Headset Questions

M

MC San Andreas

Guest
I want to buy a new headset for my Mountain Cycle San Andreas. I believe my diameter is 1 1/8. I understand what press fit is but what exactly is a drop in headset?? Is it exactly what it sounds like that the forks and the bolting of the neck keep the cups in place?

Any advantages / disadvantages to either?? I am looking at Ritchey Carbon. Good headset??

I also saw headsets listed with a 44mm id. 44mm would be 1.73 inches. Am I thinking of that the right way?? 1.73 inches seems way to wide for a headset diameter..... ??

What is a 'zero stacked' ?? My current headset does have a spacer above the headset. Is that what it is referring to? How would I calculate the required stack height??

I never knew a bicycle could be so confusing!!
 

Kmoodymz3

New Member
Just buy a King and forget about it:

http://www.chrisking.com/headsets/hds_index.html

As mentioned, get the headset from your LBS and they will hook you up with the installation. You need to get the cups perfectly parallel for it to work correctly.

CK headsets are the best! No problems ever on mine and the colors are so cool! I have a pink, dontation to breast cancer special one and a pewter one. Pewter one is really a dark purple and looks awesome on my green and purple 1991 Trek 7000 that I converted to a SS.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
First... why do you want to buy a new headset? In general, a properly installed and adjusted headset doesn't go bad.... or at least not for a really long time...

Ritchey Carbon HS won't work on a San Andreas (assuming your frame is at least a few years old)... That headset is installed in a frame designed for that type. The San Andreas was not. Staying with Ritchey, the ones you would need are (priced $$$ to $): WCS Logic, Pro Logic, Comp Logic.

Yes, King's are considered the best (I have three of them), but they are pricey. There are other options for much less money without stepping down much in quality.

Lastly, go to your LBS. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but from reading your post, you should get a professional opinion. Installing a HS isn't difficult (especially if you have the tools), but it's also easy to do wrong, which can damage the frame.
 
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Ian F

Well-Known Member
you never broke a cup riding downhill??? I have seen my fair share of broken bottom cups...

No, but I ran Kings on my DH bikes pretty since the first bike I built. My Yeti has a slightly ovalized headtube, so the bottom cup is from a King Steelset and the top cup is from a std King....

Plus, we're talking about a San Andreas here... if you break a cup riding one of those... chances are you've got other problems... Like I said, in general, headsets don't just break... although riding a loose one for too long can screw things up.
 
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M

MC San Andreas

Guest
Well my headset is about 14 years old!!! It's time for a new one. Appreciate the advice on having the LBS do the install. I think the tool to do the press fit costs over a c-note so a trip to the shop is in order!!

Forgive my ignorance but why wont the Ritchey fit?? A head tube is a head tube from my simple thinking.

I will probably pick up a Logic on Ebay then.....

What does "Headtube ID/depth : 44mm/9mm refer to??

Thanks guys!!!
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Well my headset is about 14 years old!!! It's time for a new one. Appreciate the advice on having the LBS do the install. I think the tool to do the press fit costs over a c-note so a trip to the shop is in order!!

Yeah... you need to install a lot of headsets to justify the cost. I have a ghetto set-up that consists of a 7/8" bolt, nut and washers combined with (and this is key) a set of King cup adapters I bought of eBay years ago. I like this as it easily fits into my tool box (unlike the Park tool). I also have the tools for removing old cups and installing the fork race.

Forgive my ignorance but why wont the Ritchey fit?? A head tube is a head tube from my simple thinking.

Well, once upon a time is was simple. You had 1" (road and some mtn bikes), 1 1/8" (most mtn bikes) and 1 1/4" (a few mtn bikes). Now days... not so much... :(

And as I'm thinking about it... The Ringle headset on my Chameleon is over 11 years old...
 
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pinkshirtphotos

Active Member
dont forget the euro size that as a little under 1" from the 50s. now the rage is 1.5 standard. 1 1/8 is the most common still. i just put a new aheadset on my 27 year old road bike. next will be new wheel bearings, bb bearings ect.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I want to buy a new headset for my Mountain Cycle San Andreas. I believe my diameter is 1 1/8. I understand what press fit is but what exactly is a drop in headset?? Is it exactly what it sounds like that the forks and the bolting of the neck keep the cups in place?


What is a 'zero stacked' ?? My current headset does have a spacer above the headset. Is that what it is referring to? How would I calculate the required stack height??

"Zero-Stack" and "Drop-in" refer to the same headset type. They look like an "Integrated" headset from the outside but instead of having the races built into the headtube (integrated), they use small cups to allow the bearings to sit inside the headtube (drop-in). Your headtube, integrated, and drop-in are all different!! My bike uses a drop-in. You can see a small black ring on the bottom of my headtube, that's a drop-in headset cup.

l_3ffdb0b2583b33bc82b674e45b642594.jpg

*Drop-in*

My cyclocross bike uses an integrated, there are NO headset cups, the bearings just drop into the frame.
l_355b7b87d97d90225657de3f3c09fe03.jpg

*Integrated*

And a standard 1 1/8" (like you have on your San Andreas) uses cups that press into the frame and place the headset outside of the frame, like this trick Hope headset on my trials rig.
l_08c3d1be16801983c6ddb617b3812f5d.jpg

*Standard 1 1/8"*

But like everyone else said, get a King and forget about it, unless you want something cooler, lighter, stronger and cheaper, then get the Hope;)

-Jim.
 
M

MC San Andreas

Guest
I am a jackass.... my diameter is 1 1/4!

Who makes a good 1 1/4 headset???
 
M

MC San Andreas

Guest
Is Chris King the only one who currently makes a 1 1/4 headset??
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Is Chris King the only one who currently makes a 1 1/4 headset??

Wow... 1 1/4"? Now there's a blast from the past... I had three bikes with those... They were never common, but a few companies besides King made them back in the day... probably going to tough finding one at an online retailer... try either fleabay or your LBS, who can take a look in a distributor catalog and make some phone calls... some older shops may even still have one on a dusty shelf in the back... Thinking about it, the last time I was in Guy's Bicycles (my LBS in PA) a couple of years ago, they still had an old 1 1/4" King in the showcase...

King (as well as another brand who's name excapes me) make/made a headset that adapts the 1 1/4 head-tube to a 1 1/8" fork steerer. One advantage of buying the King is you could get the full 1 1/4" set-up to work with your current fork and then get the "deEvolution" kit later if/when you decide to upgrade the fork. I can't think of any fork maker offering a 1 1/4" steerer today... maybe Marzocchi, but it would definitely be a special order.
 
M

MC San Andreas

Guest
Thanks for the reply. One of the things I didn't like about the Chris King was the huger lettering on the headset. That is going away. They now have "Sotto Voce" which will be shadow lettering on the headset. Gonna get the King!!!
 
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