[Lectron]

There has been a lot of talking about brakes here, but nothing ’bout headsets.
What headset do you guys use, and how do they hold up?
I’m eating them faster than anything else on my bike.
Do I have to go for something made of steel? (C.K. Steelset or Syncros Hardcore FS2).
A typical downhill headset? Aluminum cups just don’t seem to be strong enough for a rigid fork.
Any recommendations? Preferable from people who race their bikes.

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[G-Unit]

I have a Chris King headset on mine, got a lot of grief about it when I was about to buy it, but I guess it'll last a long time.

My Poprad has Avid Juicy brakes and they work pretty well except for the banshee like screech.

[jeff williams]

I don't race, I ride rigid chromoly offroad, am running a Ritchey Logic headset.
Will do T.R for a replacement. T.R may have the component in 'severe condition' line.
C.K or T.R.

[darkmother]

I've had pretty good luck with the cartridge ones. I think mine is a Cane Creek C2. Not too pricey either.

[ZenNMotion]

I have 3 cross bikes, 2 get raced and 1 gets abused in the woods. I bought them all used, with existing headsets. They are all 1 inch, the two race bikes are no-thread, one with a carbon fork (Al steer tube) and the other is Aluminum. The third bike that I don't race is threaded, with a steel fork. I'm not heavy, (150lbs) but I race hard (insert tarzan chest-thump here) I assume you are talking about no-thread headsets? The gold standard by far is the Chris King. One of my bikes has one of these- It had 1 hard race season in it when I bought it, and I have put on another 3 seasons of mud, and have never touched it, not even for adjustment. This is my primary race bike. The second race bike I put on a Campy record headset- so far no problems after 2 cross seasons. I have the same campy headset on my road bike, which has seen more than 15,000 miles (racing and hard training) in two years, 1 inch Look carbon fork/steer tube. No problems with that one either. I've used a Cane Creek C2, cheap alternative but it loosened up frequently. I have had bad experiences with 2 different models of Ritchey headsets on my mountain bike, I will not buy any more Ritcheys. There are others out there that have good reputations (Orbit, FSA) but I haven't tried them myself.

Chris King is your best bet if money is no object- but very pricey and not worth it in my opinion.
All my bikes are mostly Shimano, but the Campy Record or Chorus headset is my favorite- fairly inexpensive, sealed well, very durable, and you can find them on sale for 50 bucks.

If you need a threaded headset, go for a shimano Ultegra. Fairly cheap, and bombproof.

If you keep chewing through headsets, you may also have a problem with your frame's head tube (slightly ovalized or needs facing). You might want to check it before spending more on headsets. Even the worst ones I've had have lasted most of a season. Wait, scrap that, the Ritchey Logic was a nightmare. Someone in the thread above seems to be OK with it.

[wpbusc]

I have a 1 inch Chris King that is ten years old on my 'cross bike.

Buddy B

[Lectron]

Thank You. That explains a few things.

I’ve been using the T.R. wcs now. Before that Cane Creek S6. Their cup design look very much the same.
On my roadbike I use C.K., and I’m very pleased with that one. But there again,
I don’t very often use the R.B. off road, and brake chatter is not an issue there.
Brake chatter might be some of the harder things for a headset, and once the bearing
starts to get loose it only gets worse.
So I guess it’s another Chris King then. Maybe even the steelset. (if I can handle the extra weight that is)

[ZenNMotion]

The steelset may be a little overkill- unless you're really heavy. If it were me, I'd buy a campy, just cause I'm cheap and mine have worked really well. But a king is a good decision-