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Trek 520 Headset question.

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Old 12-03-04, 07:41 PM
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Trek 520 Headset question.

Can anyone tell me the year that the Trek 520 went to threadless headsets?
and...
Can anyone comment on advantages and disadvantages of threadless headsets.
Thanks,
R.
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Old 12-03-04, 07:58 PM
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Don't know what year, but personally, I'm disappointed. Threaded headsets allow more height adjustment, and are easier to exchange to get a better fit.
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Old 12-03-04, 08:07 PM
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I don't know which one is more reliable because I haven't had any headset problem with either. I do know that Cane Creek's website claims that the threadless setup weighs about 1/2 a pound less. There is a large availability of threadless stems at various lengths and angles that mitigates the adjustability advantage of the threaded headset.
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Old 12-03-04, 08:09 PM
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......but on the other hand, you don't need to carry headset wrenches. All you need is an allen key with threadless headsets, should they need a bit of tweeking...
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Old 12-03-04, 08:34 PM
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Year : 2001.

The 2000 was deep blue, with threaded headset and 24 speeds.
The 2001 was grey (I think), with threadless headset and 27 speeds.

Pros and cons:
- Threadless is, in theory at least, more rigid, but you won't notice it unless you stand to climb. Creaks are less likely with threadless.
- Threaded has a slender look, which most people find nicer.
- With threaded, if you want higher, you try to find a nice high stem. For $30 (Zoom) or more than $50 (the very nice Nitto Tecnomic), you can get 150-200 mm vertical extension.
- With threadless, you can get it fairly high, providing the shop hasn't cut the fork.
- With threadless, you can buy a stem with 45-degree rise and still get the bars rather high, or get an extender and get them much higher (with an ugly setup).
- With threadless and an uncut fork, you could easily install 2 stems above eachother, which is what I did on the tandem: lower stem for the handlebar bag, and higher stem for the handlebars.
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Old 12-03-04, 10:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Michel Gagnon
Year : 2001.

- With threadless and an uncut fork, you could easily install 2 stems above eachother, which is what I did on the tandem: lower stem for the handlebar bag, and higher stem for the handlebars.
I ended up purchasing a new front fork so that I could obtain one that wasn't already cut down. I wanted to try different heights on the bike to find the most comfortable position for me. Originally I thought I would eventually get it cut down in size but after two years of having it this way I am inclined to just leave it alone.

BTW: Any chance you would be willing to share that picture of your two handlebars with me?

~Jamie N
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Old 12-04-04, 04:52 AM
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Once you have the bars in the correct position, its hard to tell what kind of headset you are using. For a self-contained tourist, the weight of tools needed to maintain the headset is probably the deciding factor.
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Old 12-10-04, 06:12 PM
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I've a 2001 Trek with a threaded headset. I think the next year they went to threadless. I replaced the stem immediately with a touring model so I sit up more, and felt happy that I would be able to adjust it on the fly, but honestly, it hasn't come up. Probably not much difference between the two, except the threaded headset takes a big giant wrench to tighten.
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Old 12-11-04, 11:28 AM
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Yes, me too -- that would solve a problem on both my touring bike and our tandem...

Oh... and small world - hi guys!

Jamie
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Old 12-13-04, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by jnoble123
BTW: Any chance you would be willing to share that picture of your two handlebars with me?


It took some time, but see https://www.mgagnon.net/velo/potence-double.en.shtml .
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