I just can't seem to find them, but may not be calling it the right thing....went to Sheldon Brown's site / Harris, Performance, Nashbar....

Am building up a Raleigh MTB frame (mid 90s....maybe newer) to be my commuter in Japan.

It needs external cups...is there another name for these kinds of headsets? Can you even get a threadless headset with external cups?

Is the headset going to end up costing me more than the rest of the bike??? (Am building this from my 15 year old college MTB drivetrain).

Thanks!

(p.s. - on 1.5 inch rims, what is a good compromise commuter tire width? Stick with 1.5? I saw a few 1.25 and 1.4 tires.)

Thanks!