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I'm not talking about 15 quiddy jobby headsets, I mean comparing a Hope headset (for £63) to an FSA orbit MX (retails at £45, can get for £25), how different are they?
At the mo I've got an FSA pig DH pro, which I [b]didn't want[/b] but merlin shipped the bike with it... Now I can save 100g by swapping headsets to one of the above.
So, apart from the 'tart factor', much in it?
DrP
How much punishment does your bike get?
For XC use I think the Ritchey WCS headset Merlin sell at 1/2 price for £22.50 takes some beating. Its light at 128g and is sealed well.
Saving 1/4lb on your headset for XC use makes sense to me, but I would wait until the old one was knackered first.
I have a King and a WCS and to be honest the King is overpriced in comparison.
Sometimes I slap the bike about a bit, so anything 'too xc' may not be suitable.
I hate to say it, but I'm firmly in the 'all mountain' [cringe] category.....
I'm sure the Orbit MX'll hold up, si?
DrP
I've gone through a headset a year, (25.00-45.00 ones). Maybe I'm too heavy, maybe I never grease them, maybe I'm a headset wrecker, but I've had a CK headset for 18 months now. If it lasts another 18 months, it will be worth it. Ask again in November 2010.
CK headset running just fine and untouched in five years... seems like a good deal to me 🙂
I've had cheapo ones last years. It's a very simple thing, really. I woon't have thought spending any more than a Hope would cost would be worth it, unless you really have to have a bling-bling one. FSA headsets are fantastic vfm, ime. I've had a few, and they've never given me any gip. I've got a nice Cane Creek one one one of me bikes atm; not touched it in nearly a year. Working fine.
More money = less weight, praps. A few grams or so, mind, not loads. Finer tolerances, although this is not that important on something as simple as a headset, unless you are a real neurotic obsessive.
While yer there, DrP; painful, aching feet arches, sometimes cramping up. Speshly after footy, or long walks. Bike related? Stiffer soles needed? Should I do more walking (I don't do an awful lot, as I ride everywhere I can)?