Thanks, and yes, I don't know where the confusion comes from, either.

I basically wanted to know whether 1 1/8 threadless headsets were pretty much all the same thing or if there was some obscure measurement I needed to know about. I provided all the relevant info in order to make everything clear and wound up muddying the whole thing.

I have always gone through my LBS for stuff like this, but I like to have in mind what I need when I show up there. I'd like to do the work myself over a weekend since this bike is used for commuting and I shelled out the $$$ to use it in the month of May.

I had looked at that Karate Monkey fork, but had no idea whether 29ers and 700c hybrid setups were really that compatible. It's not like I'm ever going to be able to cram a fat 29er tire in the back of the extra anyway.

Soooo- next question. What is there, though, about headsets that require LBS installation? I've been assembling a fairly thorough -- and um, messy-- home mechanic setup.





I don't have that little split tube thingy that you insert into the head tube to pop out the headset parts-- but I've read that it can be done with a hammer and an old screwdriver. Maybe, though, I should get one of those tools since I'm getting fairly serious about working on bikes.