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My 'throw it in cheap for a new build' Cane Creek 10 series has predictably snuffed it after 10 months.
I like to ride, not change parts, so is there a better approach than my usual 'just get a Hope thing' approach to anything with bearings?
Bike is a Patrol, iirc ZS56/44 tapered. Used all year round, everywhere.
Last headset i bought was a hope, it's still going strong 6 years later
Just get a Hope
Just replace the bearings.
Nukeproof on all mine, youngest one is 6 months, oldest is 2 years....no probs.
Hope, tis expensive but fit n forget
Hope, or my longest lasting, as in 3frames worth of use, is a fsa orbit extreme pro.
Currently using Nukeproof - no issues here.
I was going to buy Hope but decided to go for Nukeproof as it was half the price and in an Integrated no one can even see what brand it is anyway!
i see no point in bothering with any other than Hope. as others have said, fit and forget.
[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/brand-x-headset-44-56iits-sealed/rp-prod130954 ]Brand X ZS56/45[/url]
I've got a Brand X one (integrated, but different model) in a bike that's a couple of years old and still smooth.
£20 - is the Hope one 3-4 times better?
is the Hope one 3-4 times better?
Yes. Ive never killed a hope headset. Others have died very quick. I thought id try a cane creek 40 which was a bit cheaper. It died just as quick as any other. ope is the only one i've used that have required nothing.
It was a kind of a rhetorical question, but I don't agree.
I've had a Hope headset fail in under a year - an old 1 1/8 one to be fair, but it was still poor.
Especially with integrated headsets it's all about the bearings these days, as the amount of metal in them is fairly minimal. AFAIK Hope don't make there own bearings.
These ZS ones have a bit more machining in them compared to some fully integrated ones that are literally bearings, a race, and a top cap.
However, if you actually grease your bearings a couple of times a season, and don't aim a jet wash at it, then they should last ages,
If I was the OP, I'd look at replacing the bearings. If not then the Brand X will just as good as the Hope (IMHO anyway). £70 for the Hope is just daft money!
had a hope one that used to munch through lower bearings like they were biscuits, alright, not quite, but it felt like the fork was coming off that bike a lot.
others i have have been fine. the best bit about the hope is the lower crown seal IMO. you could just buy that and use a cheaper HS of your choice.
I don't remember ever replacing a headset until I got the carbon forks fitted on the Wazoo back in spring this year, but despite the price (~£70?), I went with a Hope.
From what I've read, the only questionable Hope item I'm aware of is apparently their quick release axle skewers.