Have I busted my star fangled nut?

[Polar Bear]

I decided to change the forks on my auduax machine so I could have a longer steerer and mount an accessory bar above the stem.  This would give me plenty of extra gadget room, including space to put a small light to illuminate the map in the dark.  I had a nice pair of steel ones made with a long and uncut steerer.

Anyhow, the bike iis a mk1 Carpe Diem which takes a 1 inch headset.  Duly converted to threadless of course.   I put all the spacers, stem, more spacers, and the SJS accessory bar on (with a standard stem shim for 1 inch to 1 1/8th inch which seems rather a snug fit I might add), another spacer and the top cap.  Started winding down on the top cap but it got very hard.   Undid and removed the top cap and spacer and discovered that  I've managed to partly pull the SFN out.   Some of its wings have bent, some free of the top of the steerer.

Not sure what is best to do now.   How can I get the knackered one out?   Why did it happen anyway?  Anybody know of a bung style top widgety thing for 1 inch?   

Thoughts and advice gratefully received.

[gordon taylor]

I'd hammer it down out of the way and put a new one in. They are as cheap as chips from a good LBS.

[andygates]

Seconded.

[Deano]

Yep, I've over-tightened a headset and bent the star nut before - I just carried the fork down to the LBS and they put a new one in for a fiver. 

I wouldn't try re-using it.

[Biggsy]

Anybody know of a bung style top widgety thing for 1 inch?

M:Part from Wiggle - http://tinyurl.com/237g9q.  I much prefer them to SFNs.

[Polar Bear]

Anybody know of a bung style top widgety thing for 1 inch?

M:Part from Wiggle - http://tinyurl.com/237g9q.  I much prefer them to SFNs.

You're a star, as usual Sir, and not one of those fangled nut ones either  ;DI

[Biggsy]

You're welcome, PB.

I've just remembered something, though.  Hope it's not too late...

The M:Part one is too small for alloy 1" forks with relatively thin walls.  It's Ok for 19.5mm internal diameter, not OK for 20.5mm.

With my thinner-walled ITM Synper 1" forks I use a Woodman bung, but I'm not sure these are available any more.  Try Chain Reaction.

Places like Parker International and DotBike may have others.

[Polar Bear]

You're welcome, PB.

I've just remembered something, though.  Hope it's not too late...

The M:Part one is too small for alloy 1" forks with relatively thin walls.  It's Ok for 19.5mm internal diameter, not OK for 20.5mm.

With my thinner-walled ITM Synper 1" forks I use a Woodman bung, but I'm not sure these are available any more.  Try Chain Reaction.

Places like Parker International and DotBike may have others.

Thanks for that too.  It's a steel fork with a steel steerer.   I had it made because I didn't really like the carbon fork with alloy steerer I had, and I wanted the extra steerer stack height.   I'll get the micrometerer out and measure the interal diameter.   

Either way I need to either ram the knackered SFN down the steerer or find a way of extracting it.   The former I think, probably!

[Biggsy]

Steel steerers tend to have large internal diameters.

There is a TA bung that is supposed to fit any size (thanks to the various sets of rubber band things it comes with):

www.dotbike.com/ProductsP163.aspx?A=3&TRACK=DPL

[andrew_s]

Some of its wings have bent, some free of the top of the steerer.

Why did it happen anyway?

It happens when the SFN isn't installed straight, and it's twisted straight afterwards by screwing in a bolt and levering.

[Polar Bear]

Some of its wings have bent, some free of the top of the steerer.

Why did it happen anyway?

It happens when the SFN isn't installed straight, and it's twisted straight afterwards by screwing in a bolt and levering.

Ah, interestingly, it's the first one I haven't fitted myself for ages.  I asked the fork supplier to whack one in as part of the job.