Neco Headset Expander Top Cap Star Nut Plug Bolt Stem Expanding Nut Bolt Carbon Fiber Cap Cover Long Large Size

These work really well, and they have a feature that at least some competitors do not, and its a big help.Its something you wouldn't really think of until you use a competing product that doesn't have it. These expanders work by expanding until they press against the interior of your carbon fiber steering tube. So what happens when you loosen the expander and thus shrink it? With a different brand... the expander lost its tension against the steering tube and fell right down to the bottom of it.The Neco expander has a lip on its top that fits over the top of your steering tube. It prevents this from happening. It also ensures a specific, consistent position for the cap.Its not a big deal until you work with an expander that doesn't have this, which I had two of (they were different brands, too). A very nice convenience and an expander cap that, beyond this, is made of what appear to be top quality parts.

I was a little concerned by the people who posted reviews saying this compression plug slipped, even when torqued to spec. But, I decided to take a chance because I wanted something longer than usual in order to provide extra strength to the carbon steer tube.As it turned out, this design is no different than any other (except for the length). It is made well, and has a surface that is textured to grip well on the inside of the steer tube. It worked as expected, and just as well as any other.I question whether the people who said it slipped were in fact applying too much torque to the cap screw. Too much torque would definitely cause even a properly secured expanding compression plug to slip, but it's important to know that very little torque is actually needed when tightening down the capscrew. Apply just enough to prevent the headset from knocking. On my bike that was only about 3 N-m. Any more and you'll ruin your headset (the bearings).One other thing, the title -- Neco Headset Expander Top Cap Star Nut Plug Bolt Stem Expanding Nut -- is incorrect because this is neither a headset, nor a star nut. A better title might be "Neco Steertube Compression Plug / Expanding Nut, includes top cap".

I bought the long one for my carbon steerer tube, and it is working fine with the extension I put on. I figure it'll give the tube some beef to strengthen it.

These should be considered mandatory for any fork with a carbon steerer tube, as they prevent compression damage to the steerer. In addition to the stem clamp, the compression ring which centers the top bearing race of a threadless headset also compresses the carbon steerer, and does so exactly at the point where the torque exerted by the stem on the steerer is maximum. The damage to the carbon steerer is referred to in the carbon bike business as the “ring of death.” Therefore, one should use a compression plug tall enough that the plug extends inside the steerer below the level of the compression ring. The deeper the better, as if the steerer tube breaks, only the compression plug will give you steering control of the bike.

This neco small 1" compression cap fits great inside my 1" steerer tube carbon fork. I don't think you need to waste extra $ for the carbon cap since I purchased the aluminum cap but just ended up using my old colorful cap since I really didn't want the words "neco" on my steerer top. Works great. No more needing to find/pay someone to pound in that star nut. Easy DIY.

Wont slip down in to fork tube because of ridge at top. Extends all the way down past headset bearing, giving support inside entire carbon fork tube. The top of my expensive fork had been overtightened with a small 3/8 inch long vertical crack starting at top of tube. I didn't want to cut the fork down any further so sought something that would provide more clamp support within the fork tube. After fitting this part and riding a couple of hundred miles on gravel, I disassembled for inspection and the crack has not expanded, I believe due to the support added behind the clamp area of the stem clamps. A bit heavy (alloy) but worth it for peace of mind.

The top expansion wedge has a different angle than the lower one. Thus as you tighten it and the wedges pull together, the top expands more than the bottom. This means there will be more force on the inside of the steerer tube right at the top of the plug and less at the bottom of the plug. This seems pretty dangerous. You could easily damage the steerer tube with this localized force. I wouldn’t install this on my bike and just returned it.

Not what I thought it was