Modern Headsets!

[grogee]

What the hell is going on with modern headsets? There are about ten new 'standards' all doing the same job! And there doesn't seem to be an accepted naming convention. I can understand the big bottom bearing/little top bearing thing but all the rest are just variations on a theme.

Is it going to settle down to two or three variants?

 

[T'boo Ted]

I thought they had gotten down to just 3, traditional, semi-integrated and zero-stack (of course then you have all the different sizes inside that - 1 1/8, 1.5 and tapered)... took me ages to figure it all out back in 2010, so things may have gotten more difficult since then.

 

[legrandefromage]

Patents run out. New 'standards' have to be set so money can be made.

 

[JamesM]

Re:

I think the day of the press fit headset is nearing its end. What we need is headsets with cups that screw into the frame, that would be a good idea!!! :mrgreen:

 

[mechanical_vandal]

The modern headset is a licence for bicycle and parts manufacturers to print money and there seems to be bugger all the consumer can (or wants to) do to stop it.

I used to think the bmx industry had it sorted. There, nobody seemed to bother with the semi integrated, low stack guff. It seemed it was either a standard press fit external cup on older stuff or a push in bearing integrated headset in newer stuff. There was a period where a few manufacturers used the Cane Creek 36/45 degree bearings and everyone else was using Campy std 45/45 degree bearings, now it seems 45/45 is the accepted standard.

Recently though I've noticed a lot of bmx forks are coming with integrated crown races which makes them useless for people running older frames with external headsets which need their own dedicated crown race to be fitted.

 

[T'boo Ted]

I must admit, I do like the semi integrated ones...don't know how well they will be in the long run, but just being able to "drop in" the headset is great, not needing to press fit thing in.

But all these headsets...in fact all these "things", since I decided to buy some new handlebars a while back there seems to have gone through 2 sice changes, 25.4 wasn't enough, it was 31.8, now 35mm... and all these tapered thing.
Now I get that the people jumping off buildings probably need a super stuff head tube...but the average guy, I never, ever thought a 1-1/8th (heck 1inch) headset/tube was wobbly, let alone needing a stiffer bar...and its like... oh I've got 35mm bars, so I need a carbon one to absorb vibrations...with my 75inchs of front end travel...blah.

 

[mechanical_vandal]

I do like the semi integrated ones...just being able to "drop in" the headset is great, not needing to press fit thing in.

You mean integrated then, semi integrated still has a press in cup, it just sits (mostly) inside the headtube. Confusing innit. Specialized (at least on their road bikes) have the worst arrangement which is a proprietary press in semi integrated cup which allows them to run dirt cheap looseball headset as OE then when that gives up the ghost (after the first winter usually) your meant to knock out the cup and install a push in integrated bearing only by the time the first headset is gubbed, the cups and frame are usually pretty corroded and minging which makes proper fitting of the push in bearing very difficult.

But all these..."things"...gone through 2 changes...people jumping off buildings probably need a super stuff head tube...but the average guy, I never, ever thought a 1-1/8th (heck 1inch) headset/tube was wobbly...

Of course you didn't but if there wasn't something new that you'd been told you needed then you'd have no need to spend half as much money on bike stuff as you do. Like I say, license to print money.

Conning the buyer out of their hard earned cash is only half the story too. The other side of the story is that the big brands that are driving these changes have the money and ability to retool and alter manufacturing techniques/processes on a regular basis, smaller companies less so. Thus, introducing new standards on a regular basis helps to keep the competition at bay.

 

[xerxes]

Re:

Also, what happens in 20 years time, when you have a perfectly serviceable frame, but can't get the odd size headset and bottom bracket for it?

Given that many of us here regularly ride bicycles, parts of which are 3 or 4 decades old, do we want the proliferation of "improved" components and standards at an ever increasing rate to make the bicycle more like so many other consumer goods, cars, mobile phones, toasters, etc., with a relatively short 4 or 5 year lifecycles, after which it's no longer economical or possible, due to lack of spares, to repair them.

 

[mechanical_vandal]

Do you have a plan to halt the march of 'progress'?

 

[T'boo Ted]

You mean integrated then, s

Ha, yes see! bloody confusing as all hell...
Spent ages figuring out what my zaskar reissue was 5 years ago, now can't remember (OK drop in, Zero stack, and...old is fairly easy).