the winter has beaten the **** out of the fsa orbit headset that came on my iro, and i'll be looking for a replacement come the spring. i'm looking for a headset that can handle street abuse.

If I was you, I would get a Chris King. They are very nice and can take some very rough riding. While they are pretty expensive, they are well worth it in the long run.

King.

It's all about the donut.



Now just think about how you might accomplish the same thing with a slice of mountain bike inner tube and save yourself a couple of bucks in the process.

though I almost always end up back with the king, the taange technoglide is supposed to be as nice.

I'm with Trevor on this one... a slice of innertube over even the most shiesty BB will keep it running nicely through the worst weather.

I believe the Ritchey WCS headsets are sealed, and are occasionally up on ebay for about 30 bucks, and not aesthetically offensive.

repack?

mine says "ritchey scuzzy logic." is it any good? works well so far. is it "sealed"? should i get a chris king? i mean just for the bling dap alone?

in all seriousness--what makes the king headset so great? the look? the waranty? i mean are they worth the money since they theoretically last so long?

the answer to "what makes ____ so great?" is always "part bling, part awesome."

yeah, i had an iro and that headset was gone after one mild DC winter of messing. got a king and havent had any complaints since

if u put a piece of inner tube, wont that make it bind when u turn?

I rock a Chris King. its.. THE JAM..



Sorry. I had to say it.

as long as it's not too tight, it should be fine. i like the lizard skin better cause you don't have to take the fork off to put it on. the inner tube only saves you $3 assuming you have a punctured mtn tube laying around.

right now i'm using a shimano STX cartridge headset and the bottom cartridge isn't looking so hot after about 5 months of hard use. can't you get replacement cartridges for most headsets?

btw, i just put the lizard skin on a week ago, hopefully this will extend the headset life. after the last tour da chicago stage i pulled a glob of sand off the lizard skin the size of my thumb.

i rock the king on my IRO and it's the ****!

wow, this thread should be called "inner tube vs. chris king."

people are always saying that a properly adjusted dura ace should last as long as a CK. but i really don't want to have to clean my headset every week, which is how often i would have to do it in the winter. after seeing how much crap gets in my headset i find it astonishing that a CK would last as long as people claim without maintenance.

i used to be in the camp of "how the **** can you spend that much on a headset." but now i'm not so sure. maybe i'll get one at some point in the future.

i had a friend who put an inner tube on his headset, and when he took it off, there were beads of moisture all over the headset. its my impression that covering your headset w/ an inner tube or the lizard skin headset protector will lock in moisture and limit the life of your headset.

i'm more concerned about the sand/salt than the moisture. grease keeps out the moisture. plus i guess you could always fold the inner tube up when it's not raining.

I've got a caged-ball Record that's still super smooth after a lot of bad weather use with the innertube seal. And yes, it only saves me a littel $$ over the Lizard Skin, but the tube was right there while I would have had to order or shop around for the Lizard Skin seal. Instant gratification wins every time.

Or you could go with a CK. I'm sure they're great and work exactly like they're supposed/purported to.

A $9 tange headset will last as long as a CK if it is properly adjusted and maintained and offer no discernable difference in terms of ride quality.

Chris King is the only way to go. No headset compares. The steelset is probably the way to go for you.

The King is the opposite of meh.

Meaning, put it on and forget about it for literally years if you're like me.

I am a soulless *******, but I prefer sealed bearing Campagnolo Chorus headsets and overhaul them once or twice a year.

I haven't gotten there yet but I'm sure I will.

that's basically what i said, but "if it is properly adjusted and maintained" means i don't have the time to clean sand and crap out of my headset all the time. i guess you just have to ask yourself how often you are willing to service your headset. if the answer is "not very often" go CK. if the answer is "i inspect my headset more often than my genitals" then get a $9 tange.