Headsets

[Daddybus]

First time I've delved this deep into a bike's innards & gubbins so just a little advise please. This is the headset from my Sun, not only is it rusty but I managed to bend the bottom cup when I removed it. So is it better to get a 'good make' used (expensive) replacement or is it ok to get a nice shiny brand new 'unbranded' (cheap) one? Some of the vintage ones seem ridiculously pricey can they really be that much better... or is all just designer label syndrome?

Its a 1" stearer & the stack height as shown in the pic (does this really matter?) is 50mm in total. Its a Brampton set btw

 

[Yellow Saddle]

No need to get a popular brand, any quality product will do. The trick is to recognize quality when you see it. Vintage ones are pricey because they are out of production and rare. Further, the big gruppo manufacturers have stopped making 1" headsets so those are even rarer. Fortunately there are plenty of good ones still being made by perfectly good companies in Taiwan and China. Recognising quality in a headset is not easy to do if you are not familiar with bearing quality, placement of races etc so I'll say, avoid anything made from stamped steel. That should get you a workable product.

 

[midlife]

Tange headsets give a good bang per buck in my opinion

Passage for a tenner, Levin steel for fifteen quid....

Shaun

 

[MichaelW2]

Tange are one of the few brands making short stack headsets.
Stronglight A9 is another nice model.
Stackhight matters. If your HS stack is too high for your steerer, the upper threaded lockring hardly engages at all.

 

[Daddybus]

Stack height is 50mm top to bottom as stacked in the picture... (but do you count the bearing cup internal part that sleeves INSIDE the head tube? or just all the external bits?) Total height then would be 35mm?..
There is also a spacer? In this stack which will be replaced with a similar thickness centre pull brake hanger... I assume this would be ok?
I'd probably prefer to use chrome rather than alloy if at all possible because the cups will be sitting next to the chrome head lugs.

 

[midlife]

Basically A + B is the stack height including the ball bearings
Tange Passage is about 30 mm so you might need a spacer each side of the centre pull hanger.

Shaun

 

[Daddybus]

Brilliant... thanks