Integrated headsets

[Kent]

Just bought a frame and fork for my wife and am looking for a really good integrated headset to go
with it. Having never ridden a bike with one of these headsets I am wandering into unfarmiliar
territory and would like to hear from those who have...which one is the best choice. All considering
posting the foolishness of my choice save your fingers. I am well aware that not everyone is a fan
of them and that they could become obsolete as quick as a Shimano part group. The bike was bought
because the dimensions fit my wife. So intregrated owners...what are some of the best headsets out
there. The frame in an Orbea Dama and the fork is a Reynolds Ouzo Pro..both are 1 1/8"

thanks Kent

 

[daveornee]

Originally posted by Kent
Just bought a frame and fork for my wife and am looking for a really good integrated headset to go
with it. Having never ridden a bike with one of these headsets I am wandering into unfarmiliar
territory and would like to hear from those who have...which one is the best choice. All considering
posting the foolishness of my choice save your fingers. I am well aware that not everyone is a fan
of them and that they could become obsolete as quick as a Shimano part group. The bike was bought
because the dimensions fit my wife. So intregrated owners...what are some of the best headsets out
there. The frame in an Orbea Dama and the fork is a Reynolds Ouzo Pro..both are 1 1/8"

thanks Kent

 

[daveornee]

Originally posted by daveornee

Sorry my fingers never left my hands, but the message left before I had a chance to put any text in my reply.
I have used Ritchey Logic Zero Integrated Headset in WCS, PRO, and Comp versions. They all seem to be a good value.
My recent acquisition of a LiteSpeed Blue Ridge came with a Can Creek. It installed easily and looks good. I don't have any bad experiences with it. I just don't have much experience with it.
The Ritchey ones all have close to 10,000 miles each with no problems.

 

[Orbea Zona]

Originally posted by Kent
Just bought a frame and fork for my wife and am looking for a really good integrated headset to go
with it. Having never ridden a bike with one of these headsets I am wandering into unfarmiliar
territory and would like to hear from those who have...which one is the best choice. All considering
posting the foolishness of my choice save your fingers. I am well aware that not everyone is a fan
of them and that they could become obsolete as quick as a Shimano part group. The bike was bought
because the dimensions fit my wife. So intregrated owners...what are some of the best headsets out
there. The frame in an Orbea Dama and the fork is a Reynolds Ouzo Pro..both are 1 1/8"

thanks Kent

I just bought an Orbea "Zona" frameset from my LBS. They said it came from the factory with a headset already.

 

[Vincent Chiao]

Just a follow up to what was said earlier about integrated headsets
and possible frame damage: Chris King has an explanation on their
webpage about why they think integrated headsets do pose such a
risk--what I think an earlier poster was getting at when he suggested
that the bearings could brinnell the integrated races and damage the
frame. See:

http://www.chrisking.com/tech/int_headsets_explained/int_hds_explain_appendix1.html

(and preceding pages) for the CK explanation. Note that CK distinguish between "integrated" and
"internal" or "zero stack" headsets, which apparently do not have this problem.

About standardization: I was building a bike awhile ago (last summer) when I was in Europe, and
ended up with--against what I would have preferred--a frame built for an integrated headset. The
manufacturer claimed that it accepted some Cane Creek standard, but not a single bike store in
Berlin had that size--each store had maybe 2 on hand, and no two I saw were alike. There was no
standardization in size whatsoever--one mech actually got out calipers, measured and drew a diagram
before going and trying to see if he could special order a headset to fit, and it took another store
about 2 weeks of trying to special order one before they just gave up. So maybe it's different in
the US or is getting easier, but for what it's worth, that was my experience.

The frame I got was cheap, fits right, etc., and so I have no complaints--except for that damn
headset. I tell myself now that if the frame *does* get trashed b/c of the headset--however likely
or unlikely that may be--as long as I get 3-4 years of riding out of it, it will have paid for
itself, it was so cheap. --V.