Mountain Biking - Opinions on Raceface headsets

I'm in the market for a new headset. I know chris king is the best, blah, blah, blah, but I'm looking at a race face deus heaset for half the cost. It Looks quality built and comes with a 5 year warranty on the bearings and lifetime on the rest. That seems to be a dam good deal I think. Anyone run a race face headset now or in the past?? If so give me some feedback please. I'd like to really get a hope headset but then again it's more than twice the cost of the Raceface.

i'm running a race face diabolious. though i've only gotten about 8 hours of ride time on it, i was impressed with its construction, and the price was right. i think i'll be perfectly happy with it over the long haul.

I've actually heard some bad things about the Raceface bearings. I can't remember what though unfortunately. Maybe look for reviews. I'd imagine that is what I did when I was looking for a headset and discovered some were unhappy with theirs.
I am using cane creek for a headset but most of my other components are Race Face. The cane creek is really nice and another good option for you to look into if you're interested in other brands.

I read reviews on MTBR.com but I take everything read over there with a grain of salt. It's more of a location for complaints than compliments.

Being as they are roughly the same price I would take a look at Hope headsets before making a decision.

Well the diabolious has flames so they must be good.;)

Look into the FSA Pig DH Pro!! You can find them for $40 and some say that they are comparable to King.

Edit: ^^If you were talking about the diabolious HS.

Being as they are roughly the same price I would take a look at Hope headsets before making a decision.

I can get a Raceface deus for about $50.

King for $130 installed.

Hopes I THINK, not sure cannot be sold in the US due to patenting so I have to order it from the UK and with $15 shipping it will be around $120 total.

PS.. I"m a XC rider so I don't need a heavy duty headset.

Honestly, I'll never spend tons of cash on a headset. I've never felt a headset that wasn't buttery smooth(if it's set up right) on a new bike. Most will last a life time if maintained. I spent $35 on ebay for a cane creek s6 just simply because I wanted something with some bling factor rather than an "Aheadset" brand. No way I'd ever get a king headset though, just not worth it imo. I'd get the raceface.

FSA Pig DH Pro.

Hopes I THINK, not sure cannot be sold in the US due to patenting so I have to order it from the UK and with $15 shipping it will be around $120 total.
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/HS401A00-Hope+Headset.aspx

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/HS401A00-Hope+Headset.aspx

Man I did a search on their site yesterday for all hope products and it didn't show em. Still pretty dam pricy. I'll probably get the race face and if it fails early then I'll get it fixed under warranty, sell it and get a hope.

Thanks for the info guys.

No way I'd ever get a king headset though, just not worth it imo.

I use a Chris King. I was convinced when my stock headset went to ***** in under a year and one of the guys I ride with commented on how the King headset on his current bike was also used on his previous two bikes. $130 over 10 years is $13 a year. That's not bad...

Well the diabolious has flames so they must be good.;)


Nonono, flames do not make the headset more reliable. They make the bike faster :D

Being as they are roughly the same price I would take a look at Hope headsets before making a decision.
the Hope HS is very nice!

I'm in the market for a new headset. I know chris king is the best, blah, blah, blah, but I'm looking at a race face deus heaset for half the cost. It Looks quality built and comes with a 5 year warranty on the bearings and lifetime on the rest. That seems to be a dam good deal I think. Anyone run a race face headset now or in the past?? If so give me some feedback please. I'd like to really get a hope headset but then again it's more than twice the cost of the Raceface.

I cannot comment on their longevity, but I bought my Jekyll used and it came w/ a RF deus, and so far, I'm loving it. Seems like a sturdy piece! Good luck!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b358/mystikmax6969/Jekyll/Cannondalejekyll013.jpg

Hopes I THINK, not sure cannot be sold in the US due to patenting so I have to order it from the UK and with $15 shipping it will be around $120 total.

Hopes in the UK are about half the price of a Chris King. I was told recently however that FSA made Hope's headsets, and that it was just the logo that was hope. If you look on the Hope website now though it say the headsets are made under licence by canecreek. Not really relevant I know, but some might find it interesting. If I'm wrong feel free to correct me. (Not that an invitation is usually required)

Hopes in the UK are about half the price of a Chris King. I was told recently however that FSA made Hope's headsets, and that it was just the logo that was hope. If you look on the Hope website now though it say the headsets are made under licence by canecreek. Not really relevant I know, but some might find it interesting. If I'm wrong feel free to correct me. (Not that an invitation is usually required) not half price, currency exchange


http://www.observedtrials.net/vb/images/smilie/umno.gif fsa DOES NOT make Hope products. please, they wouldn't stoop that low

I wouldn't count on the warranty. My experience with Race Face's warranty department was pretty frustrating. Still, I think pretty much any headset will do the job. I've only had one headset fail, ever. It happened to be a Cane Creek S2, but the nice thing about that headset is that the bearings are easily replacable without having to remove the cups.

