Mountain Bike Headset question

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nat

nat

Joined
Sep 20, 2005
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Location
Los Gatos, California
So the wifey scored herself a new full suspension mountain bike, made by Kona. It is the Queen Kikapu model. Its a nice bike, but it came witih a Rockshox fork. She bought herself a nice new Fox Fork that I am going to put on.

My question is this...............the current headset is by Aheadset. Is it worth upgrading to a King headset while I have it apart? If I remeber correctly, King headsets were supposed to be awesome.
 
to switch out the headsets you will need a puller. you have to change the race on the top and bottom out for a seat for the new sealed bearing. a shop will charge about 15 bucks to do it for you. or if you buy a new headset tell them you only want it if they install it. watch out of the head tube on the new fork is carbon or even thin aluminum. there is a special star nut for inside.
 
I don't think it's going to matter, performance wise. Just stick to the old headset. It it came with the bike w/ full suspension, then it shouldn't be a cheap one.

Just my $.02.
 
IMHO, King stuff, while the best, is way overpriced. 90% of the performance from a headset comes from properly facing the headtube so it is perfectly square. Buy a Cane Creek S-3 for $30, install it properly and never look back.

BTW, I have a king on one bike and ironically, it is the only headset I have that has a rough spot.
 
I won't try to talk you into a King and get flamed over it. You definitely want to replace it with something. The Cane Creek HSs are nice and she'll probably never wear it out.

That said, the King headset on my Titus is 8 years old, on it's third bike and functions as new.

Use a metal t-square to be sure that it's properly faced. If not it's worth having it done for $15 or so at a shop. It will save lots of creaks. If there's paint on the edge of the head tube, it probably hasn't been done.

You don't need a press. If you're careful you can do it with a 2x4 and a BFH. If you're paranoid go to Home Depot and get some threaded rod, two nuts and a couple little stacks of body washers.

To get the old one out I use a 1/2" or so wooden dowel down through the head tube and tap around the lip of the race. If it's tough, you can use a piece of pvc or metal pipe, but the dowel usually works without gouging anything.

Which fork? Talas? That's what I have. It works. Do I remember she works there? You guys already ride a bunch? Demo? UC?

Around this time of year it starts getting dry and hot on my side of the hill and I start spending more time over there.
 
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Rushfan said:
Good luck with the mountain bike, but what happened to the Thursday series ?:)
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I have some killer new pics to post up..................but I am having computer problems........well, problems getting my new one set up.

I can't ftp my files to my website, I think it has to do with my new router.

My monitor color calibration is off and I am not sure what the last photoshoot really looks like. :mad: At least I haven't fixed it with a hammer :D
 
Noah said:
forget about the headset.....lets see some naked pics on her new bike...:grinpimp: :grinpimp: :grinpimp: :grinpimp:
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LOL...............that is actually the plan :grinpimp: As soon as it is set up and before it is dirty, we are planning on a shoot with it :grinpimp: I have some cool ideas :cool:
 
Hey FastEddy,

She rides a ton, mostly road and now cyclocross, but she also mtn bikes a bit too. I just started riding again, but all I have is a road bike. I am going to get a mtn. bike soon though. The UC, Ft. Ord, demonstration forest, Wilder and Naicine are all nice rides. How much riding do you do?
 
King HS is best. I agree with Fast Eddie's points...

I have king's on a few bikes and they can last many years...I have used them many miles in lots of mud, (new england), and no problems ever.

I ride a lot, race MTB & Cross and have done some road too.

If you want a HS that will last 10 or more years and need no adjustment once set up properly, get a King. If you want to save a bit of money and replace or service one every 2-4 years, (depending on miles and trail cond.), get a cheaper one....Just like anything else I subpose.

Cary, take yeor king apart and clean it, also look to see that the cups are both seated on a faced head tube. It could also be that it is adjusted a tad too tight.

* Muddy conditions can ruin most any HS, EXCEPT KING. If you are West coast and avoid mud, most other HS should be OK.
 
OZCAL said:
Got that, but why? I never saw the headset as something to pull until you messed up the races. Is his original headset the kind of stuff that is bad right out of the box or something?
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Her current hard tail mtn. bike had a crappy headset and it definitely caused some performance issues. I guess I want to avoid huntinmg down and replacing it on the night before a race..............which is what happened last time. I am quite sure what is on there is fine...........I am just a bit paranoid. :cheers:
 
Spud said:
King HS is best. I agree with Fast Eddie's points...

I have king's on a few bikes and they can last many years...I have used them many miles in lots of mud, (new england), and no problems ever.

I ride a lot, race MTB & Cross and have done some road too.

If you want a HS that will last 10 or more years and need no adjustment once set up properly, get a King. If you want to save a bit of money and replace or service one every 2-4 years, (depending on miles and trail cond.), get a cheaper one....Just like anything else I subpose.

Cary, take yeor king apart and clean it, also look to see that the cups are both seated on a faced head tube. It could also be that it is adjusted a tad too tight.

* Muddy conditions can ruin most any HS, EXCEPT KING. If you are West coast and avoid mud, most other HS should be OK.
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I've been through the headset and made sure it was seated properly, the headtube was faced.

I know people want to say, oh great, a king lasts 10 years, but so do many other headsets. There are a lot of guys that have been running Cane Creek's for 10+ years. Very few headsets fail, and those that do are usually because of bearing contamination. IMHO, King stuff is way overpriced and I have one of their headsets and a set of their hubs on one of my bikes. If you ride in really muddy conditions ongoingly (pacific northwest, alaska coast, BC) then there seems to be difference because of their extensive sealing, but otherwise it is a waste of money.
 
Chris King headsets are overrated unless you trash, and I mean, are really really hard on bikes like I am and use a steel set to get more area on the head tube to add strength and keep in from ovaling out and eventually ripping off. Lots of companies are now making the head tubes a lot beefier and will not accept the steelset

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Like said above, any headset that uses a cartridge bearing is a quality unit, cane creek is a good example. I have also had pretty good like with the Pig from FSA.
 
nat said:
How much riding do you do?
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There have been times when I rode 6 or 7 days a week. Now I work a bit more and I only get to commute once a week or so.

I rode Henry Coe last weekend and there's a festival at China Camp in San Rafael tomorrow called Ales & Trails; double good.

Yesterday for bike to work day I rode both ways or about 56 miles. I usually take the train home to maximize home time.
 
Chris Kings rock but may be overkill, depending on how aggressive she is and the conditions you ride in. Cane Creeks are sweet, too, slightly less money and will perform fine if you're not a crashing, hucking, abusive rider. My wife's full carbon Trek Fuel has a Cane Creek and we've had no problems for 3 years and we adventure race, 24 hour race, etc.
 
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