Or has the value headset choice of gyposchampions been superceded?

Second hand Chris King? 😀

Well, there you go. I knew that the first reply would be either “Kings are worth it in the long term” or “second hand Chris King”, so I guess you’ve settled which one it will be 🙂

Hope. End of.

I’d say yes – mine just don’t ever seem to die.

Why would you pay more than you need too? XL II unless you’re…. well, you know…. feeling a bit inadequate in certain departments.

You’re not, are you? 😀

or if on-one are doing an MX cheap…
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/HSFSOMX/fsa_orbit_mx_headset

Are they not better than an XL2?

You’re not, are you?

Me? How dare you!

Now if you’ll excuse me I must nip down to the newsagents in my bright red Porsche to pick up my copy of Massive Speedboat Owner Weekly.

Hope. End of.

so only pay 3 times the price of a decent headset instead of 5 or 6 times for a king? nah.

xl2 still good.

Cane Creek S8

They used to RRP @ around £70 – now £25

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cane-Creek-S-8-Headset-1-1-8-with-free-spacers-Ritchey-Tioga-or-Specialized-/261072227494?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&var=&hash=item3cc91e0ca6

Are the MX’s better than the XLII’s? ‘Cos they sell ’em cheap on a certain German website where I might be buying some other bits from.

FSA orbit MX are £20 from highonbikes off ebay.

Avoid cheep S8’s, I bought one it was either OEM or Fake, they don’t have the seals on the races.

S3’s are identical apart from using brearing steel rather than stainless. So a good dolop of greese to keep them from going rusty and they’re fine for ages.

I found MX’s and XLII’s didn’t last quite as well as the S3’s.

S8 looks good at that price. Stainless bearings (which incidentally are interchangeable with hope bearings)

S3s could be had for under £20 a while ago, but they seem to be finished now (replaced by the ’10’ series I believe). Excellent headsets. Better sealed than FSA ones imo.

If you really want a Chris King you should buy one, you deserve it. 😆

You’ll still have it in 6 bikes time according to Chris Kings website. So that’s only £21.665 per bike.

Good value if you ask me. 😀

I don’t want one, I think they’re massively overpriced.

The XL11 that I had before (that I should have taken off the old frame before I sold it, grr) was still working perfectly after 7 years and, if I had swapped it to my new frame, would have broken the £6 per bike and £2.50 per year barrier…

Now THAT’S good value 🙂

I don’t understand, why birch and punish yourself? Don’t you deserve the best headset?

My King has been based out with a screwdriver/clawhammer and badly fitted to loads of frames over 10yrs? Still smooth and NEVER EVER serviced.

Having been the victim of a scored steerer, and having seen loads of other scored steerers, and having seen CK deny all and put it down to bad tolerances and/or incorrect fitting while saying there’s nothing wrong with their design, and then changing the design when the tapered wedge patent ran out almost instantly..Chris King will never see a penny of my money ever again… 😈

Hora – your needs for a headset able to withstand repeated swapping between (tiny) frames is greater than mine. Or, indeed, most peoples.

Had various orbit/CC headsets in the past that were OK. All my bikes now have Hope headsets and work perfectly, the oldest being 9 years old and never been touched despite regular use.

TBH there are few rational arguments for getting anything but a cartridge bearing Orbit, whichever one you like the look of. But there’s even less arguments for getting a King. (“This is definately the best design, not just us being too cheap to pay the licence fee, despite charging a fortune for our headsets” “It scored my steerer!” “Did it? Well, luckily the patent is expired so now we can change the design to what it always should have been. Course, we’re still going to charge you for the “upgrade”.)

(incidentally, Hope use the same cheap-ass bearings that Cane Creek S3s do, which is why they last exactly the same time while costing 4 times as much…)

I don’t understand, why birch and punish yourself?

Does it sucecessfully sit between the forks and frame without rattling? Does it keep the bars turning smoothly even after several years and lots of rain? yes xl2s manage that, how is not having some chancer’s name written on your headset punishing?

