I want a very nice threaded headset
#1
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I want a very nice threaded headset
I am rebuilding my fixed gear after ~20k mikes. This will include replacing the headset. This is my main ride and I want something nice, smooth and durable. I also want it to match the rest of my stuff, which is plain aluminum with small or no logos. The little seal on the top is a big plus to keep my sweat from corroding the steerer/stem. I learned (the hard way) that the Chris King grip-nut headset is not of threaded forks :-(. I believe I have an Italian threaded fork because: the bike is Italian and the current headset says Italy on it.
Three I am looking at:
- Velo Orange
- Campy Record
- Soma
Are there any I missed? Anyone have any good or bad experiences?
Ride Safe,
Joe
Three I am looking at:
- Velo Orange
- Campy Record
- Soma
Are there any I missed? Anyone have any good or bad experiences?
Ride Safe,
Joe
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IRD Technoglide
https://www.retro-gression.com/colle...readed-headset
https://www.retro-gression.com/colle...readed-headset
#4
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The IRD headset looks nice and meets the requirements. Thanks.
Chris king does not make threaded headsets.
Ride Safe,
Joe
Chris king does not make threaded headsets.
Ride Safe,
Joe
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???
I didn't get what you said in your OP, and you compounded your error in post #4 ...
In fact Chris King makes two 1" threaded headsets - the GripNut that seau grateau linked, and also the 2Nut. I think the difference is that the 2Nut (which is what I have on my bike) has a bigger stack height.
I'm not trying to push Chris King headsets - there are many very nice 1" threaded headsets out there and even something cheap...errr...inexpensive ala Tange-Sekai is surprisingly good. But having said that...
I love my Chris King 2Nut 1" threaded headset - it has served me flawlessly for more years than I care to think about. Prior to my CK, I had a modern production threaded Campag Record Headset for a couple years. It worked fine and they are unexpectedly cheap...errr...inexpensive , I just wanted a change, and since I was over having to have a full-bore Eye-talian build...I figured you can't go wrong with something from Chris King and I've never regretted getting it...
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Plenty of nice threaded headsets out there. But first, how much stack height do we have to work with?
#8
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Wait a minute. Isn’t technically ‘italian’ the same as standard ISO in regards to headsets? Because I thought it was commonplace in Japan for what most might call ‘british’ to be called ‘italian’, or am I wrong? Like aren’t they all 30.2 with 26.4 crown races? And Japanese JIS is 30mm with 27mm crown race? I know some frames have 30.2 with 27 crown races, is that Italian or Taiwanese? I’m a bit confused on this now. Cause Chris King absolutely makes 1” threaded headsets, but I don’t think they make ‘Italian’ or JIS.
Last edited by seamuis; 04-19-19 at 03:43 PM.
#9
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Thread Starter
???
???
I didn't get what you said in your OP, and you compounded your error in post #4 ...
In fact Chris King makes two 1" threaded headsets - the GripNut that seau grateau linked, and also the 2Nut. I think the difference is that the 2Nut (which is what I have on my bike) has a bigger stack height.
I'm not trying to push Chris King headsets - there are many very nice 1" threaded headsets out there and even something cheap...errr...inexpensive ala Tange-Sekai is surprisingly good. But having said that...
I love my Chris King 2Nut 1" threaded headset - it has served me flawlessly for more years than I care to think about. Prior to my CK, I had a modern production threaded Campag Record Headset for a couple years. It worked fine and they are unexpectedly cheap...errr...inexpensive , I just wanted a change, and since I was over having to have a full-bore Eye-talian build...I figured you can't go wrong with something from Chris King and I've never regretted getting it...
???
I didn't get what you said in your OP, and you compounded your error in post #4 ...
In fact Chris King makes two 1" threaded headsets - the GripNut that seau grateau linked, and also the 2Nut. I think the difference is that the 2Nut (which is what I have on my bike) has a bigger stack height.
I'm not trying to push Chris King headsets - there are many very nice 1" threaded headsets out there and even something cheap...errr...inexpensive ala Tange-Sekai is surprisingly good. But having said that...
