Headsets, what do you use in your Proflex?

[Skinnyboy]

Would a CK Devolution work on our steeds?

http://chrisking.com/headsets/hds_devo



or would the little 1 1/8th shoulder on the bottom of the steerer preclude it?

[jazclrint]

There's just the one grease port screw as I remember it on the upper pivot axle I believe?

No there is 2 on the x-links.  Upper and lower axels.

[jazclrint]

I am in the middle of rebuilding my x-links and there are 6 grease ports.  Only 2 have screws in them.

As far as headsets, I just put a Campagnolo Record on mine.

[Colin]

I am in the middle of rebuilding my x-links and there are 6 grease ports.  Only 2 have screws in them.

Yes, you're right, there is a Grease port on the lower pivot axle rod as well, I forgot about that! I was thinking of the RK006 spares rebuild kit which supplies just one spare greaseport screw.

http://idriders.com/proflex/resources/97_spc-crosslink.pdf

As for the other 4 you mention without screws, from looking at the Upper and Lower link Assemblies, yes there are grease ports for the Sleeve Bearings which are force fitted into the Link Assemblies, and assuming that the bearing is drilled through then grease could be applied to the Pivot Axles.
In fact, in the RK006 Kit instructions it does say that the bearings will need to be drilled, and it implies to do this before fitting them, but imagine trying to align the holes! I think it would be much easier to drill them after fitting, by using the hole in the assembly as a pilot.

Good discussion, knowledge is increasing!

Col.

[Colin]

I'd be interested in recommendations for a replacement headset for my XP-X (x56 style bike)

The OEM one has finally become notchy after 13 years of use!

I'm planning to rebuild it with a set of Fournales with a disc brake for road use for my LEJoG trip this September.

so lightweight is good, quality level I normally go for would be "XT" level but I'm open to non-Shimano items.

Thanks
Colin S

[jazclrint]

Is it threaded or threadless?  And is it 1" or 1 1/8"?  I don't remember.  I'll report on how my Campy headset held up from the race weekend.  But, someone on the Campy forum mentioned that BMX racers were using record headsets at one point.  And they are light, that's for sure.  I got mine for $60ish shipped out of England.

[fyrstormer]

I'd be interested in recommendations for a replacement headset for my XP-X (x56 style bike)

The OEM one has finally become notchy after 13 years of use!

I'm planning to rebuild it with a set of Fournales with a disc brake for road use for my LEJoG trip this September.

so lightweight is good, quality level I normally go for would be "XT" level but I'm open to non-Shimano items.

Thanks
Colin S

My OEM headset became notchy after I hit a moving car with it. It did successfully catapult itself over the car and me with it, so I gotta give it props for that. I didn't have the money to replace it until two years later, though. I ultimately went with an FSA headset with cylindrical rollers in the lower bearing, because that was the bearing that suffered the most damage when I hit the car, so I wanted something stronger for next time.

If you're going to mix disc and rim brakes, you want Avid brake levers. They have adjustable leverage so you can make mismatched brakes feel the same.

I prefer SRAM Gripshift shifters, but for all the rest of the drivetrain parts I haven't found anything better than Shimano. I use a Race Face crankset because it fits an ISIS bottom bracket, not because it's better than Shimano.

I take that back, I also use an SRAM chain because the SRAM MasterLink makes it super-easy to remove and clean the chain properly. (cleaning the chain on the bike is a waste of effort -- a glass jar full of turpentine is the best chain cleaner ever, and it always will be.) Also, skip the fancy chain lubes and just keep the chain clean. I use Tri-Flow chain oil w/teflon, and I clean the chain twice a year. Only ever replaced the chain twice, because if dirt doesn't get into the rollers, it doesn't wear them out.

Cane Creek bar-ends are to die for. They can replace the outboard clamps on a pair of ODI bolt-on handlebar grips too, which is nice. I have that setup on my bike. I'll never use slide-on handlebar grips again.

I put a Dura-Ace upper derailleur pulley on my Deore XT derailleur, because I wanted ball bearings on both pulleys and Dura-Ace is the only group that offers them. It's worked delightfully thus far.

Always use Fond de Jante cotton rim tape. Don't even bother with anything else. FdJ is thick to prevent sharp edges inside the rim from cutting through it, and it's the only brand I've used that won't disintegrate or start peeling off after a couple of years.

That's about all the useful bike-guru knowledge I have.

