Threaded Headset Measurements
 

I have a 1986 Schwinn Voyageur Road Bike. The headset (Tange Falcon Sealed) hasn't been touched, ever. I was thinking of overhauling but noticed how cheap you can purchase a new one for, like a Tange Passage, or Ritchey for less than 20 dollars.

I know it is threaded, I know it is 1 inch, but I don't know what the crown race size would be ISO or JIS. I like to know before I order, without having to take it apart.

Any ideas? Or do I just have to take it apart to figure it out.

Also, what is the benefit of the really expensive headsets? Just lighter weight?

Thank You.

I'd just overhaul for the cost of bearings and grease. No need to replace, unless you want to go nuts. I don't think you'd see a difference in quality between your current and the Tange Passage or Ritchey.

Expensive headsets are mostly like expensive cars: conspicuous consumption. They'll last forever, but so will your Tange Falcon.

Given that it's a sealed headset, assuming that it has a cartridge bearing, if you keep it well adjusted (ie don't take it apart and then put it back together loose) it will likely last forever. If it has loose balls in there, some grease and maybe new balls would help, but it will still likely last forever.

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's JIS 27.0mm. About the only way to know for sure is to take it apart and measure it. But as suggested, there's really no need to replace it unless there is something definitely wrong with it. Most likely your current headset has caged bearings, not cartridge. If the bearings and races are in good shape, you should only need to clean and regrease.
I doubt you would notice any difference between it and the other headsets you mentioned.

There is also a slightly aesthetic reason for replacement, however, I'm assuming since it says "Sealed Mechanism" then they are cartridge bearings, no? I would actually be really happy if they were caged, that way I could enjoy the overhaul.

http://gallery.a-symmetric.com/main....serialNumber=2

My impression is that "sealed" in this era just meant that it had extra protection against water infiltration, not "sealed" as in current designs. Kind of like a "waterproof" watch. I could be wrong, though.

If it is in fact sealed bearings, then, yes, a replacement would probably be in order.

With 99.9999% certainty, that is loose bearings in that specific headset.

I believe you are correct. "Sealed" in 1986 meant there was a rubber gasket or O-ring to keep out the worst of the crud. It did not mean cartridge bearings. I disagree that cheap headsets last forever. Older ones, particularly the low-line Tange's, had a relatively short service life even if well maintained.

To the OP: You will have to disassemble the headset and inspect the races. The ones most likely to be worn or damaged are the crown race and lower cup. If they are pockmarked (aka "brinelled") the headset should be replaced. If they are smooth, just clean out what ever old grease or crud is in there, regrease and reassemble. New balls are a good idea and discarding the retainers and using loose balls (you will need several more) will preserve the headset even longer.

If you need to replace the headset, there were true cartridge bearing 1" threaded headsets available. The Ultegra HP6500 was a great one but may be hard to find. Nashbar sells a house-brand cartridge bearing 1" threaded headset for only $18 and it's a real deal. I have one on my "rain bike" and it's survived three years of steady abuse. Look here:

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...3_10000_201354

One more thing, stack height. The old Tange headsets had stack heights in the 32 mm range. Most newer ones are 37-38 mm. If your steerer was cut to just fit the shorter stack height, replacement choices may be very limited.

Which could very well be the case, judging by the first picture. What do you mean by "old" Tanges? A bunch of 07/08 purchased 1" threaded headsets we have are all 32mm.

I mean it's an "old design". I know they are still available but most cartridge bearing "new design" headsets are taller. One exception is Chris King sells a 1" threaded cartridge bearing headset with a stack height as low as 33 mm but it is an extravagance on a bike like this.

You'll probably have to take the old headset out to determine ISO or JIS. However, when I took the headset out of my old MTB (Tange Falcon from 1987), I noticed it had 27.0 stamped on the bottom of the crown race. But I do not know if this was visible with the race installed as I never looked.

Seeing that picture I now agree. I thought he was referring to a cartridge bearing with seals. I've seen some Shimano headsets on bikes just a couple years after that with cartridge bearings.

True Story, I got my headset wrenches today, and did the overhaul. The bearings were in cages (loose) and not cartridge. Which I was actually really happy about. The cages and bearings looked so good I just degreased, regreased, and reassembled. After reading another thread, the general consensus was not to go loose ball and ditch the cages, so I left the cages in there. Those are some tiny balls!

The cages didn't even look dirty, just 23 year old grease, not much dirt. Maybe the "sealed" thing actually meant something. The only thing was on the top race, there was a plastic gasket, but I don't think that has anything to do with sealed.

The whole process took about 20 minutes.

Oh, and the crown race, cups, and spacers were immaculate. No brinneling (sp?) or anything like that, so it looks like I'll be sticking with this headset (until I go threadless, if that ever happens).

Thanks for the help and advice.

I did some looking and, apparently, Shimano first introduced their cartridge bearing threaded headsets in 1994 in both road (Dura Ace and Ultegra) and MTB (XT, LX) versions.

I had (still have in one case) Ultegra HP-6500 headsets in several bikes and they have been extremely durable and smooth. It's a shame Shimano never got into threadless headsets and has pretty much gotten out of the headset business entirely.

Interesting, that means the bike I was working on did not have the original headset as the frame was from 1988. I agree that it is sad they never got into the threadless headset market as my Shimano headsets are all still smooth more than a decade after they were installed.