Custom frame: 1" threaded or 1 1/8" threadless
 

Hello

I'm going to buy a custom track frame for street use and I really don't know if I want it with 1" threaded or 1 1/8" threadless head tube.

1" threaded pros: vintage look, I can have some old stem for cheap

1 1/8" threadless pros: all black look, I can find any stem angle and lenght that I want, a carbon fork

Your suggestion ??

entirely personal preference
you'll have to make up your own mind.

Mine will be threadless because
- i like the look, or at least i don't really care
- i find them to be stiffer
- arguably, they're lighter (arguably, because your steerer will now be longer and heavier)
- easier to find a variety of stems with *removable faces*
- once I dial in my fit i never really change my bar height.

threadless.

-Threadless is stiffer.
-1-1/8th is lighter because they can make the steerer out of thinner tubes while still retaining superior strength.
-Swapping stem/bars if you ever decide to go to the track is pretty darn easy (not that it's not with threaded, it's just not any harder).
-Carbon steerer tubes are only available with threadless forks.
-While it's easy to find threaded stems/forks for cheap now, who knows how easy they will be to find in 4 years.
-Threadless can be annoying if you swap saddles and you need to lower/raise your bars.
-You can't get a stem that'll fit OS bars in threaded.

As for looks, I like threaded, but I'm slowly leaning towards threadless.

steel? 1".
nonferrous? 1 1/8".
threaded or threadless? it's a personal choice based on supply of parts and frame aesthetics atmo.

e-Ritchie.
just curious, why not 1 1/8" steel? is it a lug/crown availability thing?

threadless is the most useful choice. it doesn't have to look bad either. the vintage look is cool and all, but say you're like me and you like switching bars a lot, and you also like some of your bars to be taped? removable face all the way, none of this "just loosening the bolt and sliding the bar through after removing the tape" junk.

that's pretty much my main issue there.

buy a bunch of stems!

I'd go 1" for sure on the frame headtube. 1" steerer forks threaded and threadless aren't hard to find, and you can use a 1 1/8" stem on a 1" steerer using a $5 shim.

my new bike is 1-1/8" threadless steel on a lugged frame and i love it. a few people here tried it out at the track tonight. it's pretty incredible--very stiff--which is good, cos the bike is so damn light you need the stiffness to remind you it's there. i still have to get used to it. i feel like i'm gonna break it.

Threadless makes it a lot easier and cheaper to experiment with different stems.

I went through five cheap stems of various angles and lengths until I found the perfect geometry, and then I bought a light, high quality (expensive) stem knowing it would work for me.

That custom frame may have some surprises in store, so give yourself some fit adjustment latitude with a threadless head tube.

1) it'd be too heavy.
2) it'd be unnecessarily (sp?) stronger than needed.
3) it would solve no existing problems.
4) it's a standard that evolved from off-road needs and works well for nonferrous materials.

The headtube isn't threaded or threadless, only the fork is. You can use 1" forks in a 1 1/8" headtube using reducers, but this is far more difficult than using a 1 1/8" stem on a 1" fork. A 1" headtube gives you the most options for stems, but 1 1/8" is quickly taking over the fork market, so if you plan to be shopping for aftermarket carbon forks, 1 1/8" might be better.

1" but you it your choice in your riding style.

S/F,
CEYA!

I.e.,

1 1/8 threadless. The only argument for 1" threaded would be a nostalgic love of its "cool" looks. (IMHO threadless looks better...) Threadless is clearly superior functionally, and more good stems/forks/headsets are available cheaper.

As an owner of a 1 inch threaded headset I would say go for the 1 1/8 threadless, because future parts will be more available as time moves on. Why hassle with trying to find parts when you have the opportunity to avoid this delima. That's the way I see it.

(1) you can get black stems/headsets in 1" threaded. it's just not the default color like it is for threadless.

(2) i don't think the availability of parts will be an issue for quite a while given the interest in older bikes in general. whenever i need a new threaded fork, i just go the lbs and they look around in the back and always come up with something. all seven of the bikes i have (2 old commuters, entry-level track, custom track, cross, mtb, road) all have threaded forks. and 4 of those are only a few years old.

(3) i wouldn't ride a carbon fork on the street, even if i could, but that's just me. one less thing to worry about.

i guess you should go 1-1/8, but i don't think the disadvantages of 1" are really that bad.