Brake quandry: (Soma Pescadero build)

[p nut]

Just picked up a Soma Pescadero (https://www.somafab.com/archives/product/pescadero-frame-set) frame. Not a lot of info out there about this frame.

I started transitioning away from disc brakes for one reason or another for a year or two now. One of the reasons, the simplicity of setting up, adjusting good ol' caliper brakes. But I couldn't fit big tires under them and no stock frame with road geo would take anything larger than ~35mm tires. That is, until I stumbled on the Pescadero. Supposedly fits 42mm tires.

I've got most of the parts. Campy Centaur just ordered from bike24. Will get some Zonda wheels. Most of other parts all in-hand. Just need to figure out the brakes.

This frame takes 57-73mm brakes. I would like to stick with caliper brakes, which means only option is Tektro R559's. I've used R539's, which performed ok. Wondering how the longer arms on the R559's will perform.

Other option is to go straight to Paul Racers. I'm not too keen on the aesthetics, but I'm sure they'll perform well. I've got Mini-moto's on my Strong (which will be up for sale once I determine this frame will work for me), which has worked really well.

I'm thinking of going R559's and getting some good pads and hoping for the best. Then moving to Paul's if they don't work out. R559's are only $45 for the pair.

Unless anyone knows of other 57-73mm brakes out there?

[mhespenheide]

There's also the Dia Compe 750's, and some people swear that the old Mafac are as good as anything modern once you update them to modern pads.

Let us know how it goes -- I'm intrigued.

[donevwil]

If you can find them used Rivendell once offered their house brand Silver long reach brakes which, from what I understand, are prettified 559s. No idea if they work any better though. Either way an immediate pad upgrade will be in the cards. My wife has Racers on a bike and 38s won't pass the pads unless air is let out, maybe research this if it matters to you before going that route. They do function far better than the Silvers did.

That's a nice looking frame.

[arimajol]

As someone who is disc-averse, I'm really interested to follow this thread, and your get your impressions of the soma when you've got it running.

[NHAero]

I run the 559s on my 1972 Bob Jackson, which was built for 27 inch rims, and for 32s plus fenders, so when I went to 700C the 559s were the caliper choice. They work acceptably. I have the Koolstop salmon pads on them. I rode the D2R2 115K a few years ago with them and didn't get into any trouble. This year I had my Anderson with hydro discs and that set-up is easier on my hands after a long day.

[jtakeda]

I have the riv silvers I used on a bike built for 27” rims that I converted to 650b.

Can’t say I can complain I think the 559s will be fine for you. There’s also the Velo orange grand cru fyi

[p nut]

The VO GC is only 47-57 aka mid reach.

I’ll move forward with R559’s. Much like the experiences here, all other reviews are mixed results. Sure wish their sister company TRP made a longer version of the 957’s.

If those don’t work, Paul’s it is.

FYI, I’m going to try out these Alligator I Link aluminum housing. Hope they work better and minimize the mushiness.

[zambenini]

I think Paul Racers look really sharp in the flesh. I always thought they looked weird til I saw them on a friend's Vanilla and did a double take. hooo!

[Mark Davison]

I have two vintage sport touring bikes running 650B x 38. One has Tektro 559s with salmon Koolstop pads. Braking is acceptable but a little squishy. The pads are at the bottom of their tracks. The other bike uses Rene Herse centerpull brakes in bolt-on configuration. This is a modern remake of Mafac Raids. Braking is very good, but the brakes will start to squeal if I let the pads get glazed. Rene Herse also makes replacement bushings if you want to revitalize an old pair of Mafac Raids. An advantage of the Tektros is that they use modern pad holders with spherical bushings so it is easy to adjust the pad angle to get good engagment with the rim and just the right amount of toe in. The Rene Herse brakes use the traditional pad holder on posts and offer a very crude form of toe in adjustement with an alternate set of washers.

If you go with Mafac Raids/ Rene Herse centerpulls I have discovered that you can use an old drill chuck to hold the brake shoe posts when you tighten the brake shoe mounting bolt. This allows you to keep your adjustments while you apply the final torque.

[thew]

I use 559s on a 650b conversion and they're a bit squishy but totally fine. This with stock pads and standard housing. I imagine koolstop pads and compressionless housing would improve them but I've felt no need to spend the extra $.

