Originally Posted by
Dave Mayer
Before you commit to a headset, research what actually kills headsets. It is false brinelling. For every one headset killed by corrosion, I see 5 killed by false brinelling. Road headsets are alost exclusively killed this way.
It seems that Shimano was the only headset maker that figured out the solution to this problem. They can still be found on Fleabay.
I think the Stronglight A9 roller bearing headset figured it out well before Shimano's cartridge bearing units.
I did an experiment with a Stronglight A9. In 1988 I built up a commuter bike using a Stronglight A9 headset. I rode it for 20 years in all kinds of conditions, and did zero maintenance on it. In 2008 I opened it up to see how it had fared. This is what I found on the races after cleaning:
Very slight discoloration on the lower races; nothing untoward on the upper. I swapped upper and lower races and re-assembled. I'll check again in 2028, but since I retired in 2016, I no longer have to commute in inclement weather.