Fancy Headsets :: Why?

I just took my hardtail apart to paint the frame. It's been apart one other time since 1995, and after I took the front wheel off I was marveling at how smoove my headset is after all those years. It's some cheap Tioga headset I got for like $20, if that, about 10 years ago.

I never, ever take care of my bike. I've spent the past 2 summers learning to dirt jump at I-street, the Dustiest Place Known to Man, so there's some gunk getting in there. And to boot, I'm kinda fat and not a smooth rider at all.

Now all that said, why would anyone spend well over $100 on a fancy headset? I could understand something like hubs and a bottom bracket, which take a ton of abuse, but it doesn't seem like a headset warrants that level of fancy.

Is it just marketing hype? Did Chris King see a niche in the market and fill it? What's next, suede grips?

J-

Whoa whoa whoa. There's something to be said about a bomber $30.00 headset, but there's a place for $120.00 Chris King headsets, too.

My cheap Citizen watch is a marvelous Japanese timepiece. But a Rolex is just as rugged and reliable and a whole lot more stylin'.

I have three bikes with cheap bomber headsets (FSA Pig, Cane Creek S2), and two bikes with Kings. There's nothing fluffy about the Chris King hubs or headsets or tools. It's like driving a BMW. Some people can justify the cost premium. Totally different level of product design and engineering.

Stylin' has its merits I suppose, when you can afford it. I never can, so I've stuck w/ the FSA or Cane Creek, and neither has ever let me down.

There was a thread on MTBR about a guy who's had a cheap headset for like 6 years. His argument was that, if he replaced the bearings every other year, he could keep the thing for 20 years and still be under the cost of a Chris King.

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Originally Posted by wintermittent

It's like driving a BMW. Some people can justify the cost premium. Totally different level of product design and engineering.

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Don't insult King headsets by comparing them to BMWs... what BMW do you know of that functions perfectly for 10 years without any service at all?

-Karl

Misture, not dust will really undo any part with bearings. Kings are the only ones that last for me here in the east. the cheap ones always go bad. (and I am not fat and ride really smoooooooove :D ) But hey, if the cheap one's working forya... :cool:

Besides the quality, there are other reasons that Chris King components cost more than the competition. They are made in the USA by workers who get paid a decent salary, and take extra steps to be as environmentally freindly as they can be. So by buying from Chris King, you are not only paying for the quality of the product, but other features as well that most manufacturers don't really care about.

If I rode in the rain more, I'd put a CK on my road bikes, at least the Simo. Otherwise I cannot justify a $100 headset on a road bike, regardless of it's superiority- it's not like you have to twist the bars around all the time to turn like when you're on singletrack, eh?

I've seen a 105 headset last about 12 years without any service. But that was in San Diego.

Plake - Amen, brotha! Great points. Really impresses me too that CK invests a lot of money in environmentally-friendly manufacturing.

Viva and J - Headsets take a surprising amount of abuse -- mountain or road. The relatively short length of a head tube creates quite a bit of thrust loading in the bearing races. This is why headsets loosen up, bearing races pit out, and head tubes become ovalized. Frame materials and riding conditions vary, and are factors in product lifespan, as people have pointed out.

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Don't insult King headsets by comparing them to BMWs... what BMW do you know of that functions perfectly for 10 years without any service at all?

-Karl

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I guess he should have used a Toyota instead of a BMW in his comparison.

No really, I can understand not paying over 100 for a headset, that is a lot of cheese. But I am not one of those people who has had the luxury of saving money on bike parts, especially headsets. I have gone thru plenty of cheaper brands of headsets, but is it really the headsets fault it was completely destroyed from use? or was it the lack of upkeep and daily checking to make sure every bolt is tight in that area (which we all do before we ride, right?)?

So, just cause you made something last many years, that doesn't mean I can buy the same or similar product and make it last that long. I could be riding along and bam, the whole thing goes out. You just never know.

I think of beefiness when building a bike, cause I can usually destroy parts. Ovalized head tubes on $2,500 frames, thats me. Oh yeah and I aint no fat ass either. And if you see my steez on the dirtjumps, you would know I am pretty fluid.

Oh didn't know King was so environmentally freindly, that is some good shit. Got 2 steel headsets and a normal one from those bastards, and can't complain about a thing.

I agree with the no King on roadbikes. Definitley don't think they take the abuse to warrant an upgrade, but maybe to lighten.

Answer to why: Main reason owning 3 King's, it's cheaper than buying a new frame when you ovalize a headtube.

Stick with the FSA Pigs, etc.

I know message boards are not *always* the most accurate source of info, but sounds like CK's pricing policies aren't exactly reflective of 'what a great company' they're made out to be:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=80723

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Originally Posted by Particle

Stick with the FSA Pigs, etc.

I know message boards are not *always* the most accurate source of info, but sounds like CK's pricing policies aren't exactly reflective of 'what a great company' they're made out to be:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=80723

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That thread made me want to cry. Thank you for reminding me why I don't post at MTBR.