[NHAero]

An update from me since this thread is revived: I switched the 559 on the front (only) of my Bob Jackson to a Paul Racer with Koolstop pads, and it's a noticeable improvement. The Racer is definitely a lot fussier to set up but has a bunch better braking performance.

[Turkle]

I use the Tektro 559 on my beer bike, with Kool-Stop pads. It's totally fine for low-intensity riding around town, but I would definitely want something better for intense fast riding. But I'm 200 pounds on the dot so maybe it's just my big butt that's the problem rather than the brakes.

Have a frame being built for me around direct-mount Paul Racers. Excited to try those out soon.

[thew]

An update from me since this thread is revived

Whoops, I was getting all excited about seeing that Strong in the classifieds soon :).

[Billybob62]

I received my Pescadero in May (love it) and have about 2,000 miles riding it with R559's and salmon kool stop pads. I don't race but it seems to stop as well as anything else I own with rim brakes.

[NHAero]

Given that the Bob Jackson I refer to in this thread has been in my possession for 49 years, do you really expect to see the Strong up for sale soon? :)

I don't keep every bike I've ever had, like a few here, but once I find one that really works....it's got tenure!



Whoops, I was getting all excited about seeing that Strong in the classifieds soon :).

[max5480]

Nice to see this conversation happening about long reach brakess in this day and age. I'm familiar with all the brakes in this discussion but I have a question for all of you knowledgeable folks:
Currently I'm running Tektro 559 brakes on my All-City Mr. Pink but they are at the end of their vertical adjustment. I'm wondering if I should grind a little off the bottom of the brake to get a little more reach or if I should buy new brakes. I would love to have a Paul brake but they don't seem to have any more reach than my Tektro 559s. Then again, the Rene Herse brakes claim to have 80mm of reach. Also there are Dia-Compes with a supposed 78mm. I'm wondering if anyone has any direct experience with these brakes and could tell me if the Paul Racers have any more reach than the 559s, even if it's only one or two millimeters, which is all I need. Or maybe there is another brake such as the Dia-Compe long reach brakes you would recommend, which would be cheaper than the Rene Herse. Any advice would be appreciated.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[m_sasso]

Nice to see this conversation happening about long reach brakess in this day and age. I'm familiar with all the brakes in this discussion but I have a question for all of you knowledgeable folks:
I'm wondering if I should grind a little off the bottom of the brake to get a little more reach or if I should buy new brakes.

BDop Offset Brake Pad Holders https://bdopcycling.com/brake-pads-and-holders/

[p nut]

Nice to see this conversation happening about long reach brakess in this day and age. I'm familiar with all the brakes in this discussion but I have a question for all of you knowledgeable folks:
Currently I'm running Tektro 559 brakes on my All-City Mr. Pink but they are at the end of their vertical adjustment. I'm wondering if I should grind a little off the bottom of the brake to get a little more reach or if I should buy new brakes. I would love to have a Paul brake but they don't seem to have any more reach than my Tektro 559s. Then again, the Rene Herse brakes claim to have 80mm of reach. Also there are Dia-Compes with a supposed 78mm. I'm wondering if anyone has any direct experience with these brakes and could tell me if the Paul Racers have any more reach than the 559s, even if it's only one or two millimeters, which is all I need. Or maybe there is another brake such as the Dia-Compe long reach brakes you would recommend, which would be cheaper than the Rene Herse. Any advice would be appreciated.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

Are you running 650b wheels? When I had a Mr Pink, I used regular 105 brakes (running 700c wheels).

I don’t think you’ll find a longer reach brake than the 559’s. I currently have the DiaCompe 750’s and I doubt they’re any longer. Besides, power really suffers as it is. Adding even more length wouldn’t be ideal.

[Big Dan]

Yeah, maybe he's using 539's not 559's.

[rccardr]

Have both 559's and 539's on a handful of bikes that require long(er) reach calipers. Both models work very well when set up with aftermarket pads, high end cables (Shimano drawn stainless is my personal pref) and quality housing (Jagwire gets used here). If they work well going down Skyline Drive or Cedar Mountain/Santa Rita at Eroica, they'll do well anywhere.

Also find that brake levers can be a big part of the equation, as these calipers seem to work best with either Tektro's own levers or Shimano SLR's & very poorly with Campagnolo or pre-SLR Shimano levers. Can't speak to how well they work with STI's or Ergo's.

