# Hollow star bolt and nut 101



## brian_404 (Jan 28, 2007)

Well, I picked up and installed a hollow star bolt and nut on my P2. If you don't know what this is, it lets you run your front brake cable/hose threw your front fork and out the bottom of the fork, down your fork leg (as normal) back to your brake. It lets you to do bar spins, x-ups easier... I took some pics after I had already started. It's pretty easy to do. You just remove the top cap. Then you need to use a long screw driver and hammer and tap the star nut all the way down and out the bottom of the fork. It's not hard, you just have to take your time. You have to use the new hollow bolt to tap in the new star nut, due to the center being much large than a regular star nut. A installation tool will not work. You have to tap it slowly, and keep it straight going in. Let me tell you. It's wroth taking the time to install one... I mit have to install longer gear and rear brake cables... Here are some pics...


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

You could've just drilled out the old star fangled nut.


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## Fox787 (Jun 2, 2005)

You do know they sell a special star nut tool for those right?


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## brian_404 (Jan 28, 2007)

tapping it out worked fine. you could spend a couple of hours trying to drill out that star nut, and way? my LBS didn't have an over sized install tool. the way i did it worked fine, plus i didn't have the shell out $50.00 bucks for a tool that i will only use one time...


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Actually it takes about 30 seconds with a dull bit to drill it out. I have no idea where you got a couple hours from. Plus drilling it doesn't score the steerer like punching it out will.

Yes, there is a special tool, but yes, it works fine to just tap it in, as long as it goes in straight.


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## brian_404 (Jan 28, 2007)

right on... i asked my LBS about drilling it out. he said just tap it out. that star nut is pretty hard metal. and as i was tapping in the new nut, i did it slow and made sure i was tapping it in straight...


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Why scratch up your steerer? Star nut removal is a cinch...

https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=130067


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## brian_404 (Jan 28, 2007)

i asked them about that. they said no one going to see it, and it doesn't hurt anything... but thats a good idea. thats what i'll do next time... :thumbsup:


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

Or, maybe you could have just drilled a hole in the top cap and star nut to the side of the center bolt, then run the cable/hose through. 
a lot of bmx top caps now are all drilled out to the max (look at Odysseys new ones and the Sunday too), but that is mostly for weight savings as they don't run a front brake anyway, and the top cap is usually 1pc integrated with threads that go into the threaded inner dia. of the fork, instead of a separate little bolt and star nut. Some used to use welded in star nuts, but they are moving away from that too...


and also, some forks don't allow you to punch the star nut all the way through the steerer tube since the bottom is tapered to a smaller diameter or nearly enclosed. Like the Fox36 for example. mine only has a small pencil sized hole near the bottom. 
I have seen some LBS's so careless as to just push down the old star fangled nut half-way into the steerer, then just install a new one above it... that is stupid lazy right there, I'd be pissed if it was my bike...


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## quintessence22 (Oct 17, 2005)

So is that what Chase and Lenosky does in these pics?
Drill a hole in the top cap and also through the star nut?

If I can avoid buying the hollow star nut/bolt kit then I'd go that route.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

quintessence22 said:


> So is that what Chase and Lenosky does in these pics?
> Drill a hole in the top cap and also through the star nut?
> 
> If I can avoid buying the hollow star nut/bolt kit then I'd go that route.


yep, that's what I was talking about. It also helps because you can still adjust your stem/preload without having to take out your cable, or worse yet, having to remove your hydro cable, then having to rebleed everytime!!!


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

Make sure you round all edges. The drawback to that method could be shredded cable housings very easily. As the fork moves through its travel, the cable goes up and down through that hole, any sharp edges will act like a cheese grater.
All the star nuts I've ever had were adjustable without removing the cable.


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## Ojai Bicyclist (Nov 4, 2005)

Yeah, you can just use an end wrench to adjust preload on hollow bolts.


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