[BradBB]

http://www.chrisking.com/tech/int_headsets_explained/int_hds_explain_2.html

This is probably another one of those situations where a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but as I've gotten back into cycling and done a little mechanical self edification here and there, I stumbled on this article. In it, the author seems to indicate that anything other than a conventional headset, with bearings pressed into cups and then pressed into the frame, will explode and destroy most of the eastern seaboard.

Are the concerns raised about internal and integrated headsets wearing out the frame really valid? It sounds like mountain bikes and cyclocross bikes would fall apart with the amount of bearing slop mentioned in the article. I know I'll never test my bike this severely, so I'm mostly just curious to hear some opinions.

Discuss!

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[efficiency]

no. Headsets will all work just as you expect.

[Ronsonic]

Some things are better than others, but many of those others are often plenty good enough. Sorta like the King headsets themselves. They may actually be better than any other headset. But we know from experience that lots of other headsets will last decades.

I don't think the internal and integral headsets are going to be any less reliable than conventional ones. There is the question of damaging part of the frame if something goes wrong, but it isn't like we're expecting 50 years of Mongolian tours from the mostly cheaper aluminum and extremely race specific frames that we see these new gadgets on.