[jamesdak]

I ran the Dia Compe 750's on my 650b conversions and really never saw the need for more brake. Since they were a long reach stopping a fairly heavy bike with a fairly heavy rider I did all I could to max out the performance. High end cables and housings paired with the beautiful and great feeling TRP RRL brake levers. I also used Dia Compe Roller Straddles to improve things a bit.

https://pbase.com/jhuddle/image/167840617.jpg

https://pbase.com/jhuddle/image/167840625.jpg

https://pbase.com/jhuddle/image/167840621.jpg

https://pbase.com/jhuddle/image/167840626.jpg

I remember deciding to go with this and figuring on having to upgrade the pads. But if I remember correctly, once I set things up I didn't see a need. Even though the were some issues getting the brake housing set up properly with gentle curves that just never quite sorted out to my liking.

[oldpotatoe]

I ran the Dia Compe 750's on my 650b conversions and really never saw the need for more brake. Since they were a long reach stopping a fairly heavy bike with a fairly heavy rider I did all I could to max out the performance. High end cables and housings paired with the beautiful and great feeling TRP RRL brake levers. I also used Dia Compe Roller Straddles to improve things a bit.

https://pbase.com/jhuddle/image/167840617.jpg


I remember deciding to go with this and figuring on having to upgrade the pads. But if I remember correctly, once I set things up I didn't see a need. Even though the were some issues getting the brake housing set up properly with gentle curves that just never quite sorted out to my liking.

The answer particularly since he has a cable stop for the rear brake..

[max5480]

Ah yes, I can't believe I forgot to mention the Mr. Pink is 650b. The Tektro 559s give me plenty of stopping power for my needs with Ultegra levers and compressionless housing, I'm just looking for a brake with a few millimeters longer reach.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[skitlets]

Ah yes, I can't believe I forgot to mention the Mr. Pink is 650b. The Tektro 559s give me plenty of stopping power for my needs with Ultegra levers and compressionless housing, I'm just looking for a brake with a few millimeters longer reach.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

When I considered getting a Mr. Pink for 650b conversion, there was one user on reddit who filed down the 559s for additional reach, so you wouldn't be the first.

[Ssalmon]

I love my Tektro R559's. I’ve been using them on my commuter for years. I’d like to chime in that they have not been too mushy for me, and I’ve pulling 100 lbs of kids on wet leaf covered bike paths lately.

[fika]

An update from me since this thread is revived: I switched the 559 on the front (only) of my Bob Jackson to a Paul Racer with Koolstop pads, and it's a noticeable improvement. The Racer is definitely a lot fussier to set up but has a bunch better braking performance.

The racers really work well, I'm not light and they still have a scary amount of stopping power coming down a hill full speed.

Bad news though, I was inquiring about picking up a polished set to replace my black ones, and it looks like the racers are discontinued. Only the mediums are available now.

[Wunder]

Adding on to this thread as I just took ownership of a Pescadero frame and fork. I likely won't get to building it up for a while but it will eventually be built to take a place of the two 70s steel bikes I have below with modern conveniences (full suite of braze ons, threadless headset, modern group, bigger clearances, paint that isn't 40+ years old) but with the same general ethos. Goal would be as a high end commuter, rain bike, and possible Brevet use (likely only in foul weather or really rough roads as I finished PBP and all qualifying brevets on a pure road bike).

1978 Trek TX 700 - Tektro R539 (47-57mm) brakes with Shimano aero levers (I think R600 but not positive), pads bottomed in slots (I measure frame reach at 57/59mm), salmon pads on modern machined rims of high quality, work pretty well if a little mushy and grabby. 28mm front, 32mm rear tires, and Velo Orange 45mm hammered fenders fit but it is tight and brakes compress the fender a bit, Nexus 8 internal gear hub, and B&M Dynamo lighting.

1970s Chi-Ito Ten Speed (was my dad's) - 1970s Dia-Compe center pulls, Tektro RL340 levers (have QRs and cable run has additional QRs), newish but meh pads on 70s alloy rims, poor braking and calipers don't stay centered. Bike runs 27x1-1/4 tires, I measure frame reach at 59/56mm, no fenders (had some SKS on at one point before I built the Trek in 2014), Shimano Crane 2x5 downtube shifters.

Soma Pescadero - I measured brake reach from center of the mounting hole to center of the brake track at 62mm front and 61mm rear. Clears a 38mm Gravelking EXT in the front and a 35mm Gravelking EXT in the rear with lots of spare room. Likely to use a set of SRAM Rival 10 speed levers I have in my parts bin. I would like the option of running up to 35mm slicks under full metal fenders and if I want to get dirty taking off the fenders and running up to a 40 or 42mm knobby. I'm looking for some guidance on best brakes for this build.