My King has been based out with a screwdriver/clawhammer and badly fitted to loads of frames over 10yrs? Still smooth and NEVER EVER serviced.

So has my XLII though I at least try and be nice to it when removing 🙂

I tell a lie I bought some new bearings once. No I didn’t, I bought a new XL11 (it was cheaper than the bearings?!). But I’m still £40 up over a King for that period.

Every penny counts!

I got my xl II off here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270979034382?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_500wt_1089

£17.95 posted

Cane Creek S3 if they still do them. Had mine for ages (at least 5 yrs, maybe more) & it still runs lovely & smooth.

I have given it a wipe & a smattering of fresh grease twice now. It didn’t need it but I had the fork out, so it seemed a shame not to.

Sure, spend more if you want the colour to match or you want a particular brand name on your bike, but don’t kid yourself it’ll be worth the same as I paid for it on eBay in 45 yrs as some kind of justification.
At the rate my S3 is going, it’ll outlast my knees and it only cost £25 fitted…

Can’t see why you’d pay more than XLII. Well, I can – cos you want ‘Chris King’ written on your headset instead of FSA.
I got a RaceFace Deus for £12 off Ebay years ago, expecting it to last a few months, but its still smooth.

cane creek 110 ;P

IHN, got a new Orbit MX in 1″ 1/8th black closeby if you would like?

Ooh, lovely. How much would you want for it? Whereabouts are you?

£25 cash & Ciren direction.

My XLII out lived the bike it was on. Also should have removed it when I sold the frame.

in fairness to the op,
i think its fair to say that a properly serviced headset will be fairly cheap and last a long time.
one of the reasons people buy (for example) king headsets, is they buy the whole warranty idea, which is fair enough, but also as a bit of bling for their pride and joy.
and theres nothing wrong with that, just as theres nothing wrong with buying a cheaper one on the basis that it will probably work just as well.
i recently got a cx bike and my wife offered to buy me a king headset for my birthday (i do like a bit of bling) but having thought about it i decided to go for a hope instead on the basis that it will do just as good a job but is half the price.

XLII are still great & King are still overpriced (I have both).

I also have an Acros AH07 from my old Nicolai frame and that is superb. It’s deep inset & wouldn’t fit my Blood, otherwise it’d be on that.

buy a king you t1ghtarse.. i have 2, both bought via ebay from the states, both cost about 60 quid, got the griplock thingy so no scored steerer, one is 12 years old and literally thousands and thousands of miles on it, the other is 8 years old, many winters of muddy crap and rain,never touched them in all that time, 2 or 3 bikes each. my oh has been through many xl/fsa/orbit, whatever jobbies in that time, shes now 2 years on a cane creek 110 that was 30 quid in crc sale, all good till now but if it does die i will bite the bullet and put a king on hers too,has absolutely nothing to do with my ego or gonad size…(it is just a headset on a pushbike)….

I was one advised you either pay 20 quid for a headset and be happy it lasts or you pay 60+ and get p*used off if it doesn’t. Either can happen. Had hopes on all bar one bike and had very little to do in years. 1 bearing change. My last cc s something is feeling rough after a year. I ended up putting some old hope bearings in and it’s fine again now.

If I needed a new one it would be hope again. However they are all working fine.

Cane creek 110 bought in the CRC sale for peanuts!

Having been the victim of a scored steerer, and having seen loads of other scored steerers, and having seen CK deny all and put it down to bad tolerances and/or incorrect fitting while saying there’s nothing wrong with their design, and then changing the design when the tapered wedge patent ran out almost instantly..Chris King will never see a penny of my money ever again…

on the turner mtbr forum they seemed to favor the cane creek 110

As others have mentioned, the Cane Creek S3 is very well sealed and seems to be lasting extremely well. I used to be an XL2 man, but have had an issue with the last one not being well sealed. The S3 is a step ahead of the XL2 IMO.

2 chris kings here, both ~8/9 years old, both running smooth and unserviced (except a voluntary smear of new grease).

Have had various other Cane Creek headsets along the way which didn’t last more than a full year’s riding.

CK’s are worth the money, if you can afford it just do it.