New Headset - Which one?

[mat205125]

Not planning to spend the earth on one, and really would like to limit cost to £50 £60 ish. This puts me right about the price for a Hope unit, and therefore my questions are:

Are there any other Headsets for this budget that I should consider?
Where is the best place to buy these from to get the right price?
Could a Chris King one conceivably be ordered from the states, and shipped for around this money?

[neil_bolton]

Nearly, they're as cheap off Ebay now I think...ETA: See here for one at £75 ish

But just in case you're unsure:

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[Rico]

www.aspirevelotech.com if you can wait a week.

Think I paid about £62 posted for mine.

[mk1fan]

Cane Creek S3. About £20 ish. Fitted to all my bikes and I haven't had any issues in over four years. Vey smooth. Although, my mate forgot to include the top seal in his and the bearings were ruined in a month - but this (imo) would be the same regardless of make.

[WildCards]

neil_bolton said:

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Who?

[_daveR]

Rico said:

www.aspirevelotech.com if you can wait a week.

Think I paid about £62 posted for mine.

Look no further.

[-C-]

I wouldn't recommend a King if you're using a longer travel single crown fork.

The lack of compression ring style set up means the top race has a habit of eating into your headtube

[sjg]

FSA Orbit XL2. Split crown race, proper cartridge bearings, well finished. What more do you want? Can get them for £25, spend the rest on something more exciting than a headset.

[mat205125]

_daveR said:

Rico said:

www.aspirevelotech.com if you can wait a week.

Think I paid about £62 posted for mine.

Look no further.

Looks like a great deal to me!!!

[_daveR]

-C- said:

I wouldn't recommend a King if you're using a longer travel single crown fork.

The lack of compression ring style set up means the top race has a habit of eating into your headtube

So on my rig you would say its not wise? I was toying with one of the devolution sets!

[atom111]

Chris King is the best headset i've had on any of my bikes, I seemed to get through three hopes in as many months at one point CK is pretty much fit and forget. It's worth the extra.

[Saddle bum]

Regarding headsets, as it is the most abused bearing on a bicycle, IMHO you buy the very best one you can afford.

[lingus75]

atom111 said:

Chris King is the best headset i've had on any of my bikes, I seemed to get through three hopes in as many months at one point CK is pretty much fit and forget. It's worth the extra.

Hmmm, I wonder if you can fit and forget as long as my Suntour XC Pro 1" Headset of 14 years?!

Bit of a thread rape here but I am feeling 'oldskool' here and had to post this link of a 92 Spesh S Works! My Orange Clockwork is having a re-furb of the back of this!

http://tinyurl.com/2n57pl

[atom111]

lingus75 said:

atom111 said:

Chris King is the best headset i've had on any of my bikes, I seemed to get through three hopes in as many months at one point CK is pretty much fit and forget. It's worth the extra.

Hmmm, I wonder if you can fit and forget as long as my Suntour XC Pro 1" Headset of 14 years?!

Bit of a thread rape here but I am feeling 'oldskool' here and had to post this link of a 92 Spesh S Works! My Orange Clockwork is having a re-furb of the back of this!

http://tinyurl.com/2n57pl

14 years that is fit and forget. Post up some pics of the Clockwork when done, my original Clockwork was stolen when I lived at home but I do have a 2007 Clockwork

[lingus75]

atom111 said:

lingus75 said:

atom111 said:

Chris King is the best headset i've had on any of my bikes, I seemed to get through three hopes in as many months at one point CK is pretty much fit and forget. It's worth the extra.

Hmmm, I wonder if you can fit and forget as long as my Suntour XC Pro 1" Headset of 14 years?!

Bit of a thread rape here but I am feeling 'oldskool' here and had to post this link of a 92 Spesh S Works! My Orange Clockwork is having a re-furb of the back of this!

http://tinyurl.com/2n57pl

14 years that is fit and forget. Post up some pics of the Clockwork when done, my original Clockwork was stolen when I lived at home but I do have a 2007 Clockwork

Here we go. This was the last time I spent a (very) long time stripping and build the bike back up. It really is a state again but shouldn't be like it for too much long as it's getting pretty bad again!

[atom111]

Thanks for sharing that good to see a classic, apologies to OP for going way off topic.

[mat205125]

No apologies necessary. Love the link to that Spesh'

If Halfords to bike racks for DeLoreans, think how amazed people would be by todays £1500 trail bikes. Increadible to think how much of a bargain modern bikes are in reality ..... saving a few extra quid by taking advantage of the plumiting dollar only makes things sweeter

[gbbird]

mk1fan said:

Cane Creek S3. About £20 ish. Fitted to all my bikes and I haven't had any issues in over four years. Vey smooth. Although, my mate forgot to include the top seal in his and the bearings were ruined in a month - but this (imo) would be the same regardless of make.

Same here. Fitted S3's to all my bikes, (even to my Scott, to which it was techynically incompatible but with the help of a few gizmos from my LBS managed to get it to work).

[Moose.]

Dragging this thread back on topic for minute, what was the consensus then? The Cane Creek S3 doesn't exactly get glowing reviews on CRC:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?Mo...

however, the FSA XLII seems to be highly rated:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?mod...

I am now looking for a new headset as I have some new forks on the way, so need to decided what to get

[snotrag]

Can't go wrong with FSA for the money.
Any sealed bearing model will be fine, its more important to make sure its fitted corrctly.