Originally Posted by
531phile
I hear that the crown race is built into the headset. So once the this part wears out, the frame is toast. This apparently is one of the reasons why Chris King doesn't make integrated headsets.
So how long have integrated headsets been around? 8 - 10 years maybe? Heard many stories about head tubes actually failing? I certainly haven't.
1. The bearing races (cups) aren't built into the head tube. What is machined into the head tube is an angled stop that a cartridge bearing, with a matching angled face, drops into. The race (cup) is contained in the cartridge bearing not the head tube. If it wears out, all that you have to replace is the cartridge bearing. Just make sure that you get one that matches the angle of the stop that's machined in your head tube.
2. What Chris King really objects to:
Ever install a Chris King headset? Every part is a very tight fit. That's what makes them so precise. Integrated headset bearings, on the other hand, are a drop in fit. During installation you actually over tighten the preload a tad to center the bearing in the machined angled seat. Chris King thinks that's a sloppy way of doing it.