a mountain bike?
This poorly distributes the stem’s clamping force and can lead to the bar slipping or being damaged, or even breaking completely. Bolts on one side of the stem can loosen as you do up those on the other side. Counter this by using cross-sequential tightening.
What causes a bolt to lose its clamp force?
These repeated movements work against the friction between the bolt and joint threads that is holding the joint together. Eventually, vibration will cause the bolt to “unwind” from the mating threads and the joint to lose its clamp force.
How to tighten the cap on a mountain bike?
Counter this by using cross-sequential tightening. Tighten all bolts to finger-tight then (looking at the cap head-on) tighten the top right bolt by two turns, then the bottom left two turns, then the top left two turns, lastly the bottom right two turns.
What kind of clamps do I need for a bolt?
Unlike other setup clamps that grip the horizontal surface of a workpiece, these clamps have a pivoting ball in the tip to get a firm hold on angled parts. Making minimal contact with the workpiece while holding securely, these clamps are good for small parts and can clamp into holes and notches.
How do you release a McMaster bolt clamp?
Hold the workpiece down against a bench or table. Press the quick-release button and slide the screw into position to make adjustments in less time. For repetitive clamping, turn the holding screw to adjust the opening size one time, and then use the handle to secure and release workpieces.
How is the length of a bicycle bolt measured?
The bolt length is measured from the end of the threads to the bottom of the bolt head. That’s the length of the shaft, excluding the head. In the example it is 50mm long. The thread pitch is the distance between threads measured in millimeters along the length of the bolt. Determining the thread pitch can be difficult without…
Why does my seat post keep slipping on my bike?
The clamp that holds your seat post in place in the bike frame is either a plain bolt-on type, or a quick-release. The quick-release models are convenient, because they allow you to change your seat height as needed without using any tools. However, the bolt-on models do tend you keep your seatpost in place more reliably.