"Mike S." <mikeshaw2@coxDOTnet> wrote in message
news:5Rkia.54$sk.41@fed1read07...
> "Dave Smith" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
>
news:[email protected]...
> > I have an old Specialized S-Works Steel that I've
converted to a city
> > bike. Now I'm having trouble finding a new 1" mountain
headset for
> > it. I'd rather not have to spend the bucks for a Chris
King or
> > something. Can I use a road headset on it?
>
> Headsets are headsets... The biggest difference between
road and mtn are
> the "seals." More better seals to keep the grunge out of
the bearings on
> the mtn versions.
The most important seal is still the one that seals around the top locknut, keeping out sweat that
drips down on the stem. Good road headsets have this.
> I like the Shimano sealed bearing headsets. Nice, light,
durable, fairly
> inexpensive. If you've gone threadless on this bike, try
the Cane Creek C2.
In fact the Shimano ones are best, particularly for a rigid fork. This is because on long descents
under hard braking, the fork flexes fore and aft over bumps, rocking the lower bearing race, causing
fretting damage. Back in the days of lightweight rigid forks and 1" head tubes on mountain bikes,
headsets were treated almost as consumables. The Shimano design goes a long way toward curing the
problem. There's an article in the FAQ which explains this:
http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8f.13.html
So get a Shimano headset, if you can.
Matt O.
