>What would be the purpose of a plastic plug that took me quite a few
>whacks to remove? It was wedged in the steerer tube of an Italian bike
>at the bottom near the brake bolt hole. I thought it would only hold
>water in and cause rust. It came out in a spiral because it was an SLX
>steerer tube.
Reminds me of the hardwood plug that came as stock installed in the steerers of some Peugeot PX-10n iterations...seems like a misguided attempt at keeping foreign stuff and water from intruding upward...but actually does more harm by trapping water in the tube that seeps down from above. Like a BB shell with no ventilation: sure nothing splashes UP but nothing can drip DOWN and OUT, either. I say remove it and be vigilant.
Alan Goldsworthy
SF, CA, USA