S-Works SL7 Fork/Headset Recall.

[dmbiscuit]

I had my compression ring and expander plug replaced, but my steerer had no signs of wear at all. I'm considering going back to the original expander plug since this is weight weenies after all... It did take Specialized almost 2 weeks to get my replacement parts to the shop since they insist on using FedEx, but the shop itself was great in getting the job done same day once parts arrived.

[sigma]

If weight is purely your concern, then bin the original expander for an extralite or schmolke one...

[CustomMetal]

Can we please stop feeding this troll?

Mods, please ban him already. There was a warning post by a mod few days ago telling him not to make one more Durian post, and here we are probably 20 posts later.

He has had an official warning. One more on any thread and he will be sent on holiday

[Berwil]

LBS fixed mine last week, fork was ok, so well done.

[tiz92]

I have a Tarmac SL7 Pro bought in november 2020 with 16.000 km in ~ 500 hours. Although I ride mostly on good tarmac fork was in perfect condition, zero issues, lbs changed the parts today.

[Nick38]

I had an email from my dealer whilst I was on my hols last month, booked them in for last week (I have the SL7 Expert, Pro and S-Works ) had all three done and finished by 2pm, no signs of ware, great service IMO from Specialized and my dealer Infinity Cycles in the UK

Having seen some of the photos mind how the hell you snap a steerer is beyond me!!!

[carborush]

Has anyone tried to remove the new expander plug once it has been installed ? I want to cut my fork a bit shorter, but the plug is "impossible" to remove.
Any tips ?

I'm already bending the red edges slightly trying to squeeze it out.

[BikeTyson]

Has anyone tried to remove the new expander plug once it has been installed ? I want to cut my fork a bit shorter, but the plug is "impossible" to remove.
Any tips ?
20211228_173031.jpg

I'm already bending the red edges slightly trying to squeeze it out.

It's the same process as the old one. You shouldn't need to bend anything. Take off the stem also, it'll help. Basically you loosen the bolt until it's just grabbing some, then hit it with a hammer to dislodge the bottom wedge piece. Then you'll use a nut to hook the top wedge and pop it out. Then flip the fork over to get the bottom wedge out. Here's a video.

https://youtu.be/YNizysonc74

[carborush]

That makes sense. Thanks for the tip.

[resurtm]

Hey! Great topic!

Sorry for necroposting (I'm not really familiar with rules of the forum).

It turned out my bike is also affected. I'm lucky I have to replace only
the steerer/expander part (the red colored thingy). Does anybody know
where and how I can buy the new version of it? It might be my dealer
will reject to replace it, but I'm completely fine to pay for it and do all
the replacement work myself.

I saw something on the well-known chinese online retail service/website
(red colors, starting with "ali"). Could be found by the "SL7 expander"
text in the search input there. Any opinions on that? Anybody tried it
already? Looking at the pictures there it seems to be it's completely
the same part (as what Specialized used to replace with).

I'm also lucky my fork's steerer looks super clean and super new after I
disassembled a bit of the headset on my bike. Should be fine to use it
for a while with the old expander, I'm Zwift'ing anyways and no outdoor
riding during winter.

Thanks all!

[treyxt]

Hey! Great topic!

Sorry for necroposting (I'm not really familiar with rules of the forum).

It turned out my bike is also affected. I'm lucky I have to replace only
the steerer/expander part (the red colored thingy). Does anybody know
where and how I can buy the new version of it? It might be my dealer
will reject to replace it, but I'm completely fine to pay for it and do all
the replacement work myself.

I saw something on the well-known chinese online retail service/website
(red colors, starting with "ali"). Could be found by the "SL7 expander"
text in the search input there. Any opinions on that? Anybody tried it
already? Looking at the pictures there it seems to be it's completely
the same part (as what Specialized used to replace with).

I'm also lucky my fork's steerer looks super clean and super new after I
disassembled a bit of the headset on my bike. Should be fine to use it
for a while with the old expander, I'm Zwift'ing anyways and no outdoor
riding during winter.

Thanks all!

Any specialized dealer will do it for you, not just the one who sold you the frame. If the dealer is refusing to help with a recall issue then contact specialized and tell them, i'm sure that'll get the ball rolling.

[storcky]

Has anyone tried to remove the new expander plug once it has been installed ? I want to cut my fork a bit shorter, but the plug is "impossible" to remove.
Any tips ?
20211228_173031.jpg

I'm already bending the red edges slightly trying to squeeze it out.

Had the same issue. Problem is, that the upper compression ring (below the top screw) keep clamping in the compression tube.

I did the following:
Loosen the center screw some threds. Push the screw with a little hammer to loosen the lower compression ring. Unmount the centerscrew.

Try to loose/pull the top compression ring with a barb thru the center hole. I used the head of a long M5 screw grabbed by a pliers.

When the top ring is loose its easy to pull out the aluminum shaft of the conpressor.

In other words try to pull the black ring out of the red shaft.

In my opinion this compressor is a engineering fail in regards to hussle to unmount it...

[resurtm]

FWIW:

TL; DR: nothing really special. Just a typical response from support.

Specialized SL7 steerer recall response

[pushpush]

Is there a way to easily visually confirm if the recall replacement has already been performed, or does it require pulling the expander?

[resurtm]

Is there a way to easily visually confirm if the recall replacement has already been performed, or does it require pulling the expander?

No, you don't need to pull it out. Check the photos here:

https://cyclingtips.com/2021/10/why-spe ... nt-lesson/

The red one is a good/fixed one. I can confirm mine was black before the actual recall/replacement, and I checked it again, and it's now red-colored.