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I will need to fit a new headset to my Trance sometime soom ( probably sometime last month really. )
So, for general trail use, anything to avoid or really worth buying ? Ideally sub £40. I'd like to fit a Hope one , but trying to rein in the £ a bit.
FSA do several that weigh less and last as well as hope.
XLII or orbit MX would be my choice.
Is it a normal headtube? I thought Giant's had internal or zero stack headsets?
Cane Creek S3 is very well sealed, an extra layer of rubber seals in the crown race and top cup, compared to the FSA equivalent and only £20.50 on merlin with VIP.
[url= http://www.probikeshop.fr/fsa-jeu-de-direction-the-pig-dh-pro-1-quot-1-8-noir/150.html ]Bargain![/url]
CC S6 or S8 is in budget (see Ebay) and good value.
Avoid ebay, I bought an S8 that very blatently wasn't an S8 for £25 on there. It had plain steel brearings (not even the hardened stell of the S3) and none of the extra seals.
The difference between the S3 and the S8 is just the bering material, S3 is bearing steel, S8 is stainless steel. As the balls themselves are pretty well sealed seems pointless paying to keep the outside of the races shiny!
OK and thanks people. Because I honestly don't know, how do I tell the difference between a normal headset and a zero stack one please ? 😳
The frame is a 2009.( The rider is a 1960 !) I know I can get a few more rides out of what's in there, but want to get the headset sorted and service the forks at the same time, without having a heap of components in the garage, whilst my mates get out and ride, so need to get what I need round me first.
By the way, please expect much giggling at the back of class once I disassemble my forks too !
I'm sure there will be more "what the 'ell am I doing" questions then.
I think it's a cane creek zero stack?
Your best bet is either replace it with exactly whats in there already, or just to take it to your LBS and buy one from them (and get them to fit it for free if posible). Cheeper to buy the right hope one, than 3 wrong ones from CRC and still need a press and extractor!
'Normal' headsets have a cup pressed into the frame and the bearings sit outside the frame above and below the eheadtube.
Internal and zero stack are the same thing, but different sizes, the 'cup' is entirely inside the frame which needs a bigger headtube.
Integrated is like internal, but there is no cup, the bearings sit in a machined cup in the headtube.
Most headsets are some form of integrated design now, but there are a lot of different sizes.
Personally, I always go for a split crown race, that ways you can A)easily fit it without tools. B) easily swap out different forks.
Normal headset looks like this in the head tube, where 'cane creek' is written, that's the stack, you can buy different size stack heights
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zero stack is this
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it's not actually zero stack, but effectively there is no stack from the headset.
Like TINS says, if you haven't got the tools (pretty expensive for a one off), best just getting your LBS to replace, you don't need to spend much for a reasonable headset and they might do it for free while you wait, it's a 5min job with the right tools.
Thanks very much ! Great explainations. Bike to LBS, this time round then !