chris king headset input wanted

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by brightgarden
i've got an opportunity to acquire a chris king headset that fits my road bike. the only problem is i don't know why i would want it to justify the cost.

what exactly makes it so great? and do i risk something in switching out the part that came with the bike?

currently, my bike has all original parts from the manufacturer (specialized allez elite). well, except pedals which didn't come with..

and the next question is, if your girlfriend was getting a part from you that you offered to install on her bike, would it be rude if she asked to take it to a bike shop mechanic instead? -- maybe this is a question for another forum...

Chris King makes the best designed and carefully implemented headsets I have ever seen. The only "stopper" would be it if the Chris King has a greater stack height than you current headset, and there are no spacers, you will not be able to safely use it. CK provides very good information on their website and very good support, should you ever need it, by calling them directly.

I am not sure I understand your "girlfriend"question. Who has the better knowledge, tools for the specific task, and proven skills to do the job? If it's the shop, you may consider installation price as part of the gift.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daveornee
Chris King makes the best designed and carefully implemented headsets I have ever seen. The only "stopper" would be it if the Chris King has a greater stack height than you current headset, and there are no spacers, you will not be able to safely use it. CK provides very good information on their website and very good support, should you ever need it, by calling them directly.

I am not sure I understand your "girlfriend"question. Who has the better knowledge, tools for the specific task, and proven skills to do the job? If it's the shop, you may consider installation price as part of the gift.

Thanks. I guess my question, which i can't get my boyfriend to explain either, is what is a headset exactly, what would make one better than another. I will look on the CK website. It turns out my bike has an integrated headset--another thing i don't understand.

on the girlfriend question, i guess you hit it on the head: how am i supposed to know if he's qualified to install the thing? i guess i better just learn how to install it myself (not intending to of course) so i understand the implications.

i saw the new thread on damaging the frame from an integrated headset and now i wonder if i can even put a CK headset on, or if it would be better to get it on sooner rather than later... but i've got a lot of reading to do. nearly 1000 miles on the bike already...

thx again..

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by brightgarden
Thanks. I guess my question, which i can't get my boyfriend to explain either, is what is a headset exactly, what would make one better than another. I will look on the CK website. It turns out my bike has an integrated headset--another thing i don't understand.

on the girlfriend question, i guess you hit it on the head: how am i supposed to know if he's qualified to install the thing? i guess i better just learn how to install it myself (not intending to of course) so i understand the implications.

i saw the new thread on damaging the frame from an integrated headset and now i wonder if i can even put a CK headset on, or if it would be better to get it on sooner rather than later... but i've got a lot of reading to do. nearly 1000 miles on the bike already...

thx again..

A headset simply allows the front fork to turn. They all do the same thing. CKs have a 10 year warranty,are very well made and generally trouble free. I have CKs,shimanos and cane creeks,ritcheys and campys.The only one I have a gripe with is Campy due to inadequate seals. I can buy 3 or 4 ultegras for the price of a CK. CK does not make an integrated HS to fit your frame. There are integrated HS where the bearings cups run directly in the frame and are more likely to damage one,especially if the frme is aluminum.Other integrated designs use a cup pressed into the frame that the bearings run in,therefore less risk of damage.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by brightgarden
Thanks. I guess my question, which i can't get my boyfriend to explain either, is what is a headset exactly, what would make one better than another. I will look on the CK website. It turns out my bike has an integrated headset--another thing i don't understand.

on the girlfriend question, i guess you hit it on the head: how am i supposed to know if he's qualified to install the thing? i guess i better just learn how to install it myself (not intending to of course) so i understand the implications.

i saw the new thread on damaging the frame from an integrated headset and now i wonder if i can even put a CK headset on, or if it would be better to get it on sooner rather than later... but i've got a lot of reading to do. nearly 1000 miles on the bike already...

thx again..

the integrated headset question was from me. if you have an integrated headset, there is no CK product to replace it with. if you've got a Zero Stack (the last type of headset boudreaux describes with the cups pressed in) headset, you could possibly replace it with the CK Perdido, but that would also require boring out the head tube from 44mm to 44.5.

re, the g/f question, i'd say, if he does a lot of maintenence on bikes he's probably going to do OK. the only thing i wouldn't do on my own bike is headset installation/changes where some specialized tools make the process 100x easier.

you could help and learn more about your bike!! 😉

Just my opinion - I looked at a CK headset when I was replacing the fork on my MTB. Beautiful, but I just couldn't hack the $120 price, when an Aheadset could be had for $30.

Does the CK headset work better? Perhaps, but there isn't much difference in performance and weight to be had there. Put it this way: there were better ways to spend the $90 difference.

However, if my wife bought me a CK headset for my birthday, I'd be delighted.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by drewski

re, the g/f question, i'd say, if he does a lot of maintenence on bikes he's probably going to do OK. the only thing i wouldn't do on my own bike is headset installation/changes where some specialized tools make the process 100x easier.

you could help and learn more about your bike!! 😉

thanks!

yes, i had this nutty idea that i was going to take apart my whole mtb and put it all together before i "deserved" a road bike, but i threw that all out the window when i found "my bike"

i do tune my own mountain bike and--except for never quite getting the wheels as true as i would like--i think i do ok. just never done major repair... still riding that first free year at the bike shop thing with my road bike.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by JohnO

Does the CK headset work better? Perhaps, but there isn't much difference in performance and weight to be had there. Put it this way: there were better ways to spend the $90 difference.

They all work the same.The CK might work longer without attention. The CKs I have all cost $70 or less new. For the many people that get new bikes every few years,I wonder WHY?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
They all work the same.The CK might work longer without attention. The CKs I have all cost $70 or less new. For the many people that get new bikes every few years,I wonder WHY?

hmm.. i bought steel on purpose to keep it the rest of my life. if i had bought a bike that could accept this headset, then would it have been a better deal? the bike shop dude keeps saying he's had a CK on his mtn bike for so many years (6 or 8) and hasn't ever touched it.

i can't say i've ever touched the headset on my mtn bike, and quite frankly, all i know about it is that it's threaded (whatever that means--but don't explain it: i'm sure i'll figure it out when it's pertinent). 'course, i don't bike in the rain except by accident, and have gotten the bike good and muddy (and slush covered on one occasion) and haven't *noticed* problems. maybe i just don't know what to notice...

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by drewski
the only thing i wouldn't do on my own bike is headset installation/changes where some specialized tools make the process 100x easier.

Never used anything more specialized than a hammer, block of wood,big screwdriver and an improvised crown race setter. Have yet to find the process to be a burden.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
Never used anything more specialized than a hammer, block of wood,big screwdriver and an improvised crown race setter. Have yet to find the process to be a burden.

call me a chicken, but i just couldn't bring myself to hammer w/ a screwdriver to get the cups out. esp w/ an alloy headset.

maybe not 100x easier . . . perhaps 2-3x?? 😄

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by drewski
call me a chicken, but i just couldn't bring myself to hammer w/ a screwdriver to get the cups out. esp w/ an alloy headset.

maybe not 100x easier . . . perhaps 2-3x?? 😄

The screwdrivernever touches anything that's critical. And Alloy comes out alot easier than steel ones.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by brightgarden
hmm.. i bought steel on purpose to keep it the rest of my life. if i had bought a bike that could accept this headset, then would it have been a better deal? the bike shop dude keeps saying he's had a CK on his mtn bike for so many years (6 or 8) and hasn't ever touched it.

i can't say i've ever touched the headset on my mtn bike, and quite frankly, all i know about it is that it's threaded (whatever that means--but don't explain it: i'm sure i'll figure it out when it's pertinent). 'course, i don't bike in the rain except by accident, and have gotten the bike good and muddy (and slush covered on one occasion) and haven't *noticed* problems. maybe i just don't know what to notice...

If you have a steel frame, it's alot less likely to be a problem. I don't have an inegrated HS frame and will do my best to avoid them just on principle. Regular, even inexpensive HS can last a long time. Some are sealed better than others,and that is a big factor. If you have a problem,you'll notice. Some will tell you to overhaul it once a year,but that makes no sense on an inexpensive one,as it can be replaced relatively inexpensivley, when it does [censored] out.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by brightgarden
...and the next question is, if your girlfriend was getting a part from you that you offered to install on her bike, would it be rude if she asked to take it to a bike shop mechanic instead?

No. Because no matter how good you are, you don't provide a warranty of service. It may be IMPLIED, but it's not in writing and she's not likely to sue you if you ruin the frame (which is why she's going to a bike store instead). This is the same reason that women bring their cars to dealers regularly for check-ups and guys don't and why guys are usually under their cars more than your wife's mechanic. :-)

That said... I do my own work too! 🙂

Thanks. I like that rationale. I think I'm going to work up to doing my own work too!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
They all work the same.The CK might work longer without attention. The CKs I have all cost $70 or less new. For the many people that get new bikes every few years,I wonder WHY?

Well, you can always pull the CK off and put it on your new bike for at least a decade. Chances are that it will be better than the headset that comes with the "new" bike if it does come. So you're not just paying $100 for a headset, you're paying $100 for one if the best (if not the best) headsets for a long time (depreciation cost of the thing will turnout to be less expensive than the cost of other headsets, possibly). So sure, you might have to fork over $100 now, but you won't have to do it again for a long time, while that may not be the case with other headsets.

Just throwing in the Pro-CK Cost opinion.