The head set and forks of my Bianchi Gold Race seem a little loose but i cannot seem to tighten this up and the as the head set does not have a visible nut to tighten. Am i missing something obvious or should i just take this to a repairer who can do it for me? Thanks Andrew

If it say Bianchi on the frame and head tube it's genuine. It's best to just Google "Bianchi serial number" to see if there is info available on year made. Any other info (model, original equipment, etc.) would require pictures, and is best done on a Bianchi or at least bicycle-specific site. You might also check with a Bianchi dealer. Find Retailer Bianchi USA . Also check my tip:
How to determine the year value etc of your bicycle

I’m happy to help further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/donald_f2ed37026a3ac881

Head race bearings.
You could try tightening them up to see if that makes it better, but if they have been used when loose the bearings wear out at a very fast rate so changing them ASAP if that is the problem is the way to go.

yes you do, the first part is the bearing race, it goes on 1st tighten it til it is snug (no play) and not too tight, the next 3 pieces are just spacers they go on next, then the last piece is the lock nut tighten it by hand until its snug then you need to hold the race with a wrench and tighten the lock nut (with another wrench) to lock it in place and you are all set to continue reassembling the handle bars... good luck

You have an adjuster nut that you have to tighten just until you don't have any freeplay in the bearing and then the upper triple tree goes on. The pinch bolt tightens to 21-27 foot pounds. The fork stem nut tightens to 35-40 foot pounds according to the manual that I have here. I've found that if you torque the nut that tight, it will tighten the adjustment of the steering head bearings and they'll start to "count". When a bearing is "counting", it is too tight and you can feel it bump from one roller to the next as you turn the front end. If it starts this, you'll have to loosen the fork nut and back off on the adjuster and then retighten the fork nut. Recheck for bearing adjustment. Not "counting" and no shake in the steering head. It's touchy so be patient. I've had to simply tighten the fork stem nut until I got the right tension and disregard the torque setting as long as it felt like it was tight enough not to come loose.

Good Luck
Steve

The best thing to do is take into your local bike shop so that they can both look at the Fork and determine "why" it is having this problem and so they can show you how to maintain the fork properly as well as any other tips they can provide, such as setting up for you weight, riding style and terrain.

There are a number of possibilities as too why your fork is not moving, and without seeing it or a better description this is best advice I can offer, anything else is simply guessing. I believe that the Zoke front end was a Marzocchi fork, They are very good about listing all their owners manuals however that one seems to be missing. On a 16 year old fork, most likely it needs to be overhauled (minimum), or replaced.

You mean somebody stepped on it in the crate? Give it a pull apart while stepping on it, make it fit, the fork needs to go in between the bearing race and the nut. Make sure the bearings are not tight, not loose either. Hope this helps.

Look on the brake lever for a manufacturer and model number (probably Shimano). Even if you can't establish a model number, go to the website and find the mountain bike shifter that is closest to yours, There will probably be a technical manual for it and it will describe how to install and adjust it. You'll also want to look for and understand the derailleur it controls.

http://techdocs.shimano.com/techdocs/index.jsp

Without more info, I can't tell if you mean you have a loose head-set (that's the vertical tube that holds the bearings that turn when you steer), or if you have a mountain bike with springy front forks and the springy part is loose. If it's the springy part, you'll probably have to replace the whole front fork. If's it just a loose headset, you can tighten it pretty easily. Look at the top of the headset while you turn the handlebars back and forth (as if steering). Looking at the top of the headset you will see (from bottom to top) a knurled ring, a washer, and a large nut. The nut is a lock-not which is isolated from the knurled ring by the washer. The washer has a tab on the inside that prevents it from rotating. Tighten up the knurled ring by hand (you might have to lift up on the handlebars a bit to take the pressure off of it). Don't over-tighten the knurled ring or you won't be able to steer. Then tighten the lock nut with a wrench. Good luck

remove front wheel
undo allen screw or bolt securing headstem to fork
remove headstem and handlebars
undo lock nut & ring retaining bearings, at top of fork tube, do not lose bearings which may be loose.
withdraw fork from fork tube, do not lose upper bearing race
remove lower bearing from old fork
install lower bearing on new fork (I prefer replacing bearings)
remove brake caliper from old fork install on new fork
insert fork in fork tube
install upper bearing (I prefer replacing bearings)
install retaining ring and lock nut on fork tube, adust untill there is no wobble, but free movement, too tight the bearings will collapse too loose the rider will fall off
tighten lock nut
install headstem
tighten headstem allen key - bolt
install front wheel