[jazclrint]

Just updating on the Campy headset.  It's a HUGE improvement.  But then again, I never lubed my old headset (I haven't really ridden that much since I've owned it). The stack height is 24.5mm and it's a claimed 110g.  But smooth, oh man is it smooth.  I'm no longer fighting the bike to go where I want it too.  The only issue is the top cap.  Because the inner diameter of the steerer tube is 22(ish)mm the campy stem cap that comes with it won't work.  See, it's got this plastic part (dougnut?) below the carbon cap that is suppose to slide into the steerer tube to act as a straightener encase the star nut is off tilt a bit (which mine is).  But it's meant to fit in 25ish mm inner diameter steerer tubes like the one on my Bianchi Axis CX bike, which is where it is now.  Other than that bit a of chaos, it works great!  Really great!

[sammydog]

Running a Chris King in mine at the moment and love it. This head set has out lived a few bikes.

I also really like the Ritchey head sets and have never had an issue with FSA.

[Colin]

Replacing Headsets and rebuilding Freewheels are the couple of jobs I don't do myself on my bikes.
That's why my XP-X is in the LBS for a new headset just now, but a whole week to turn around!

What tools do you need to do a headset?

I guess it's:-
a remover (glorified split flared tube by the looks of it)
a headset press, (very expensive!)
a Crown race remover (again pretty expensive) but I have heard about using two small flat screwdrivers as levers , not what they are intended for!)

Any difference on modern headsets? i.e. sealed without seperate bearings, do you have to fit a piece to the fork?

Any advice or thoughts on doing this job yourself?

Col.

[w2zero]

True, the cup removal tool is just a piece of tubing split and flared.   

A press can be made from a long piece of all-thread rod, two nuts and some big washers. 

Yes, two screwdrivers or similar can be used to remove the crown race but he most important thing is patience and incremental progress equally spaced.

Seriously, I worked for a LBS in the early eighties that had very few bike specific tools.  We used hammers and wood blocks to install headsets and hammer and drift to remove same.   The owner printed up 14.99 tune up coupons and we made so much money on accessories, cables and new bikes as a result that he bought the Park tool set and a Campy frame buillder tool set to bring us out of the dark ages of mech.  Unfortunately, the best racers make the worst mechanics and some Italian wall art ensued. 

[purple gerbil]

Im with you on that,my tool kit consist of just the same.....All my other tool's are SNAP-ON....

I used to work as a contractor for the NHS repairing custom built wheelchairs & mobility aid's on call 7 days a week,so when your miles from home and faced with a problem of giving someone there independence back or take it away to the workshop for days at a time you make do with what is in the back of the van..

Yes, two screwdrivers or similar can be used to remove the crown race but the most important thing is patience and incremental progress equally spaced.Hammers and wood blocks to install headsets and hammer and drift to remove same.

[fyrstormer]

True, the cup removal tool is just a piece of tubing split and flared.  

A press can be made from a long piece of all-thread rod, two nuts and some big washers.  

Yes, two screwdrivers or similar can be used to remove the crown race but he most important thing is patience and incremental progress equally spaced.

Seriously, I worked for a LBS in the early eighties that had very few bike specific tools.  We used hammers and wood blocks to install headsets and hammer and drift to remove same.   The owner printed up 14.99 tune up coupons and we made so much money on accessories, cables and new bikes as a result that he bought the Park tool set and a Campy frame buillder tool set to bring us out of the dark ages of mech.  Unfortunately, the best racers make the worst mechanics and some Italian wall art ensued.

Well, what do you expect? Racers want things done fast, and they have no patience, least of all for their own limitations as human beings, that's why racing appeals to them. When I ride, I ride flat-out, because it feels good, but it's not racing, because there's nothing to win or to prove. And when I work on my bike, I don't see the problems with the bike as challenges to my sense of self-worth, so I don't just bang on it until it cooperates. That's why my bike is 14 years old and still running.

[Colin]

Thanks Guys,
I'll see what sort of a job they make of it and consider doing it myself in the future.

in the meantime, any thoughts on my other Q?

"Any difference on modern headsets? i.e. sealed without seperate bearings, do you have to fit a piece to the fork?"

I have a 5500 carbon frame with a new Hope headset fitted that I have no idea if it's complete or not, maybe I need to post some Piccie's?

Thanks
Col.

[fyrstormer]

The crown race still has to be fitted to the fork the same as it would be if the bearings were loose. The only difference is the crown race doesn't touch the bearings directly anymore.