• This topic has 47 replies, 25 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by Crag.
Viewing 8 posts - 41 through 48 (of 48 total)
  • Slacken my head angle… Should I? Have you? Would you?
  • mattjevans
    Free Member

    Scaredypants, how did you miss this

    “(On the Canyon the Works headset needs an external adaptor cup which raises front end and BB)”

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    was it there all along ? 😳

    I can’t imagine that it raises the front more than just to break even allowing for the extra “splay” on the fork though, so I’d expect that it won’t compensate for your lower back end due to the bushings

    mattjevans
    Free Member

    Raises front end approx 9-10mm apparently (prototype, anyway), that should raise BB 4-5mm by my calcs, which I think is about half what my BB dropped?

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    _tom_
    Free Member

    I don’t reckon slack head angles are as important as people seem to think. BB height is more noticeable imo and its the difference between feeling perched on the bike or riding “in” the bike, as much as i hate that expression! I just don’t reckon i like super slack bikes anyway, on flatter stuff the steering feels a bit “flip flop” and don’t seem to jump as well/be as fun to ride. Though maybe this is more to do with my bmx background, with 75 degree head angles being a standard thing!

    honourablegeorge
    Full Member

    PeterPoddy – Member
    Angle adjust headsets? Snake oil IMO. A rather pointless and trendy accessory…….

    Something else to laugh at in 15 years time alongside super-wide bars

    Utter tripe. They’re no less valid than any other change to angle or size.

    Long top tubes, layback seatposts, short stems – why would these be acceptable preferences, but wide bars and angle adjustments are fashion?

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    Something else to laugh at in 15 years time alongside super-wide bars.

    Wide bars made my 2004 vintage full suss ride even better. It became less snappy, more stable and a whole lot nicer to ride. The ability to have slackened the head angle by a degree would have made it better still.

    It’s not fashion, it’s common sense – where are all those 130mm stemmed bikes now?

    cookeaa
    Full Member

    IMO do try both the headset and the offset bushes.

    As both measures are reversable and fitting the old Headset/Bushes gets you back to the original setup if you don’t like the results so there’s no real catastrophic issues if it’s not right so nowt to loose but a bit of money…

    I got some offset bushes for my older DH bike and they have helped make it feel marginally more stable as it slackened the head angle and lowered the BB a tad, its an older frame though so 1-1/8″ and hence I think I can only get a -1deg headset for it, I might do it as and when or just hold out and buy a newer frame down the line…

    Crag
    Free Member

    I’ve tried both, albeit on different bikes. I used the Works headset on a 5 Spot. IMO, made a massive difference to how it rode, made it less twitchy.

    But the biggest difference was the bushings on the Zesty. These slackened it by about 1 1/2 degree and dropped the BB a touch. Coupled with a set of 160mm Lyriks it was awesome when I took it to the alps earlier this year. Long and stable at speed I (almost) kept up with my mates on their big bikes. Head angle was about 65.5 I reckon. Trouble is, for everyday riding it’s just too slack so I’ve put my original bushings back in. 67-68 is pretty much the sweetspot for me for everyday trail riding, any slacker then it becomes a bit of a compromise.

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