King SteelSet mod..
- Thread starter PepperJester
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- ramen
MANY times. i work on all my bikes deeply. also usually get them repainted every 2 years or so. as i stated above. i run the alum standard king headset on all of my DH bikes. one being my 65lbs Brooklyn TMX. and its 7 years old. sure it needs a paint job, but still running the SAME king headset. i've also lent that bike out to friends that have broken their DH bikes and needed a ride.
so it's been thru A LOT
I have a steelset pressed into my Karpiel as an insurance policy against headtube damage. In retrospect, a bit unnecessary, but if nothing else, it's a burly headset that performs well and looks cool. Headtube reaming is a pretty common repair job, and I don't see why it would cause any more damage to an SX trail than it would to any other aluminum frame. Just have a shop do it, unless you really know what you're doing.
I've got to love your rhetoric.
If you can't admit that you posted BS, or at least challenge me on the issue being discussed, why bother posting mate? You actually think that comment makes me look stupid or inferior? Hardly. It merely outlines your narrow mindedness and ignorance even further.
Just because I have less than 1000 posts doesn't mean I am some sort of noob or idiot. New to RM, sure, not really an indication of my other forum activity, or my riding ability/experience.
For the record, I've been downhilling about four years now, and have owned around 3 DH specific bikes. Do you or I give a ****? Not really, but I'd hate to give you the satisfaction of thinking you're right, just because of that 'impressive' post count that supposedly makes you more credible than I.
EDIT: Above pics say I was right in the first place anyway.
I've had this problem on bikes with 5" travel single crown forks, as have several of my friends. I won't use a King for single crown forks over 4" travel.
Dual crown forks for DH race rigs seem to have no problem though.
King headsets do last a long time. My only King headset is one I got in 1999 and I'm still using it after 5 different frames.
Well I don't know now. We've determined it can be done, and has been done, it would be a waste of time and money, that a regular king should be fine and that some think any king should be avoided for fr/dh use.
I'm going to have to think on this one for a bit. I'll post for sure if I do it.
I have to get some drop outs machined for my hard-tale so I'll talk to them about the headset when i take them the drop out blueprints.
+2
This is exactly what I did. Bought a used steelset a few years ago for my old Yeti with an ovalized headtube. I had my LBS ream out the lower part of the headtube and I installed only one of the steelset cups into the frame, keeping the aluminum upper cup. It has been fine for the past 4 years.... and I have the other cup available in case I need to "fix" another frame.
Congratulations, you can use words that require a high school education to use properly.
aaaaaaaaand you're bringing up post count why?
AROUND 3? Forget how to count there buddy? Time to put down the meth pipe.
Please note, the above comments are meant only in jest and are, after all, merely a part of general internet message board shenanigans, as was the post that prompted this preposterous parade of puerility.
In response to the actual content from the post before this one, CK's factory would more than likely use at least mid grade steel. As a company they are known for quality and durability. Its the old engineering saying, we can make it strong, light, and cheap - pick 2. Their attention to precision not just in their products, but their processes as well would indicate their commitment to high quality. Their factory produces little to no waste (all metal shavings are collected and recycled on a daily basis, for example). They are a green company, they encourage their companies to bike to work, their plant relies heavily on natural sources of energy, etc, etc. All this information is available on their website, www.chrisking.com And's not a bunch of hype either, just google around some, you'll find more info. Based on this information, I find it highly unlikely that CK would use a low quality steel for a product with their name on it. Please note, while still speculation, it is based on previous behavior for a company that is known for its high quality.
As a point of comparison on material use, Hadley is known for high quality hubs. They are currently NOT manufacturing their trials freehub (108pt engagement) because the grade of Ti necessary is not available at a low enough cost for them to be able to produce these freehub bodies profitably.
The second rebuttal against you original argument regarding the statement "what sort of a professional doesn't use a lubricant/coolant anyway?" you're making the assumption that the modification was actually going to be performed by a professional. Not everyone has professional (or even amateur) machining skills, or even access to the proper facilities and equipment. So yes, with proper training, equipment, and time, this modification could be properly executed from an engineering standpoint.
However, the problem lies from the industry standpoint. Most obviously, this would void the warranty on the headset. Second, I am about 95% sure that it would void the frame Warranty from Specialized. It has already been stated (by the company) that the frame is not compatible with the Steelset. S'lized isn't a bunch of idiots; if the frame was taken in for warranty they would ask what went wrong (in this case, if it were a headtube problem, what headset was being used). If/when they found out a headset they cleared stated does not work with the frame was modified in order to use it anyways, they would tell you to take a hike. Modified deraillers, brakes, wheels, etc aren't as much of an issue because they are not a press fit component into the frame - headsets are, and therein lies the problem. I've worked at Specialized dealers before and have seen a whole range of warranty issues, and generally they are pretty cool with warranties (a guy brought in a 15 year old hard rock with a broken chainstay at the weld - brand new frame, no questions asked), so there's still a possibility that they would warranty it, I just wouldn't wanna find out the hard way with a brand new $1000+ frame.
Okies, without a whole bunch of multi quoting
With regards to CK's material choice, I wasn't meaning to suggest that mild steel would be a poor choice for a head set. In fact, most metallurgists would probably suggest against a high carbon steel for a high stress application with multiple fatigue cycles. You don't want the thing snapping on you. My post wasn't meant to insinuate that CK's quality was poor.
In relation to the tongue in cheek/jovial thing - no hard feelings at all, it can just be difficult to interpret sarcasm/humour and the distinction between the two on a message board.
I still stand by my views about deformation - I just don't think it could happen, unless you tried to sever it with a pair of bolt cutters or something. I'd love to be able to say that no one would attack a super expensive headset without proper tools, but hey, lets not under estimate the parameters of stupidity here :biggrin:
With regards to CK's material choice, I wasn't meaning to suggest that mild steel would be a poor choice for a head set. In fact, most metallurgists would probably suggest against a high carbon steel for a high stress application with multiple fatigue cycles. You don't want the thing snapping on you. My post wasn't meant to insinuate that CK's quality was poor.
In relation to the tongue in cheek/jovial thing - no hard feelings at all, it can just be difficult to interpret sarcasm/humour and the distinction between the two on a message board.
I still stand by my views about deformation - I just don't think it could happen, unless you tried to sever it with a pair of bolt cutters or something. I'd love to be able to say that no one would attack a super expensive headset without proper tools, but hey, lets not under estimate the parameters of stupidity here :biggrin: