I have a new steel frame and replaced the older Sante headset with my Campy Record headset. Using the Campy fork race (spelling?) I cannot get any threads for the locknut. Using the old Shimano race I can get 1/2 the lock nut on but.........OK so what to do? A fulll Campy bike with a Shimano headset-not an option. Get a new steerer tube welded expensive and the paint would be ruined and hard to match as it is a JB paint! Is there a narrower Campy 1" headset? Are Shimano headsets usually a smaller stack hieght

HELP!!! The thought of the Shimano race touching my Record HS is driving me insane!!!

LOL!
You can send me the Sante headset to relieve your frustrations.

I think my Chorus headset is 35mm stack height.

BTW, did you try it without the washer between the cup and locknut?

Chris King should be close to what the Shimano stack is.

I've had the same problem: I bought a frame which literature says came with a Tange New Levin headset, but mine came bare. I got a Campy SR headset instead, and have never been able to fit the whole assembly on. For awhile, I used it without the 4mm (?) thick special-engraved washer between top race and locknut (making it especially hard to adjust), but recently I bought a thin washer with a key for the slot in the tube, and still have enough threads for the locknut. Loose Screws sells them in thicknesses 1.5 mm and up (go back for other sizes):
1.5 mm washer-spacer

If you're totally wedded to having a particular headset work, and just a bit shy of having enough thread, you might consider one or both of:
a) milling some of the head tube height off (need to remove one or both fixed races)
b) milling a bit of the race seat down (ditto).
Any of these involves removing metal in a location that may be critical; head lug and fork crown designs vary a lot, so your mileage will definitely vary.

what model headset are you dealing with ?

a campy nuovo record is about 42mm
a campy gran sport headset is around 34mm

I run Sante on my Miyata and I think they are great components, except for the headset. It looks good, but can't hold an adjustment for s**t. I thought maybe this was an isolated problem, but I have talked to two other Sante users and they both agreed. I switched mine out to a 600 sealed cartridge and haven't had to tighten it in the six months since installation.

If it's a Campy HS you want with a short stackheight you need: look for a Pista HS. I believe they usually have a shorter stackheight than Strada models. I wouldn't think less of you or your bike if you mixed a Japanese part or two in with Italian stuff, I do it all the time.

I tried a Campy HS on my TdF since I built it up NR components, but no luck. Had to go back to the original Stronglight.

As a postscript, I checked this out a bit more:

I am not sure what the Nuovo or Super Record stack height actually is (my broken bike with one is not at home); supposedly it's listed in Sutherland's, of which I have no copy. My guess is that it's about 38 mm, because Branford Bike recommends the current Record threaded headset as a suitable replacement for NR/SR headsets.

Most of the 1" ISO headsets on Harris Cyclery's web site have stack heights in the 37 - 38 mm range, including the pricey Chris King 2-nut. Stronglight is over 40. Ritchey Logic (I've only seen these in black) and the Tange Levin are in the 33 mm range. Be careful of the Tange Levin, because there are two of these floating around: the one that looks like the Campy Record (grooves with engraved lettering in the rounded race moldings; available from www.somafab.com) has a 38.2 mm height -- I verified this because I have one -- while the plainer, cheaper one (Harris) has the 33.4 mm stack height, I think. The Chris King grip-nut (?) version says 33 - 38 mm on the Harris site.

Unworthy1's advice on using a Pista headset for lower stack was seconded by a post found at the Classic Rendezvous archive.

Modern Record threaded headsets have a shorter stack height than the old Nuovo (or Super) Record's. A difference of at least 3-4mm I'd say. I've installed two of them on two different bikes, one with a Super Record, the other a Zeus copy of the N.Record as original equipment.

You should be replacing your Sante headset with another headset that has the same stack height. You need to measure the stack height of the Sante and of your new Campy and see if they match.

Keep in mind also that the different 1" threaded headsets Campy made over the years do not all have the same stack height, in fact they vary all over the place. The Barnett's manual has a good table of Campy and other headset parameters, but it might not be exhaustive.

Welcome to what I call Headset Hell. If you survive, you'll emerge a better person!

If you know what Campy headset you have and the year, I can look it up for you.

Road Fan

If you can get the cheaper 33mm Tange Levin headset to fit it is a nice, smooth, good looking unit. I have one on my Italian Palo Alto, and I like it a lot.

I have a gran sport headset on my Bilenky with about 1 cm of spacers...

This is making me want to keep those spacers on there and not cut the fork.