Other bikes I have and opinion on the brakes if it informs guidance:
Cervelo R3 with Ultegra R8000 levers/brakes (47mm frame reach), Swiss Stop BXP pads, AForce ceramic coated rims. Clears a big 28 (measured 30). - EXCEPTIONAL power and modulation
CX Bike with SRAM Rival levers, TRP Eurox brakes, machined alloy rims. This setup is prone to a lot of noise and chatter. However, with BXP pads, a fork mounted hanger, and good bedding of the pads to the rims I find it to run quiet, have adequate power, and excellent modulation.

I think I have the following options, I weigh 165 if it matters:

Paul Racer center mount (full, not M) - I'm leaning to these if I can find them as they appear discontinued. I also can't be sure of reach as I've seen both 59-73mm or 57-67 listed (either way I'd be in the middle), 157g each, thinline salmon pads. I've heard these are great, especially with fenders, but downside is price and availability.
Tektro Silver R559 - 55-73mm - Easiest and cheapest option. Likely work like my 539s but a little more meh. May not provide great fender clearance. Includes a good quick release and I don't need hangers. I would replace pads immediately if using these.
Dia-Compe 610 from velo orange - not sure if this is long enough? - 47-61mm, 186g, nutted shoes
Dia-Compe 700 - 53-70mm, 230g, post shoes - heavy, looks lower quality than the 610
MAFAC racer/RAID (check bike co-ops and see what I can find) - unsure of performance on these
Rene Herse - 202g, 65-80mm, $198 each plus hardware, post shoes, these look best if using braze on but iffy if using center mount and may be too long.
Any other brakes I should consider?


If I were to go Centerpulls some other questions.
Advice on best front end hanger? Fork is 1-1/8 threadless straight and I'll likely have 10-30mm of spacers below the stem.
Matching of centerpulls to SRAM levers vs Shimano due to difference in cable pull.
What to do about quick releases and barrel adjusters? Center pull brakes don't have them. SRAM levers don't have them. I'm not positive how to add them inline without adding flex to the system and reducing performance. Rim exterior likely ~23mm so if I run 35mm tires that is an extra 6mm of tire on each side to deal with. The rear of the frame does have a hanger and it's slotted but if I add barrel adjusters do I lose the option to pull the housing from the slots?

[dddd]

...If I were to go Centerpulls some other questions.
Advice on best front end hanger? Fork is 1-1/8 threadless straight and I'll likely have 10-30mm of spacers below the stem.
Matching of centerpulls to SRAM levers vs Shimano due to difference in cable pull.
What to do about quick releases and barrel adjusters? Center pull brakes don't have them. SRAM levers don't have them. I'm not positive how to add them inline without adding flex to the system and reducing performance. Rim exterior likely ~23mm so if I run 35mm tires that is an extra 6mm of tire on each side to deal with. The rear of the frame does have a hanger and it's slotted but if I add barrel adjusters do I lose the option to pull the housing from the slots?

Mafac calipers allow un-hooking the straddle cable as a cable release for wide tires on narrower rims.
Also, I've run them as shown with no adjusters, and find that I really don't have to adjust the cable tension very often, which takes just a couple of minutes per wheel to pull a couple of mm of cable through the pinch bolt.
Heck, even my FD cable has no adjuster on this bike, and doesn't much seem to need it.
Lol, check out the 75x77 degree HT/ST angles on this Thevenet-era PX10LE:
https://live.staticflickr.com/8021/7284350756_3fc056eab9_c.jpg

[DeBike]

I have the 559 Tektro calipers on a Fuji Ace with Shimano BL-R400 levers and they work fine. I believe it takes a bit more pressure on the levers, and the feel of the pads on the rims while braking is less, but I do not find either to be a problem. I have Kool Stop salmon pads for them, just have not switched yet. I am positive they will improve the overall performance as they have on all the other calipers I have installed them on.

[choke]

Advice on best front end hanger? Fork is 1-1/8 threadless straight and I'll likely have 10-30mm of spacers below the stem.
Matching of centerpulls to SRAM levers vs Shimano due to difference in cable pull.
What to do about quick releases and barrel adjusters?The Paul Funky Monkey is available in 1 1/8" threadless. It comes with an adjuster.

https://ciocctoo.com/forums/var/albums/hampco/705-4.jpg?m=1633207238

[dddd]

I believe that the black compound pads offer the most power, and the salmon-colored pads less power but better braking in the wet.
Everything else equal, i.e. within same brand's lineup.

