$140 vs. $155. I wouldn't call that 'much less.' Yes, you can often get the Cane Creek 110 on sale versus apparently no sales ever for the King. Still, not a very large price gap.

Oops! I meant to say "aren't". Sometimes my brain gets ahead of my typing.

Based on some recent experiences with flood damaged bicycles at my co-op over the last couple of years, I suggest you reconsider. We've had a number of bottom brackets that can't be removed because the metal cup quickly rusts into place. The plastic cups aren't that delicate in my experience and they won't seize due to water immersion.

A bit of grease wouldn't have hurt and I would suggest it even for the plastic cups

I was talking about mountain bikes and threaded headset presuspension. And, yes, the earliest mountain bikes were not engineered properly. That's why the switch to a 1 1/8" diameter headset as an industry standard. Or the current "tapered" headset with 1.5" bottom cups. The larger bearing surface stands up to the forces put on the headset.

However, it took some time to learn the lessons and those of us who were early mountain bikers were the test pilots. Unfortunately we were not only unpaid but we had to pay for the mistakes of others.

As I've pointed out above, the headset problems I've experienced were mountain bike related. I agree that headset on road bikes are hardly ever have issues. But road bikes hardly have issues with any component. They are a lighter duty vehicle.

Mountain bikes, on the other hand, are subjected to far more abuse than road bikes. Early mountain bike equipment that mostly came from road bike...touring specifically...applications that just wasn't up to the task. Chris King's reputation was based on their development of a headset that stood up to the rigor of off-road riding in an era where other headsets just weren't up to the job. Sure there are lots of good headsets out there now. There just weren't that many good headsets 30 years ago.

Oh, yeah, I always grease my threads on metal contact points unless explicitly told not to so that things don't seize together. I haven't had a plastic cup crack yet, but have been worried about several when pulling them, so I don't think the extra 5 bucks for metal is something to hold me back.

Which makes all of your comments completely and wholly irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

We are discussingn the latest medical treatments and you are saying your experiences with bloodletting proves some point .... but it simply doesn't.

Also ... I agree about metal bottom bracket cups. Rainy weather really beats on them, and if they are not maintained, they weld to the frames. A hard plastic cup should be fine because all they do is secure the BB laterally, which because of the number of threads, is a low-stress application.

I have never failed to get a frozen metal bottom bracket out of a frame. Unfortunately, sometimes the threads come with it. That cannot happen with a plastic cup.

My 1984 Miyata died an ignominious death due to multiple frame fractures in 1989. In 1988 it did over 2000 miles of hard off-road riding and it had done that much or more per year from the day I bought it. I rode it hard, not at a competitive level but at a very enthusiastic level that was still hard on the equipment. I broke lots of stuff and continue to break lots of stuff to this day.

There is value in buying cheap parts and having to replace them often. You learn a lot about how a bike works, how parts fail, how to avoid parts that fail and what to do when they do fail. However, there is a point where the whole exercise becomes penny-wise but pound-foolish. When you go for a ride with a newly installed headset and come home and have to install another headset because the first one failed, it's time to reassess how cheap you can be.

To be clear, I've not paid retail for many of the King parts I own. But I'm sure enough of the quality of Chris King parts that buying used ones on Fleabay has never been a concern. I would be most certainly concerned about buying a used Dura Ace or Shimano 600 or any other headset on Fleabay because I've seen them fail. The extra cost is certainly worth peace of mind.

Really? So you are saying that headset never wear out? That fretting due to use isn't still a problem on some of them?

Chris King and Cane Creek headsets are the latest "medical treatment". Even cheap headsets now use cartridge bearings that were pioneered by King. Old loose bearing headsets are most a thing of the past except on BSOs.

On the other hand, if you want to go with the most current "medical treatment", we should be discussing integrated headsets as those are far more common than old style cup headsets.

Nice little ad hominem there as well. Address the points of discussion instead of attacking the character of the poster.

Again ... the issues you had with admittedly badly engineered headsets in mountain bikes three decades ago have nothing to do with the headsets produced today.

if I chopped up a cheap upright piano with an axe when I was fourteen, that doesn't mean that only the best concert grand pianos are tough enough to survive daily playing.

You blew though a bunch of cheap headsets which by your own admission were badly engineered. Cheap or expensive, they were not built to do the job and wouldn't do it.

Thirty years later, the cheap and the expensive headsets are all engineered to do the job and do it well.

I agree---buying cheap crap and replacing it often is not generally cost-effective.

On the other hand, you have ZERO evidence that the $20 and $50 headsets produced today will not last. You base everything on badly engineered parts from three decades ago.

Your last sentence says it all. You have been scarred mentally by the history of headset failure you experienced thirty years ago and are buying peace of mind.

Others can get the same performance in their bicycles from cheaper headsets, but you are not buying a headset---you are buying anti-anxiety drugs in a bottle labeled "Chris King."

So for you (to address the actual point of this post) YES, it is worth it.

For a person who just needs a sturdy, long lasting headset .... no, it is probably not.

Ummm, yeah....

Mountain bikes are going to get busted up; road bikes, not so much.

So for the road bike, the difference between the $40 and $300 headset comes down to the bling and saving a few grams, right? Durability really isn't the issue.

