tendency

Got a '86 Miyata that I'm building up and need a new headset. Any recommendations for a decent inexpensive (less than $50) unit?

BradH

A Tange Levin CDS is pretty tough to beat. I think you can get them in both ISO and JIS sizes so measure. They also have a low stack height.

mattface 

Velo-Orange has a few of their sealed bearing ISO headsets with damaged boxes in their Specials section for $40. That's a great deal on a great headest. I ordered one already, so have at it.

https://velo-orange.com/collections/...eid=ae9e02ecff

tendency

Would the mid 80s Miyata be ISO or JIS? I'm assuming ISO .. ? (thanks for link - ill check 'em out!)

mattface 

I don't know. Being Japanese it could well be JIS. I'm not sure if mid-80s constitutes an "older" Japanese bike. I'd put a caliper on the fork crown to verify if it's 26.4 or 27.0mm.

squirtdad

+1 on this

SurferRosa

I would assume so too, but don't. Instead, use a digital caliper on the head tube ID and the fork crown OD. if you don't have a caliper, pick up a really cheap one off eBay. Mine cost like $4, and it works great.

Prunesquallor

My 1984 Miyata 710 is ISO. The Velo Orange Grand Cru 1” fit it perfectly.

edit: actually, I needed about a 1 mm spacer to take the place of the old reflector hanger.
If you're interested, the resto-mod information is here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/22391912-post8077.html

icemilkcoffee 

I don't know how much of a weight weenie you are, but I would stay away from steel headsets like the Tange Levin CDS. Get an aluminum headset instead. Tange makes some aluminum ones.
Likewise steel bottom brackets. These classic mid-range japanese bikes tend to come with steel headsets and steel BB's. I take them out and toss them the first chance I get.

panzerwagon 

The CDS is a fine choice, and if one desires to go slightly higher in quality and finish, the NJS is my personal favourite (and still within budget). The aluminum version LV-1500 tends to hover just around $55, slightly above the stated budget.

SurferRosa

What do you use in place of a steel bottom bracket?

arex

+1. Excellent headset, only about $20.

Bianchigirll 

I don’t know if they are still made but I like the Ritchey Logic headsets.

JohnDThompson 

The various Tange Levin models are hard to beat for value. Whatever you decide, make sure the new headset has a stack height the same or shorter than the current headset. You can always make up for a shorter stack by adding spacers, but you can't stretch the steer tube to fit a larger stack. Some stack heights courtesy of Barnett's:

icemilkcoffee 

I've had good luck with cheapo chinese titanium BB's. But any BB with aluminum cups will be better than the all steel BB's.

Prunesquallor

For the OP: as I mentioned, the Velo Orange headset I used ended up being about 1 mm shorter than the Miyata steer tube. VO lists the stack height as 41 mm.

SurferRosa

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None of my original bb's came with aluminum cups, and they're all top line units with hollow spindles: Dura Ace, Sugino and Campagnolo.

clubman 

And that's what spacers are for.

Or did you mean it was too tall for the steerer? Not all steerers are cut equal although we'd love to assume so.

Bianchigirll I like the Ritcheys at the pricepoint too but JIS might be harder to find.

icemilkcoffee 

You mean the Dura Ace Octolink BB? I believe that one has aluminum cups. Are you sure they are steel?

Prunesquallor

The steerer was just a little too tall. Actually, the headset lock nut has this nice rubber grommet seated flush with the top. When the locknut was tightened, the steerer bulged out the grommet. The spacer took care of that and now there’s a nice moisture seal around the stem.

SurferRosa

I believe you're referring to Octalink. This is the c&v subforum. I'm referring to a DA cup & cone bb from the early '80s, not a cartridge unit from 2000.

You're also referring to cartridge bottom brackets where the steel spindle is sealed within a body of two bearing cartridges which are also made of steel. (Or they use other steel parts like cones and lock nuts.) These aluminum (or plastic) "cups" you're referring to simply hold that cartridge in the frame. They don't actually serve the same purpose of c&v steel cups which secure/adjust the ball bearings.

I don't know of any vintage steel or ti spindle that actually fits into aluminum cups. How would that last?

Hudson308 

Please toss them my way. I'd even be willing to pay you a bit for your trouble.

icemilkcoffee 

You're probably right that all the loose ball BB's are steel. All I know is- an all steel loose bearing BB as found on these old mid-range bikes, would be over 300g. A more modern cartridge type with aluminum cups would be around 200-250g. The chinese titanium ones are 160g. For me- this would be an easy place to save weight without ruining the looks of the bike. Same with the steel headsets.

SurferRosa

First, op, sorry for the bb threadjack.

I'm down with that ... on a not so special bike. But if this Miyata were an upper-mid-level 912 with an original bb hollow spindle, those 50 grams aren't that big of a deal. I much prefer the unit actually engineered for that particular crankset. I know the spindle is the correct taper standard, perfect length on both sides, I trust it, and I'm usually confident it won't be a problem to overhaul, maybe several times during the bike's life.

Sometimes, originality is important. When it's a keeper, period correctness is almost always important. I chose a new $35 Taiwanese bb for my Miyata with its first gen Chorus crank. But if I could have easily found a Chorus loose ball bb -- even if it's another 50 more grams -- I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat ... just for the perfectly measured offset spindle. Plus, you can see the cup from the nds, and the original vintage one always looks better.

Yeah, if I can have my choice between Super Record and Record, I'll probably take SR every time. I like that the upper race is drilled and the threaded pieces are aluminum. But at the same time, it's not that big of a deal, and steel units tend to keep their appearance longer.

tendency

It's a Pro Miyata - so one of their nice high end bikes. The '86 model year came w/ full SunTour sprint. Unfortunately, I need to replace the bottom bracket as well as one of the cups cracked (I suppose I could track down a replacement..). The bike was from a humid location and wasnt particular well cared for so the headset races are all rusted and the bearings ruined.