Show me your top caps!

[Dr.Dos]

Perfection (imho as I do not like the CF looks there), looking so flat and underlines the slammed look.



https://www.bike-components.de/de/3min1 ... arz-1-1-8-

[BenScott144]

Perfection (imho as I do not like the CF looks there), looking so flat and underlines the slammed look.



https://www.bike-components.de/de/3min1 ... arz-1-1-8-

Who knew I could get so excited about a top cap... something so simple is so perfect

[andreas]

Supacaz Holographic, got a few similar items to bling up an otherwise matte black bike... bar end caps, bottle cages, bolts, tubeless valves, pulley wheel and rotors.

[RichTheRoadie]

Guilloche'd brass:

[gwilson]

Canadian flag + matches the frame

[Steve Curtis]

Perfection (imho as I do not like the CF looks there), looking so flat and underlines the slammed look.



https://www.bike-components.de/de/3min1 ... arz-1-1-8-

That's just clean a simple. One thing I like is the slightly tapered edge instead of a hard corner.

[Maddie]

Guilloche'd brass:

Selfmade? Looks mesmerizing!

[RichTheRoadie]

Selfmade? Looks mesmerizing!

Not self-made, no - it's from Kumo Cycles.

I got a camera shutter button to match, just for sh*ts & giggles!

[BenScott144]

Perfection (imho as I do not like the CF looks there), looking so flat and underlines the slammed look.



https://www.bike-components.de/de/3min1 ... arz-1-1-8-

Such a shame they're only sold on that one site

[StanK]

Yes, very nice, very simple, clean lines, thin, flat ... I like it. And very light, but lightness comes with a price.
The first customer review on that page says a lot. Aluminum screw is not a good enough solution in that place.

[BenScott144]

Yes, very nice, very simple, clean lines, thin, flat ... I like it. And very light, but lightness comes with a price.
The first customer review on that page says a lot. Aluminum screw is not a good enough solution in that place.

Yeah, could buy the cap and swap out the screw though

[joejack951]

Yes, very nice, very simple, clean lines, thin, flat ... I like it. And very light, but lightness comes with a price.
The first customer review on that page says a lot. Aluminum screw is not a good enough solution in that place.

Yeah, could buy the cap and swap out the screw though

Or preload bearings using a steel screw, clamp stem, then replace the steel screw with the aluminum version. All it is doing is holding the cap in place at that point anyway.

My 'solution' to the top cap is to not use one at all. Here are some images of my bond-in-place steerer tube inserts which both reinforce the steerer where the stem clamps on and cap off the top of the steerer. A top cap (and a spacer) is used for preloading the bearings then removed after the stem clamp is tightened. The small plastic screw plugs the hole. I'm running an early version on my Hong Fu before I got the idea to make it flush on top.

[BenScott144]

Yes, very nice, very simple, clean lines, thin, flat ... I like it. And very light, but lightness comes with a price.
The first customer review on that page says a lot. Aluminum screw is not a good enough solution in that place.

Yeah, could buy the cap and swap out the screw though

Or preload bearings using a steel screw, clamp stem, then replace the steel screw with the aluminum version. All it is doing is holding the cap in place at that point anyway.

My 'solution' to the top cap is to not use one at all. Here are some images of my bond-in-place steerer tube inserts which both reinforce the steerer where the stem clamps on and cap off the top of the steerer. A top cap (and a spacer) is used for preloading the bearings then removed after the stem clamp is tightened. The small plastic screw plugs the hole. I'm running an early version on my Hong Fu before I got the idea to make it flush on top.

Oooh.
But if bonded in, can never change the height?

[Steve Curtis]

If that screw wasn't dead in line it would piss me off looking at that every ride.

[joejack951]

Oooh.
But if bonded in, can never change the height?

There is a certain amount of commitment one must make it bonding the insert in place, but not unlike the commitment of running a stem slammed. Any shortening would require cutting through the insert. If a small adjustment (say 10-20mm), the remaining bonded 'tube' inside of the fork could just have a star nut driven into it. If making a drastic change (30-40mm), the small remaining ring could be carefully removed and a new insert bonded in place.

If you wanted to change heights back and forth as some do, you would simply leave the steerer taller than the stem, adding a spacer under it as desired.

If the concern was swapping between stems of different clamp heights, I'd recommend cutting the steerer for the tallest clamp and running a small spacer under the stem to compensate for shorter clamps, thus always achieving a flush top.