Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Dumb question...What justifies a $120 Headset vs. a cheaper one?

SO I'm looking at headsets on ebay, and I am noticing quite a difference in prices. You can find them as cheap as $7, on up to $120 for a Chris King. What makes a headset retail for $120, condsidering that they basically serve the same function as a cheaper model?

why buy a colnago when a huffy serves the same function?

Some of the more pricey headsets have sealed replaceable cartridge bearings and weigh less. I think at 120bucks for a CK your paying for the name and color selection. there are plenty of good headsets out there between 30 and 70bucks.

How do the Campagnolo headsets rank as far as build quality and such?

the construction and attention to detail in manufacturing make the difference.
an expensive headset will have sealed bearings and the tolerances will be way tighter, a cheaper one will have looser tolerances and loose ball bearings. they will both feel smooth when new and assembled correctly. but over time, the cheap one will wear and need maintenance, it might even become 'indexed' if neglected.
the expensive one will stay smooth and require practically no maintenance.
if you put a cheap one on a frame you plan on keeping for a while, you may have to change it later, and removing headset cups kinda sucks. the expensive one will probably never need to be changed, just serviced almost never.
and like timezero said, $30-70 gets you a good headset..

To narrow the division: why pay $120 for a CK over a $50 Cane Creek? I'm not saying I wouldn't ever do this, but why would *you*? Good build quality, sealed bearings, reliability, smoothness, and ease of service are characteristics of both.

one of the things you're forgetting about the chris king headsets is that they're made in the u.s., the company pays its workers well and provides really good benefits, AND they are very environmentally sensitive.

one of the things you're forgetting about the chris king headsets is that they're made in the u.s., the company pays its workers well and provides really good benefits, AND they are very environmentally sensitive.
baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

i work in the US and i get paid ****

Drop it in and forget it. That is what you pay for.

one of the things you're forgetting about the chris king headsets is that they're made in the u.s., the company pays its workers well and provides really good benefits, AND they are very environmentally sensitive.

I got one a month ago, and this was part of the reason. Worth every penny, to me.

Nobody has yet mentioned that the CK headsets have been crafted by the gods.

I like Chris King for the reasons dolface said, plus the fact that they're in my own city and it makes me feel good to throw money toward a real company employing real workers who also happen to make what is probably the best headset in the world. Plus sporting one on my bike makes me feel like a pimp. :D

Also Chris King will rebuild your headset at no cost to you within the first ten years of its life. They don't care if you are the orig. owner or the 50th.

After that they charge but it's still cheaper than a new one.

What about the fact that they don't obsoletize parts? Your King headset from 1982 can use the same replacement parts as your 2005 set. Phil Wood and Chris King should run off to Canada and be wed.

amen

dude that olympia is just class! i love roller lever brakes

Thanks. It's my little souvenir from my stay in Italy. My wife has a Bianchi that sorta matches

hatta fuucking swan!

one other aspect that bumps up the price of a CK, they make their bearings in-house. unheard of for any other headset. its all about the tolerances.

SO I'm looking at headsets on ebay, and I am noticing quite a difference in prices. You can find them as cheap as $7, on up to $120 for a Chris King. What makes a headset retail for $120, condsidering that they basically serve the same function as a cheaper model?Search function is at the top...

Chris King also do nice things like donate money to breast cancer research (http://www.chrisking.com/prettyandstrong/).

hatta fuucking swan!


blahblahblah

p.s. I use a 1" threaded Dura Ace. $89.

How do the Campagnolo headsets rank as far as build quality and such?Well, Chris King headsets got the reputation they got by being much, much better than Campy. He basically opened up the market for all the other headset makers and has been sitting at the top of the heap ever since. I'm not sure how that translates into today's parts though. Campy may have (probably did) improved their bearings. Personally I'd go with a mid-priced part. Something like a Cane Creek S-2.

Something like a Cane Creek S-2.

An excellent headset and a damned good value.

another thing to consider is that chris king's gripnut has a low stack height, which is a "problemsolver" for bikes with short steerers, like mine. i was pretty pissed that i had to settle for a king. now i'm stuck with it.

another thing to consider is that chris king's gripnut has a low stack height, which is a "problemsolver" for bikes with short steerers, like mine. i was pretty pissed that i had to settle for a king. now i'm stuck with it.
I'd be pissed too, if I was stuck with a king headset.

Just scored one for $55 shipped off eBay... first good deal off the site i've had in ages.

ha! now your gonna be stuck with a headset that you won't need to replace..sucker!

plus the cks come in pink. pink dude.

plus the cks come in pink. pink dude.

Screw pink. Nyquil green is where it's at.

I've used both & like both. We have very inexpensive non-sealed bearing headsets on our IRO & Cogswell. We have a Chris King on my sons's Litespeed & Cane Creek S-2's on mine & my girlfriends Litespeeds. All of them work well. After installing a threaded non-sealed headset on the Kogswell & servicing the threaded headset on the IRO, I wouldn't hesitate to use cheap headsets. I just have to disassemble, clean, & grease ocassionally.

ran through a bunch of bikes, and ive never had to replace those cheap headsets either
my new, and relatively new, bikes ive never even touched the headset
on really old bikes ive inhereted, i clean the bearings and regrease em...

but if you've got the money.. .whatever

ok.
redfooj looks like the only one that will agree with me, but here goes. . .

the LAST thing one should concern oneself with in regards to a bike is the headset.

think about it.

what does it do? it allows you to turn. BFD!

the french track team has even gotten rid of headsets alltogether.
i own the cheapest f'ing headset ever, and i win a lot of races. stop the insanity!

I'll agree with you too.
I've only ever replaced a headset once. And that one was over 20 years old.

i'm totally serious about the hatta swan. it's as smooth or smoother than any of the DA or CK headsets that i've used and it has a much less offensive and understated aesthetic.

hatta is just as expensive as CK

true, indeed. i'd never buy a ck, though.

unless my memory is pulling a prank, ive seen a hatta njs go for 800$

imo, stems, seatposts, and headsets are the parts that one should least worry about... (unless one is keen on aesthetics--something which im also guilty of)

unless my memory is pulling a prank, ive seen a hatta njs go for 800$

imo, stems, seatposts, and headsets are the parts that one should least worry about... (unless one is keen on aesthetics--something which im also guilty of)

The titanium version goes for the stupid amount of money.

my gunnar came with chris king. I doubt I would have bought one otherwise. But I doubted I would have bought a gunnar either.

FWIW the Ck headset had 11 balls missing out of the top bearing and the fork snapped so yeah, they are great headsets!

unless my memory is pulling a prank, ive seen a hatta njs go for 800$

imo, stems, seatposts, and headsets are the parts that one should least worry about... (unless one is keen on aesthetics--something which im also guilty of)

i don't know if i would include stems in that list, only because they can contribute more to comfort, altered riding positions, etc. but i agree about headsets and seatposts. sometimes i wonder about how weird people get about pedals, also.