I really like the dual-compound pads, offering much of the best of both worlds and with less squeeky-ness than all-black (higher friction equals more squeel).

[donevwil]

As long as you're OK with black and don't yet have a headset consider one with an integrated stop like the FSA Orbit X-CX or (discontinued, but available on ebay) Ritchey CX. I use the FSA on my wife's bike with Paul Racers. Works great, but would have preferred the Ritchey for both appearance and absence of the dogleg noodle.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rtsAAOSwgAZfYSIs/s-l300.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/JPMAAOSwZGhhbu4H/s-l1600.jpg

1698033912

[josephr]

I use 559s on a 650b conversion and they're a bit squishy but totally fine. This with stock pads and standard housing. I imagine koolstop pads and compressionless housing would improve them but I've felt no need to spend the extra $.

I'll second this...R559s are super squishy, even with compressionless housing. I realize they're only $45, but no point in spending good money for something you're not going to be happy with. I prefer the Shimano R600 long reach - these babies are pretty solid. and for not much money over the Tektro. Never ridden the Pauls.

[Wunder]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Trying to respond to each:

Shimano 600 brakes - these are too short, listed at 47-57mm, frame is 61 or 62mm reach by my measurements. Same applies to Velo Orange Grand GRU or TRP 957, these are all no go.

Pads - I've used Kool Stop salmon and dual compound, both are good. I think the dual compounds help reduce squeal as the black hits first. Shimano/SRAM black are okay. Tektro black are abysmal. The best I've found are SwissStop BXP (blue) but they burn up faster than salmons (super soft compound) and are only available as road style inserts so no go on Pauls.

Headset option - I do not have a headset yet (frame/fork/BB guide only at this point). I'm nominally okay with black (frame is black) but if I go with Pauls and the ones I get are silver (or purple) I might try to match. I was aware of the Ritchey CX but not the FSA (I have FSA headset bearings on other bikes and have been happy with them). Frame headset specs are "threadless external cup: SHIS: EC34/28.6 | EC34/30" which I think is basically standard, not sure if that means I can use either 36/45 or 45/45 angle bearings as long as it matches the chosen cups or not (most of my bikes are integrated or at least came with a headset).

Paul Funky Monkey - if I buy Paul brakes and don't use an headset with hanger this seems the logical choice.

Unhooking the straddle cable as quick release - this is fine by me. Looks like Pauls have this option too. On my CX bike with TRP Eurox cantis I unhook one side of the straddle cable to pull the wheels and that isn't a problem. Some kind of barrel adjuster would be good for the Pauls as they don't have the lateral holders like TRP Eurox or Compass or MAFAC where you can slide the pads closer to the rim when they wear.

[NHAero]

That Ritchey looks nice and stiff! I have the Funky Monkey that clamps to the stem, and it works fine, but it does deflect some.

The Racer is a quite noticeable improvement over the 559. It's true that the straddle cable can be used as a quick release, but it takes some effort to get it in and out (at least for me!) if the brakes are set so that the pads are close to the rim.

[Frankwurst]

I ran the Dia Compe 750's on my 650b conversions and really never saw the need for more brake. Since they were a long reach stopping a fairly heavy bike with a fairly heavy rider I did all I could to max out the performance. High end cables and housings paired with the beautiful and great feeling TRP RRL brake levers. I also used Dia Compe Roller Straddles to improve things a bit.I remember deciding to go with this and figuring on having to upgrade the pads. But if I remember correctly, once I set things up I didn't see a need. Even though the were some issues getting the brake housing set up properly with gentle curves that just never quite sorted out to my liking.

I did the same on a Schwinn World Voyageur I converted with the same results. By the way jamesdak, that is a beautiful Fuji and a very nicely done conversion.:beer:

[Wunder]

Thanks for the advice all. I managed to source a pair of Paul Racer brakes and also the FSA CX headset. Will report back when I get the bike built up (may be a while).

[Wunder]

Hello again all, I got this bike built up enough to ride and took it on an initial spin. Mostly good, however, I am having some challenges with the front headset/brake/hanger setup.

