April 5th, 2006
More Engineering
We went out and rode on gears last night. Once again as I wheeled my wife’s Turner out before the ride I looked at the streaks of rust dribbling through the shonky seals of the headset onto the fork crown, and thought “I really must get her a new headset”.
Still, at least it’s an option. How many bikes with an integrated headset will make it to the grand old age of ten?
I’ve lost count of how many headsets the Burner has had now, and how much that’s cost. Chris King may be expensive in the first place, but the one on the tandem is ten years old and still running smooth and true. Gradually all our bikes are moving to the Chris King way.
* If you have a frame with an integrated headset I recommend that you don’t read what Chris King have to say about them.
** Some links purely to annoy the anti-Wikipedians.
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April 5th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
You say “anti-Wikipedians” like they are the first and only to embed hyper links in text….
i see embedded links and i think ‘LINK’ not ooo some wiki wanna be…
;)
there is and will only ever be one perfect integrated Headset. The oft-copied but never duplicated KLEIN! Damn shiz lasts FOR EVER… maybe cause it is ACTUALLY integrated… that and the bearings installed are the same or better quality than King’s stuff. at least they were when the bikes were built in Chehalis!
April 5th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
The Airhead headsets were fairly unique. You don’t see many old Kliens around these days so you have to wonder if the pressed-in integrated headsets outlasted the frames. At least you can take a Chris King out of one bike and put it into another…
April 6th, 2006 at 9:44 am
It’s not the concept of linking, Geoff, so much as where I link too.
Did you miss this from Mike Ferrentino?
Am I being too subtle again?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
I think i may have been too subtle or brash… and yeah… that’s how i wound up here - or was it cause you posted over at mine? or what - i dunno - scattered brain now… and i did get where you were linkin too… (and that’s what i was refering to… nevermind - i may be too much of a smart ass for my or anyone elses own good
I’ve got a few one 10 year old klein Mt bike going strong, and the road bike is 8 years going strong, and i’ve run across bikes with the original Airhead Mission Control that are still going strong… part of it is diameter of steertube… so when that Chris King thing comes up… well… i’ve gotta pitch in with the Klein stuff
I’ve sent people over to the Chris King web page and what they say about them esp when they are looking at a Ti bike with an integrated 1″ or 1 1/8″ headset… talk about retahhhhded (new england accent for ya).
Cheers!
April 7th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
I’m not knocking the Klein integrated Mission Control headsets. They were properly designed.
At only ten years old the tandem headset is merely a Chris King baby.