I seem to have two bikes which use this benighted head-set – or the Sonder Love Mud equivalent – which is an integrated 45˚ headset, with a 36˚ internal chamfer on the bottom one, ie where it sits on the crown race. The standard bearings are easy-rot steel and the sealing is awful, particularly on the crown race where there isn’t any.

I thought maybe I could fit a standard Hope lower bearing and use the Hope crown race with integrated seal, but it turns out that the Hope bearing is both slightly too large – 52mm v 51.8mm and 1mm too short to fit properly.

But it turns out that you can source stainless steel replacement bearings in the right size, but that still leaves the sealing issue, particularly with the lower bearing / crown race interface. So… I just bought a Cane Creek 110 series crown race with seal and, I think, correct 36˚ angle to go with the standard-szied stainless bearings. I’ve also found a bearing with the same dimensions as the Hope one, but 1mm taller, but it’s not stainless even though it would presumably seal against the Hope crown race.

I don’t know why I’m writing this. Just venting I guess, but how on earth is such a commonly used headset so bloody hard to upgrade without spending £120 on a Chris King Drop-In? And why do brands keep producing frames using this standard?

And is it too much to ask that someone could produce a reasonably priced, widely available, well-sealed, decent quality alternative to the bloody thing?

It’s like a higher tec throwback to the days when bikes always came with crappy, unsealed, ball-bearing head-sets that lasted 20 minutes before seizing solid. Sigh.

You can get the fsa bearings seperately for about £10. Lots of grease between the seal and the bearing and accept that its £10 each spring.

There is no seal 🙂 And I realise I can replace the bearings with more easy-rust, cheapo bearings. It just irks me that the assumption is that I ought to.

I’m going to be the annoying bloke that says they’ve been using these headsets for about 5 years and had very few problems. Just swapped in a new bearing as and when needed but even those have lasted well. FWIW this is on a cx type bike so maybe they dont get as battered as they might on an MTB

Hmmm, sure mine had a seal, it was just a lip that rested on the bearing.

You could always just get a hope lower headset, the upper one doesnt really suffer the same.

how do you clean your bike?

I replaced all of mine with CK dropsets. Fit and forget.

I bought these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FSA-Headset-Bearing-Kit-No-52-42-44-57-Tapered-Orbit-Headset-Bearings-/302623905098

@Daffy – does the CK dropset fit in the Tripster?

Getting a crown race with a good seal on like Hope’s or superstarcomponents is the important bit, then kinetic are good for headset bearings, I needed a 51.9mm when a 52mm wouldn’t fit after pressing the cup into the frame, I would have been up the creek without them. My one from kinetic has been perfect, but why we have different heights and degree combinations is beyond me, but typical of the bike industry in which the word standard has lost all meaning.

You could always just get a hope lower headset, the upper one doesnt really suffer the same.

No, the Hope bearing is 1mm too short and slightly larger diameter as per my OP. One is on a cross bike, the other a mtb. Both are rubbish.

It’s an integrated headset, the bearings sit direct in the frame.

@Daffy – does the CK dropset fit in the Tripster?

Yup.

I know the game with this, stop tearing yourself to pieces and just buy a king headset

I spent a fair while looking for a set of reasonably priced stainless for an FSA no57 but gave up and bought a set of those Blue Seal up there ^^^ like slackboy. 17 quid for the pair as a mate wanted a set so got 10% off. Just fitted and smooth as anything. Time will tell on longevity

Have used Blue Seal for our bearings over the last few years and they have been as good if not better as any other including those supplied with the bikes

Thanks for all the input. I have two potential solutions:

1. The Hope crown race teamed with a bearing that’s nominally 1mm taller than the Hope spec bearing and 51.9999 or something rather than 52mm in diameter, so should fit into the frame.

2. Stainless replacement bearings the same as the standard size ones plus a Cane Creek crown race that ought to fit and has an integral seal.

3. I will not be buying a Chris King Drop-In if I can help it.

I guess there’s a fourth solution, which is to ream out the headset area of the headtube just enough to take the Hope lower bearing and trim 1mm off the length of the headtube. I’m not a precision engineer with access to lots of high-spec machinery, but I know a man who is.

Watch this space 🙁