I am using the FSA Orbit X CX headset that donevwil mentioned and had this installed by the LBS (I completed the rest of the build). They installed the full headset including cups, 36x36 bearings, star nut, cable hanger, and I believe crown race. However, I am not able to get the preload right on this headset.

If I tighten the top cap to the level that I am used to on other bikes with 36x45 or 45x45 angle headsets (mostly integrated but one external cup) then the headset binds and I am not able to move the fork smoothly. I thus need to leave the top cap much looser (barely making contact) to allow for free movement of the fork. When set up this way I am able to rotate the hanger left/right independent of the fork with moderate pressure.

This feels okay in normal riding. However, when I apply the front brake it compresses the assembly and tightens up the front steering which is not ideal. My wife's Soma Smoothie ES with a FSA Orbit headset and Ultegra sidepulls has a similar need to have far less preload than I am used to with 36x45 or 45x45 headsets but otherwise seems okay in use.

Is this a known issue with 36x36 angle bearings? Is it possible that I don't have a compatible crown race installed on this fork? I don't fully understand different angles of headset bearings other than that they exist and you should try to match them.

Additionally, the barrel adjuster in the hanger doesn't actually want to move more than 1/4 turn which basically makes it useless. This is true even if I disconnect the brake and pull out the adjuster. Not sure what is going on here.

FSA page with headset specs and drawing as PDF - https://shop.fullspeedahead.com/en/headsets/road-mtb-urban-commuting/orbit-x-cx

Soma specs - - 1-1/8" headtube (fits EC34/28.6|EC34/30 headsets), doesn't mention anything about fork crown - https://www.somafab.com/archives/product/pescadero-frame-set

Pictures of the bike in current condition including some shots of the hanger.

[d_douglas]

[QUOTE=donevwil;3003296]I use the FSA on my wife's bike with Paul Racers. Works great, but would have preferred the Ritchey for both appearance and absence of the dogleg noodle.



Ouch, that Inglis is amazing! I forgot that you once told me how tall your wife is too - TALL!

[donevwil]

Headsets are headsets, since you're using the full FSA top and bottom the bearing angle, or some cup-bearing incompatibility is not the issue. Since it's a steel fork I'm guessing it's not the crown race either.

Have you, or anyone, had a headset on this frameset before? I'll say it's very unlikely the headset is the issue, much more likely an assembly or frame prep issue (did the shop use all the FSA parts? Some seal or ring installed incorrectly (upside down)? Head tube faced? Everything installed flush with no cocking or gaps?).

As for as the adjuster, did you initially back it off a bit to ensure you had adjustability (threads) in both directions? I don't recall how well the adjuster worked on my wife's headset, but don't recall any issues. I will take a look at it this evening and report back.

[Wunder]

Frame was new out of box (eBay purchase but frame had never been assembled by the prior owner). The shop should have used all the FSA parts as I gave them the loose frame, fork, and new in box FSA headset with all parts. Mechanic installed the headset and I came back a few days later to check stack, he cut an inch off the fork, and then installed the star nut. I did not make a request to formally prep/face the frame and do not know what if any prep the shop did prior to pressing in the bearings.

It's entirely possible that some seal, ring, or bearing is upside down or out of order. When I have time I pull the fork and all the loose headset parts, compare against the FSA schematic, and put it back together. As it is now it is a stem and spacers on top of how it left the shop, I haven't pulled it apart piece by piece.

I'll get the adjuster loose in my hands too when I do this and see if I can get it to move.

[donevwil]

Frame was new out of box (eBay purchase but frame had never been assembled by the prior owner). The shop should have used all the FSA parts as I gave them the loose frame, fork, and new in box FSA headset with all parts. Mechanic installed the headset and I came back a few days later to check stack, he cut an inch off the fork, and then installed the star nut. I did not make a request to formally prep/face the frame and do not know what if any prep the shop did prior to pressing in the bearings.

It's entirely possible that some seal, ring, or bearing is upside down or out of order. When I have time I pull the fork and all the loose headset parts, compare against the FSA schematic, and put it back together. As it is now it is a stem and spacers on top of how it left the shop, I haven't pulled it apart piece by piece.

I'll get the adjuster loose in my hands too when I do this and see if I can get it to move.

Sorry for the late reply, I played with the adjuster on my wife's FSA hanger and was able to rotate it two full turns in either direction (could have gone more). It's not the easiest adjuster to turn (has deep indents), but I could do it without release the brakes.