Headset for a Tandem?
 

Does a tandem need a heavier-duty headset than a single?

If so, what are some examples?

This frame is 1 ⅛" threadless, a Meridian.

And it's a road bike, not going off-road.

No, 1-1/8" headsets are already more than adequate for tandems. Just buy a decent one, and maintain it properly.

In the past I've had problems with Cane Creek cups pitting. Think the alloy they used was too soft. Stopped using them over 10 years ago and not sure if their current stuff has improved.

Never a problem with Chris King on singles or tandems.

It's pretty hard to go wrong with Chris King. The bearing quality is second to none. Stainless steel ensures you won't have rust in the bearings. Although they rarely require service, the bearings can be flushed and regreased relatively easily. Be aware that you'll definitely have to ream & face the head tube prior to HS installation. Don't skip this step and assume the frame builder did this.

That said, there have been some complaints about the King NoThreadset design, specifically the reliance on an o-ring to achieve purchase between the adjustable cup and the steer tube. The AheadSet patent design utilizes a wedge between the steer tube and adjustable cup, which achieves as tight a fit as you would want. I understand King did not want to pay royalties to utilize the patent, so he chose a different design. But it can have some shortcomings. My city bike had some rust issues around the steer tube right at the adjustable cup, reducing the OD ever so slightly. This has resulted in some clunking during very hard front wheel braking. I will eventually replace the fork, but I'm pretty sure if the King HS I'm using utilized the AheadSet design, I wouldn't be having a problem at all. The wedge would eliminate any play between my steer tube and the cup. (I've actually shimmed the cup at the steer tube which works just fine - until the shim eventually creeps down the steerer tube after a year or so.)

I get the impression that this complaint appears to come from the downhill/free ride/big hit crowd who are pushing it to the extreme and causing headset problems due to very high leverage forces applied to the steer tube. In other words, major jumps and drops. I have NEVER had a headset issue on my mountain tandem. I'm using a Fox 36 which has a lot of travel and thus very long fork blades, which exert a lot of leverage force at the head tube. We're a 300 lb. team and ride aggressively, but not totally insane DH, FWIW.

I'll add that I "suffered" through a WTB Grease Guard HS on my road tandem for about twenty years until I FINALLY replaced it with a King threaded HS. Wow, talk about stupidly waiting WAY TOO LONG to do it! I mentioned this saga in a post a while ago about riding no hands, if you want to search for it. Put it this way, the King outperformed the WTB HS like I couldn't possibly have imagined. Let's just say I was really stupid not going with King from the very beginning. Oh well, live an learn!

So I hope this helps. I probably didn't need to waste your time with this anecdote, but thought I'd be thorough.

^^^ instead of a shim, you might try a little 1" JB Weld (or other filler) patch around that area and then sand it to fit. FWIW, the CK has been fine with all our carbon fork steerers.

I tried to fill the pits with solder with no luck. I don't think I prepped the steel well enough and/or didn't use enough flux - solder wouldn't take. Perhaps I'll give JB Weld a shot as the last gasp attempt. Thought about running it to a local framebuilder so it could be filled with brass. But that would entail turning on a lathe to get the OD back to spec and probably burning off the paint at the crown. Cost of THAT would exceed the value of the fork (a std. steel rigit replacement).

That said, I've been thinking about just buying another replacement and have it sprayed desert camo to match the frame & stem, so that's probably the route I'll go.

Thanks for the suggestion.

45,000+ miles on a King headset on our Zona custom tandem. No issues (so far)!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem