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Ok, my head hurts.

Old 11-24-10, 10:58 AM
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Ok, my head hurts.

Just tell me what headset to buy for my 87 specialized sirrus. I don't want to think anymore. I kind of like the idea of light, but I don't count grams on my commuter. Reasonably priced is about the only requirement I have. It will either go on the Christmas list or I might pick it up before then if the price is right.
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Old 11-24-10, 11:08 AM
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Stronglight A9 is really good, IMO.

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Old 11-24-10, 11:10 AM
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for threaded, tange makes cheap stuff. levin is ok, falcon is a bit better. often available cheaply on the used market, or for around 15-30 new.
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Old 11-24-10, 11:10 AM
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look at that. an all-texas thread.
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Old 11-24-10, 11:12 AM
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Tange Levin is inexpensive and works fine. Don't get anything too nice and expensive...its a commuter, its gonna see some mess.
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Old 11-24-10, 11:39 AM
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I can't get worked up about headsets. It's just a bearing. No need to deliberate over this decision.

Then again, I often feel this way about a lot of bike componentry.
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Old 11-24-10, 11:53 AM
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Ball or needle bearings????
Sealed or loose bearings????
Steel, aluminum or plastic????
Threaded or threadless????
What threading????
Integrated????
French, Japanese, Italian, Swiss, US, Chinese...brand????
NOS, New, Used????
Diameter????
Uhmmm.........stack height????

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Old 11-24-10, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Chombi
Ball or needle bearings????
Sealed or loose bearings????
Steel, aluminum or plastic????
Threaded or threadless????
What threading????
Integrated????
French, Japanese, Italian, Swiss, US, Chinese...brand????
NOS, New, Used????
Diameter????
Uhmmm.........stack height????

Chombi
While I understand your point, I think you're making this slightly more complicated than needed.

It's an 87 Specialized Sirrus, so probably:
ball
loose
steel, aluminum, or combination (anything but plastic)
threaded (if he was going threadless he would have said so)
probably standard threading
not integrated (again, would have said so)
Brand? -- he's asking for recommendations. He's obviously not choosy. So make a recommendation.
I would assume he wants new, unless we tell him different.
Diameter - Specialized Sirrus, so I'm expecting 1" unless OP says differently.

OP, I'm expecting you have a 1" steerer (versus 1-1/8"). The only size you need to tell us is the inside diameter of the fork crown race (the part of the headset that slides down over the fork and wedges snugly atop the fork crown). It will either be English (26.4mm) or JIS (27mm) sized. While you can grind/modify a 26.4mm race to fit into a JIS sized fork, it's generally not advisable. Find out which size you need before purchasing.

I recommend Tange products - much better than threaded Ritchey products, and more easy and less expensive than finding used/NOS Stronglight, Campy, etc.

Both Rivendell and Velo-Orange carry Tange headsets, as well as a variety of other retailers. You could also go for a Shimano or VO/Gran Cru headset, just be sure to order one with correct threading and crown race diameter.
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Old 11-24-10, 06:26 PM
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Originally Posted by dashuaigeh
for threaded, tange makes cheap stuff. levin is ok, falcon is a bit better. often available cheaply on the used market, or for around 15-30 new.
I believe the tange levin is actually a slightly higher level than the falcon -- at least in finish. If you like loose-ball, go with the levin. If you want a cartridge, go with the falcon.

I absolutely recommend a tange levin. you really cannot go wrong with that headset. I like the steel chrome NJS version: https://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...2912df86733be1

Last edited by TimeTravel_0; 11-24-10 at 06:29 PM.
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