In the Bike Shop: The Obscure Headset Tool

The best part of that shot is the well-worn workbench; years of bike parts have seen that bench. I bet even a SunTour Microdrive, which was compact before its time.

Ooooh, I don’t have those. It must be incredibly satisfying to break them out and use them. The weird proprietary-ness of it all.

Another page from the Evil Empire play book.

My Chris King Threadless has been perfect for 3 years AND requires no head wrenches AND is built in the US.

Shimano bastards.

ya gotta love the “Dura Ace - For Head Parts” text on the wrench….it’s funny and ambiguous with an almost innuendo.

Where can I get those wrenches! I have two old shimano 600 bikes and can’t seem to find them.

Thanks, Sarah

Sarah

ya got me. You generally only see these in dingy ol’ bike shops. No idea where you’d find some for sale.

Chris M:

It’s not like Chris King invented the threadless headset. They were merely able to successfully adapt their design to the Dia-Compe design. And if it weren’t for the revival of premium steel bikes, the industry drive for carbon and aluminium bikes with internal/integrated headsets would have left King in the dust. For all of King’s doomsay years ago about integrated headsets, there have been very few instances of bikes exploding because they didn’t use a King headset.

Meanwhile, Shimano for their part have decided to sit out of the headset game. The last headset designs they made were the 7410/6410/105SC/STX designs circa 1994. And for under $45, it was hard to beat an STX. Cheap cartridge bearing headset that gave a good 2-4yr service in my messenger bikes, and the bearings simply dropped in for replacement. Chris King certainly makes a better headset, but for much more.

Also, have you looked at any external-bearing BB? Notice the wrench notches in them, identical no matter what the brand? Yeah, that’s thanks to the Evil Empire. Even Campagnolo wisely decided to copy that standard for their Ultra-Torque BB.

All hail the Empire!

Sarah, eBay is your best bet. I believe (Mark chime in please) that a standard wrench will work, just not as securely. So it’s not really proprietary, but using the Shimano tool probably results in fewer marred nuts, especially when they’re aluminum.

a regular 32mm headset wrench will work, no problem. no need for the admittedly cool wrenches, but also good news for anyone who didn’t choose to have one of these come into their life…

“For all of King’s doomsay years ago about integrated headsets, there have been very few instances of bikes exploding because they didn’t use a King headset.”

jesus, i’m glad someone said that. i’m sick of reading his crap to promote what he sells.

@ Ron,

Yes there certainly isn’t a boneyard of bikes mothballed with failed internal headsets, but King does make a bombproof headset and I fit all of my bikes with them. The concern over internal headsets came from the fact that they were tried in the 70s and failed. Newer tech, new designs and they do work.

if the 70s were when internals were failing, mr. king should specify that on his site, rather than implying that those with internals are necessarily riding on junk. i take issue more with his insistence that internals are crap than with his quality, totally. i didn’t mean to imply that what he makes is crap, but that “study” of his being crap.

King makes what is widely considered the gold standard of traditional headsets. I myself have 3 bikes with them. But the man’s essay about 5 years ago, explaining why his company would never build integrated headsets because the concept was inherently flawed, seems a little silly today. If anything, I’d attribute this to his roots as a steel framebuilder and a failure to grasp how non-ferrous frame materials would drive component design.

I would have to write a separate article (and I plan to do so soon) to explain how integrated headsets are suited for some applications (carbon and aluminium frames) and unsuited for others (steel).

As I mentioned earlier, the market trend for high-end steel artisan bikes is almost perfectly tailored to King’s headsets. In fact, the market segment is strong enough that several companies (Crank Bros., Cane Creek) have taken aim squarely at King’s territory.

Byron: I’ve personally seen bikes that were 70 years old with integrated headsets, and Fausto Coppi won the Giro and the Tour on a Bianchi with an integrated headset in 1952. I think my next tech article will be on the history of headset design. Wouldn’t it be cool if someone had a headset historical collection like Speedplay’s founder has a museum of pedals?

@ Mark, Ron,

I’ve sent this to King. Probably better to not judge a 5-yr old article and maybe he’s changed his thinking? It’s the what’s old is new again in the bike industry. Like, say, the Pong external bottom bracket bearing design he was floating in the 90s? Or may fave is the seat masts guys were doing in the 70s as well.

I’ve always criticized trek as making a good carbon bike and shipping it with a 4 dollar headset, but that’s change recently with the Cane Creek 110, a respectable headset.

mark, that sounds like a great article. i should probably not have used the word “crap” so much in talking about king. but i know a few people who think differently about their bikes because they read that article and have integrated headsets. i guess it’s alarming to think your frame might blow up on you one day. anyway, i apologize if i steered the conversation into a non-civil direction.

Ron,

No worries, I’m here to moderate — and the community is like a self-cleaning oven.