Besides a Chris King - what is the best 1" threaded headset for me to install on my Falcon refurb?
It has a no name on it now, that came from the factory - is there a headset that is an upgrade, or are they all the same?

If you can get one: Stronglight A9 for best quality/price/looks, (have they really stopped making them?)

Are the races of headset on there in bad shape? Repacking it with good quality, loose bearings (as opposed to in a retainer ring) will pretty much bring it up to spec with any other good period correct headset.

almost all of them are 'good' to a point. I think anything name brand is just a matter of looks. I always like the look of a Campi but most people perfer the lower profile of a 105 or 600. a King would be nice because they come in colors don't they?

I find it hard to get emotionally worked up about headsets and a lot of other bike components. If it works well, then I forget about it. Designing a functional headset isn't hard, so pretty much every headset does its job perfectly. Most headsets outlast the bicycle.

A vote for Stronglight A9 needle bearing headsets too!
One cycling product that the French got completely right!

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone 7 Plus

The Stronglight A9 is very nice, but hard to find these days. Failing that, a Tange "Levin" would be a readily available and high quality headset appropriate for that frame.

Yes, they are getting harder and harder to find, specially in NOS condition. And to think that they used the headset on thousands of Peugeots, Gitanes and Treks. I'm sure there's a hoard of them in some warehouse somewhere in the world that is still to be discovered. Would have still been very popular, but the new style headsets, pretty much killed them off. All headsets would have eventually have needle bearings like the A9, but it was a design that came too late
They might be available as replacement parts from Schwinn, as they did also use them on some of their bikes too. One's available at eBay for the longest time.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone 7 Plus

This is about whatI expected (hoped?) to hear. I think I'll wait on the headset for now, and just go with loose balls when I put it back together.

1. Chris King
2. Shimano cartridge (any of them)
3. Any needle bearing like the Stronglight A9 or something similar

Mavic headsets were considered the 'best' before Chris King became popular. Even now a Mavic 1" headset isn't cheap. A good NOS Mavic 1" threaded headset will run you more than buying a new Chris King (and be worth it).

Avoid the Mavic headsets that required a special Mavic tool. If it looks like the headset has vertical 'stripes' move on (unless you're lucky enough to have the proprietary Mavic tool).

Campy Record threaded headsets sure are pretty, and they are surprisingly inexpensive compared to CK. Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace headsets are not as pretty but function well and last forever. Too bad Shimano has apparently quit making them. If not, they sure are hard to find.

Another great inexpensive threaded headset option is the Grand Cru sold at www.velo-orange.com. For $40, it's hard to beat. It is a worthy alternative to Shimano.

https://www.velo-orange.com/headsets.html

I agree that the VO Grand Cru is a good deal on a beautiful cartridge bearing headset. I love the split crown race!

Speaking of Velo-Orange, they have an A9 copy for $19! That's just a crazy price.

I don't know how you can call it an A-9 copy. It doesn't look like an A-9 and it doesn't have roller bearings.

Sadly, it seems so.


...the OP said "Chris King", as though it's a universal given that they're the best.

BTW, for you Strong A-9 fans, they are still available at some of the British on-line bike shops like Wiggle, Chain Reaction, Ribble, SJS, etc.

That's not a needle bearing design - which makes a difference with both weight and functionality. The V.O. sure does look nice, and the price is very low though.

Are they the "real deal" with the needle bearing design? I ordered two that were called A-9's from Europe. One was steel and had ball bearings - heavy as a brick. The second was some bizarre threadless thing.

I just bought two NOS Stronglight A9 roller bearing headsets from Ben's Cycle (one is going on my Super Sport project).

Unfortunately, they're sold out of silver ones, but still have black.

Yeah, it seems like unless you're paying exorbitant amounts on ebay, you're probably not going to find any of the needle bearing A9s. (Edit: see Scooper's post above: I stand corrected...I hope.)

I remember when VO had the originals a few years ago and thought about getting one, but didn't really know what I'd use it for...oh well. The demand has definitely spiked now that they're so hard to come by--funny how it works that way.

Here is the VO headset that is being mentioned. I have found it to be the smoothest headset I own. Like butter.





Shin

You learned the hard way that an A9ST is not the same as an A-9. I tried to tell people that in an old thread, but some weren't convinced.

I bought my A-9s a couple of years ago when you could still get them from xxcycle.com for $28. I wish that I had bought more. I only have one left.

Ben's Cycle sells the replacement bearings and races for the A-9 for a great price. One headset requires two sets, but that's only 10 bucks.

Here's one of the A9 headsets I got from Ben's a month ago. It's got the needle bearings.