I love my Chris King 2Nut 1" threaded headset - it has served me flawlessly for more years than I care to think about. Prior to my CK, I had a modern production threaded Campag Record Headset for a couple years. It worked fine and they are unexpectedly cheap...errr...inexpensive , I just wanted a change, and since I was over having to have a full-bore Eye-talian build...I figured you can't go wrong with something from Chris King and I've never regretted getting it...
There is a large gap between the top nut and the stem. Not correct.
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Source: Sutherland's 4th Edition
The difference is not enough to make them incompatible, and the mismatch is recognized as a "class B" fit. If your headset has aluminum threaded parts, the steel steer tube threads will re-form the aluminum threads to match. If both the headset and steer tube are steel, there will be some re-forming of the threads on both parts. This is seldom an issue in use, as long as you don't make a habit of swapping out headsets.
#12
Commuting and Pleasure
If somebody wants to dive deeper into the different threads, there is a very comprehensive overview, guess by whom? Of course, Sheldon Brown:
Sheldon Brown's Bike Glossary
Scroll down a bit for the headsets.
/Björn
Sheldon Brown's Bike Glossary
Scroll down a bit for the headsets.
/Björn
#13
Commuting and Pleasure
And check the height of your actual headset. There are noticeable differences in the height, assuming that you want to reuse your fork and it is cut to the height of you actual headset this limits the range of choices. I replaced my Tange once with a Campagnolo and ran almost "out of thread" at the top. Removing one washer helped, but gives a bad feeling thinking about it too much.
And Campagnolo makes really nice treaded headsets, specially the vintage ones....
Here some sample from my bike:
/Björn
And Campagnolo makes really nice treaded headsets, specially the vintage ones....
Here some sample from my bike:
/Björn
#14
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They're very close, but not identical. The difference is in the thread angle; Italian threads are cut at a 55° angle, while ISO and English use a 60° angle:
Source: Sutherland's 4th Edition
The difference is not enough to make them incompatible, and the mismatch is recognized as a "class B" fit. If your headset has aluminum threaded parts, the steel steer tube threads will re-form the aluminum threads to match. If both the headset and steer tube are steel, there will be some re-forming of the threads on both parts. This is seldom an issue in use, as long as you don't make a habit of swapping out headsets.
Source: Sutherland's 4th Edition
The difference is not enough to make them incompatible, and the mismatch is recognized as a "class B" fit. If your headset has aluminum threaded parts, the steel steer tube threads will re-form the aluminum threads to match. If both the headset and steer tube are steel, there will be some re-forming of the threads on both parts. This is seldom an issue in use, as long as you don't make a habit of swapping out headsets.
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#16
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And check the height of your actual headset. There are noticeable differences in the height, assuming that you want to reuse your fork and it is cut to the height of you actual headset this limits the range of choices. I replaced my Tange once with a Campagnolo and ran almost "out of thread" at the top. Removing one washer helped, but gives a bad feeling thinking about it too much.
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Stronglight makes a sealed bearing headset.
I'd prefer my bearing cups to be fully covered from the top side.
I'd prefer my bearing cups to be fully covered from the top side.
#20
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Best threaded headset ever? Shimano cartridge-bearing units from the 90s. Such as XT, LX, 600, Dura-Ace. Actually the 600 units were the best, in that they shared all of the same parts as Dura-Ace, except steel instead of the easily-damaged alloy crown race featured with Dura-Ace.
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. Just make sure you don't get one of the orphaned and useless JIS models.
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. Just make sure you don't get one of the orphaned and useless JIS models.
#21
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Best threaded headset ever? Shimano cartridge-bearing units from the 90s. Such as XT, LX, 600, Dura-Ace. Actually the 600 units were the best, in that they shared all of the same parts as Dura-Ace, except steel instead of the easily-damaged alloy crown race featured with Dura-Ace.
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. Just make sure you don't get one of the orphaned and useless JIS models.
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. Just make sure you don't get one of the orphaned and useless JIS models.
#22
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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.
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 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.
Last edited by JohnDThompson; 04-24-19 at 07:26 PM.
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