Obsolete Specialized Headset Standard – Options?

I’ve got a Specialized road bike with a cane creek VP-A18AK headset. This turns out to be a Specialized only headset of terrible design and is now in need of replacement.

It uses 1/8″ ball bearings in a cage that cannot be removed without bending the cage. I can’t find the cage and bearings combined anywhere. Option 1 would be just replace the balls in the cage with new ones. But as the cups are pitted this seems like a waste of balls.

Option 2 would be to fit a new headset but….Cane Creek don’t make them any more and neither does anyone else.

The headset has cups pressed down the head tube onto a shoulder. The head tube is an unhelpful 41.6mm internal diameter. According to Sheldon Brown’s very helpful crib sheet it’s an obsolete size.

Option 3 would to use a flap wheel to enlarge the tube to 41.8mm which I think is IS42. But as far as I can work out this uses cartridge bearings dropped directly into the frame. I’m pretty certain that wouldn’t work in this frame.

Does anyone know of IS42 cups that could be pressed into the frame. Or any other solutions?

Is it the same as the Tricross used?
If so then this should work…

https://bikepgh.org/message-board/replacing-a-specialized-mindset-headset

Take it do a decent shop, they should have a headtube reaming and facing tool for IS42.

Edit: as long as there’s enough meat in the bore to leave a face for the angled seat of the bearing to sit against. If not then there might be a different standard it could be reamed to suit instead.

As long as the steerer is a standard diameter then fitting an IS42 headset should be straightforward. And if it isn’t then a spacer could be made at a machine shop.

Option 1 would be just replace the balls in the cage with new ones.

Throw the cages away and just fill the cup with balls and grease. Then remove one ball to allow a bit of movement between the balls

But as the cups are pitted this seems like a waste of balls

How pitted? New balls ^^ will tend to smooth things out (more of them). Provided the headset isn’t notchy then it should be fine

Thanks @crossed. Your link led me to another one https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/12963941/how-to-replace-a-specialized-mindset-with-sealed-cartridges

It looks like I can just drift out the cups and fit IS41 cartridge bearings directly into the frame. Fingers crossed.

@woodlikesbikes – Good luck with this. I had the same quandary albeit on a different Specialized frame. I reached out to Specialized UK and Specialized in the ‘states. Sadly neither could.

I tried removing the “cups” as per the bikeradar article but the look like the had suffered galvanic corrosion and were not coming out. I stopped at cutting them out and sadly sent the frame for recycling.

I hope you have a better run!