I think pretty much any headset will do the job.

Sure, but how well is the question. My first MTB came with an AHeadset. I never really thought about it. After the bike was stolen, I upgraded rigs, but the new bike came with another AHeadset. I was a bit more picky with the component group and watched the shop guys build it up. None of them could get the headset to roll smoothly. I tried to adjust it several times myself to no avail. I opted to replace it with a Cane Creek Solos headset. The difference is amazing. It's smooth as silk. The 10 year warranty is great as well. I think it's one of those thingst that most people don't notice the difference until they try something better. Another example is a friend of mine who told another friend that he loved his Manitou Black fork. This was the same fork that leaks oil all over the place and has a ton of stiction and rides like crap. Go figure.

Rico, just saw this deal: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=17380 Looks like a winner to me.

Check out the FSA Orbit XL-II (http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=40253&cat=200&brand=91) headset. I have been using one for a couple of years now with no complaints. Personally I think it does just as good of a job as the king headset I have. Of course I'm not a big fan of CK products. That's a whole nother story that doesn't matter though.:rolleyes:

Check out the FSA Orbit XL-II (http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=40253&cat=200&brand=91) headset. I have been using one for a couple of years now with no complaints. Personally I think it does just as good of a job as the king headset I have. Of course I'm not a big fan of CK products. That's a whole nother story that doesn't matter though.:rolleyes:

word
The XL-II is my headset of choice for most all my builds, unless threadless parts are needed. I sort of feel they're less finicky about setup than even the CK, which I have only owned once, and sold shortly after. oh, and the fsa is about 1/4 the price of the ck.

Orbit UF would not be a bad bet either - - actually has a Timken-type bearing in the lower cup (something every headset should have, IMO).

Honestly, I'll never spend tons of cash on a headset. I've never felt a headset that wasn't buttery smooth(if it's set up right) on a new bike. Most will last a life time if maintained. I spent $35 on ebay for a cane creek s6 just simply because I wanted something with some bling factor rather than an "Aheadset" brand. No way I'd ever get a king headset though, just not worth it imo. I'd get the raceface.


Exactly. Headsets are simple rugged designs and it doesn't take much to make a good one. Cane Creek, which are often discounted, are good quality and the Cane Creek support/warranty is first class.

Al

Exactly. Headsets are simple rugged designs and it doesn't take much to make a good one. Cane Creek, which are often discounted, are good quality and the Cane Creek support/warranty is first class.

Al

Right. And a headset is just bearings in a raceway. Ultimately, as long as the bearings are round and the raceway fits the bearings you'll have a smooth headset. They're all made of the same materials the most expensive ones to the cheapest ones(neglecting cost of materials for titanium). But that goes for most bike parts too. As you go up levels in components you generally get less and less for your money. A spring in a deraileur adds $30. A 0.2 gram drop in weight in a crankset might cost you $100. But, I went the other route with the headset and bought a ~$100 retail cane creek for $35 instead of a $250+ CK. But, people pay for the bling. I do it too, to a logical degree.

Right. And a headset is just bearings in a raceway. Ultimately, as long as the bearings are round and the raceway fits the bearings you'll have a smooth headset. They're all made of the same materials the most expensive ones to the cheapest ones(neglecting cost of materials for titanium). But that goes for most bike parts too. As you go up levels in components you generally get less and less for your money. A spring in a deraileur adds $30. A 0.2 gram drop in weight in a crankset might cost you $100. But, I went the other route with the headset and bought a ~$100 retail cane creek for $35 instead of a $250+ CK. But, people pay for the bling. I do it too, to a logical degree.

No, not all bearings are created equal.

Also, what derailleur doesn't have a spring?

No, not all bearings are created equal.

Also, what derailleur doesn't have a spring?

Sealed bearing headsets are miles ahead of unsealed, but even amongst sealed there are differences between good sealed headsets and bad sealed headsets.

Rico, be at one with the Deus. Your smile will be as wide as a Fort Duffield trail.... :)