Serious question, why do people overtighten headset bearings?

I just had a guy bring in a bike where the headset was so tight the bars would barely turn. He said he'd watched a video and cranked it down to stop wobble. Waste of 20 minutes of his time and mine. The top cap just needs to remove play, not clamp the fork tight. How do you explain this to customers without sounding like a jerk?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas2911mo ago

Dude, yes! I had the exact same thing happen with a buddy's bike last summer. He brought it over all proud, said he followed a YouTube tutorial to "dial in" the headset. I couldn't even spin the handlebars an inch without lifting the front wheel... I felt like a jerk for having to explain that the top cap is just to take out play, not to clamp the fork tight. He kept insisting he wanted it "solid", but I was like man, it's supposed to turn. Total waste of a Saturday afternoon fixing something that wasn't even broken.

leo_carr131mo ago

Three bikes in my garage say I've made that exact mistake too.