I think the bottom line here is that us maggots are a frugal and technically savvy bunch. We generally eshew any product that is all show and no go. Ergo, it's a natural for some of us to have knee-jerk reactions to pricey stuff or trendiness. King stuff is high dollar, but it's the real deal if it fits your budget. Use what works. I use Pigs and S2s and Kings.

Ride. All shit will break eventually, sooner if you don't service it. Fix it. Ride some more.

Difference is, we'll be back to sharing stoke long before that MTBR drivel ceases. :cool:

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Originally Posted by wintermittent

That thread made me want to cry. Thank you for reminding me why I don't post at MTBR.

Difference is, we'll be back to sharing stoke long before that MTBR drivel ceases. :cool:

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LOL so true...not saying CK is bad, just spendy!

I've overspent for flash, and spent a fortune replacing crap over and over again. I put Chris King stuff in the value catagory.

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Originally Posted by Arnold Babar

I've overspent for flash, and spent a fortune replacing crap over and over again. I put Chris King stuff in the value catagory.

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no doubt, Im not wealthy enough to buy crappy gear. I built up a SC Heckler 2 yrs ago with a king headset amongst other burly components and have had no issues. Before that I was a regular at the LBS.

I throught this thread was about the bitchin Plantronics wireless unit I'm rockin and the trading desk but I guess not.

I beat the shit out of the cheapest possible Cannondale (rigid fork, Alivio drivetrain) with a 1" threaded headset doing urban commuting for six years. It sat outside for three years and inside for the rest of its ten-year life. I replaced the entire drivetrain at one time or another. Yes, I rode it in the rain a lot.

I never adjusted, lubricated, or even thought about the headset. It worked just as well when I sold it as when I bought it ten years before.

My conclusion: I see no reason to spend extra $ on a headset.

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Originally Posted by Spats

My conclusion: I see no reason to spend extra $ on a headset.

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I had a cane creek headset die in 2 years of XC riding, so if you can afford (or get a deal on) a king headset, do it. Any bike part having a 10-year warranty says alot.

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Originally Posted by Spats

It worked just as well when I sold it as when I bought it ten years before.

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Yeah, but that's like saying this headset will work just as well the day you buy it as it does 10 years later:

http://www.bikepartsusa.com/product_...-80055&large=1

If it's crap now, it's not getting any better (worse?) in 10 years.

Super-cheap headsets tend to last a long time because they're 100% steel. The bearings aren't very good, but it's nearly indestructible so long as the cups & cones stay intact. The high end also lasts a long time because the parts are more precisely made, and out of better materials. Difference: weight and "feel."

IMHO, the problems mostly arise in the middle ground of headsets: the ones that are reasonably light, but not made with precision bearings, quality alloys, etc. They sacrifice durability in favor of weight savings.

Light, strong, cheap. Pick 2.

-Karl

I'm still riding with the same AheadSet that my bike came with 8 or 9 years ago. Yeah, when I break it down and really check the feel of it, I can feel that it's not as nice as when it was new. When I'm riding down the trail, damn near chattering my teeth out, do I notice it? Nope. I recognize that there's a weight savings issue here, but the headset is not the first item that I'm going to replace to shave a few grams...and it might just be the last.

I've just never had that moment where I wrecked and was like, "Damn, if only my headset was smoother, I might have been able to turn."

The Cane Creek Solos models have a 10 year warranty, weigh a mere 10 grams more than a CK, and are a fraction of the price.

The FSA Orbit Extreme models have a 10 year warranty, weigh less than the CK and are half the price.

My FSA Pig DH Pro cost me $25, has been ridden off drops and jumps through torrential downpours and peanut butter mud, and still works like brand new. At a fifth of the cost of a CK, I think it's hard to beat.

I don't deny that CK headsets (or components in general) are some of the most attractive, and eye catching out there. And I'll even submit that they're probably the best in the business as far as quality. But, the increase in quality is, for the most part, immeasureable and certainly not worth the premium in cost. It's hard to deny the fact that you're paying a premium for the name.

Having said that, I think if people want and can afford to put CK components on their bikes, more power to them. I will be the first to admit that CK components are by far the most boner-inducing in the market. I must say, a fresh set of CK hubs, right out of the box is a thing of beauty. And, getting to fondle them is a drool worthy experience if there ever was one.

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Originally Posted by bagtagley

I must say, a fresh set of CK hubs, right out of the box is a thing of beauty. And, getting to fondle them is a drool worthy experience if there ever was one.

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Bzzzzzzzzz...

"Hey, what did you do to your bike? That doesn't sound good."

"On the contrary, it sounds perfect." :D

"bike as jewelry" is as hollow as every other purely material pursuit

one good reason to run a CK is that they're so well made they can outlast several frames. but then, at their price, you WANT THEM TO. right?

FSA makes great cheaper headsets. Pig DH and Pig DH Pro are absolutely bombproof. While they weigh 2x what a CK weighs, only a fool believes that the headset's weight affects the bike's ride.

a well-adjusted and properly installed $30 headset feels just as "buttery" as a $100 CK headset.