On a mountain bike.....well, I'm not really a MTBer, but if i were, I don't think I'd be putting really expensive blingy parts on a bike that's going to get thrashed....I'd still go with a modestly-priced good quality component, 'cause I have a feeling that even the super-'spensive ones might not fare too well when ya hit a tree......

Boutique companies always use cartridge bearings for everything: headsets, hubs, pedals...
It's easy to use CNC machines to cut aluminum parts.

Only better companies have equipment for making bearing surfaces for hubs.

I have not shopped around in the last few years, but at least as of 5 or 6 years ago, caged bearings were still common on many "real" bikes, albeit cheaper ones.

Fair enough to give King props for pioneering cartridge bearings in headsets. Just thought it worth also pointing out that Cane Creek patented the compression ring that made them work well in mountain bikes.

Oh dear... the cartridge bearings used in cycling aren't much different from the over-the-counter bearings you can get from companies such as SKF; bearings that have been used in various other industrial and automotive applications for decades. Sealed. Try exhaust fans as one source.

If you are really inquisitive, take one of those old wornout UN55 BB (or in fact, any of those older style square-taper or Hollowtech 1 BBs), and dismantle it. You will find two ordinary sealed bearings interference fitted to the shaft, and separated by a metal sleeve (ostensibly, I suppose, to keep muck from the seat tube from the bearings, but it also acts as a spacer).

When a rear Formula hub on one of Machka's bikes went bad, I replaced the cartridge bearings with new ones from SKF just over in the industrial park in the Canadian city where we were living. In fact, the new bearings were of a slightly higher grade (ie, the bearings and races were smoother). I think the cost of the bearings was something like $25 Canadian, if that.

My conclusion then was that the boutique components were charging a premium just for taking cartridge bearings as putting into shells that had a nice finish.

Of course, integrated and sem-integrated headsets have sort of superseded this whole debate as the cartridge bearings are themselves the race and balls/needles. It's now only the fancy cap that you need to worry about. ;)

Oh, yeah...

Prod, prod. Poke, poke. Let's see if we can keep this nag on its feet.

Anyone who thinks chris king headsets last any longer is on crack.

Headsets require zero maintenance. Unless you ride in wet weather. You'll want to regrease periodically. Or at least check to make sure if it's necessary.

There's a fair size bearing distributor's outlet store about five minutes from my house. If you're willing to buy certain minimums, any normal size of sealed bearing can be had dirt cheap.
Same with loose ball bearings, though the minimums tend to be 100, 250 or 500 at a few cents a ball for normal bike sizes. For that reason I've thought about going back to cup and cone BB; I can buy enough balls for several rebuilds for less than the cost of a cheap Shimano cartridge.
Doing the same with cartridge for a few bikes would require a much larger initial investment, not even counting a way to press them apart and back together. Maybe worthwhile for a small shop, but not an individual unless they have a large stable and already own a suitable press.

Campagnolo headsets are still caged bearing.

Mine is 16 years old now, squirt of grease in the greaseport in fall and spring, we are good to go.

There are actually many grades of quality in bearings and different seals as well. But yes, you can usually source quality bearings from an industrial bearing supply cheaper than from a bike brand (I paid 10 bucks a cartridge for the ones on my Fulcrum wheels. The Campagnolo/Fulcrum branded ones were over 20 dollars each)

However, when it comes to hubs there is more than the quality of the bearings you put in. The way the hub is designed will affect the seals and how protected those bearings are. The way those bearings are preloaded. And, finally, the freehub mechanism varies. While a tried-and-true pawl ratchet will work, the number of pals, springs used, etc... make a difference. Not only in how long the freehub will last, but how it operates. The Industry 9 hubs, with their near-instantaneous engagement make a difference for mountain biking. Is it worth the premium? For some it is.

TL/DR: when it comes to hubs, there is more than what bearings are installed. The boutique companies aren't charging you a premium for taking cartridge bearings and pressing them into a fact shell.

Unfortunately no one can tell the difference in an actual bike ride and it won't last any longer.

Dead wrong and yes...watches are VERY different! Yes, they all tell time but to say they aren't different or better is off. Have you ever owned a "high-end" Swiss piece?

Yes, I own one. I love my IWC watch. It is a great piece of mechanical engeneering that I enjoy. However, is it really worth the premium? I am not sure. For me it is worth it and I think it is the same with some of the expensive bike components.

Agree - IWC's are great. I collect watches and think they are 100% worth every penny.

not really even vaguely related.

people own high-end watches for the prestige, for the appearance,to enjoy the engineering precision ... but no one is saying they tell time better tan the $3 drugstore Timex digital I used to use ... before I got a phone which makes a watch redundant.

High-end watches are jewelry, craftsmanship, engineering, art, social statements, genuine bling ... but not better timepieces.

The argument here is that the very expensive headsets will last ten times longer or even more, and work better.

Nothing wrong with expensive watches or expensive headsets .... but the arguments presented here are not transferable.

That is the point I am trying to make. I believe many people buy expensive headsets for the prestige, for the appearance,to enjoy the engineering precision ... The Chris King 40th anniversary edition headset comes with a stand to present it like a piece of art.