Are spacers compulsory on a bike?

Got a new fork that is 19cm steerer and the one i had fitted was 22cm.

I put everything up and i can see it exactly fitting without any spacers - just fork, bearings, stem, and top cap.

Will that affect anything?

Thanks!

IC

Your handlebars will be lower, although if it's only 3mm you'll struggle to notice.

i had three spacers fitted. 10mm each.

If the steerer tube is flush with the top of the stem you won't be able to get any tension on the headset bearings. Also, if you've a carbon steerer you should have a spacer above the stem.

its a steel frame. and no i know what you mean, i think i can get tension on the headset bearings just as enough.

Sorry, read your initial post in mm, daft really, imagine a steerer only 19mm long! I blame the wine.

Good, but if you find you can't just put a slim spacer in... You only need a couple of mm over the top of the steerer

What does the spacer above the stem do for carbon? Sounds like internet bullshit.

Stem is less likely to crush to the steerer below where it was cut. Or something. The full length of the clamp is braced, where as a bit of it isn't when you don't have a spacer on top.

Some set-ups like Cannondale's are the opposite and dislike spacers above the stem as they have a special top cap that braces the steerer.

That's just not possible. The carbon steerer column is full of bung.

your full of bung

You're are too

Yeabut Zinn

That's old as shit.

That'll be the same 'Zinn' who thinks I need 22omm cranks....

Yeah - you need at least 300mm, right?

Sore looser

I saw a few that were 'full of bung' but still crushed at the top due to this. PPL are stupid.

That said I saw plenty that were fine too.

'Loser'

#justdontgetitbro

I've just fitted a Marzocchi DJ2 fork to an Identiti Crisis frame and found the steerer stopped 2-3mm below the stem with no spacers at all.

Need to see whether I can get a lower top bearing cover for an Orbit MX EC34 headset.

So, it was like ironical or something

What kind of a clown explains their jokes?

one with more self loathing and doubt than the other clowns.

De de de diddle de de de did dede

Wait, since when do you need a spacer above the stem for carbon steerers? What is this pseudoscience? Or is it genuine?