[Closed] Headset Choice - old Hope or old Chris King

hmmm.

one headset that you can service yourself, has cheap, replaceable bearings, good quality.

another that you have to send back to America to service and is dogged by rumours of cutting into steerer tubes

(and you will get more for the CK if you sell it!)

I only use Hope so I shouldn't be asked. I will say that I've heard about those cut steerers too though... be careful mate.

another that you have to send back to America to service and is dogged by rumours of cutting into steerer tubes

Eh? I've never sent any of my CK's back to America to be 'serviced' cos they don't need it. Slap in some new grease and off you go. One is over 7 years old and still working perfectly.

CRC have a deal on Crank Bros headsets at the mo.

Are they any good?

ck

Oh, and to answer your question, Chris King are ace headsets and Hope (never tried one) are meant to be great too. Probably can't go wrong I'd say.

I had heard the story about cut steerers too, but that also CK headsets have legendary reliability. I had heard that Hope headsets (the older versions) weren't so reliable, not sure about the new ones, hence my dilemma! I just want fit and forget year round reliability.

[i]Eh? I've never sent any of my CK's back to America to be 'serviced' cos they don't need it. Slap in some new grease and off you go. One is over 7 years old and still working perfectly. [/i]

In the interests of balance, I've had an £25 FSA Orbit for over seven years that I've done nothing with except fit it to my bike and use it all the time, and it's working perfectly.

Never seen the point of expensive headsets, what do you get for the money?

I only have experience with the CK's. They've been fitted and left to look after themselves for over 7 years and almost 4 years. If the forks come off for oil change, I'll slap some new grease in. That's all I've ever done with them. They feel as smooth now as they did when new/bought second hand.

Sure there are other cheaper headsets out there which work as well. I had a nightmare time with FSA and Cane Creek headsets, so treated myself.

To be honest I ran cheaper headsets for years from FSA, TH, Cane Creek and even Shimano, but they always ended up getting full of dirt or having bearing issues, then having to be serviced. I soon realised, as with most things, that if you spend a little bit more the quality and reliability improved. As someone that rides nearly every day of the week in all weathers, I thought nothing of spending over £50 on a headset.

I thinking regardless of the scratches that the CK might be the one!

I have topped my headset off with one of them new StemCAPtain clocks they look cool and are quite rare at the mo . I feel like a bit of a trendsetter out riding. see them at www.StemCAPtain.co.uk

Which colour mnatches the frame better? This is surely the only important thing

old CK headsets are flawed 'cos they wouldn't use the split ring that everyone else used and paid the fee for.

If it wasn't worth having, why are they now using it once the patent expired?

I have had marked steerers with a CK, but now got the split ring upgrade.

Use the Hope, sell the CK.

[i]another that you have to send back to America to service and is dogged by rumours of cutting into steerer tubes[/i]

What sort of service? ck headset on my commuter, 6000 miles a year in all weathers, not been touched in 4 years and still silky smooth.

The cutting into steerer tubes thing was specific to a fork/headset type (1.5inch I think) and as far as I know has been resolved. And I would hardly say 'dogged by runours'.

I'd go for the ck.

King. And you can service them yourself, no special tools required.

morgs - both in black, so no choice there!! 🙂

TurnerGuy - my CK is one of the older versions, not Sotte Voce, so I am guessing that could be an issue

Gary M - commuting, xc, trail centre, probably similar or slightly less mileage

P20 - good point

thanks for all your comments, still not sure, but edging toward the CK!

Just taken a Hope out of my well (ab)used 42month old Orange 5, added a bit of fresh grease and stuck it in a new frame. The cups are a bit tired looking, but it's still going strong.

CRC have a deal on Crank Bros headsets at the mo.

Are they any good?

No they are shite

Never tried a CK headset but Hope headset have never let me down

I've just got a Hope but the reason was aestheic. I've got a gold CK on my currently black adodised frame and it looks okay but gold would look like a complete dog's breakfast on my new copper colour Flux (hey at that price, beggers can't be choosers! LOL) - so enter the new black Hope - function without the bling.

ok, fair point, ck will rarely need a new bearing. my last one lasted longer than my frame. but if you do need a new bearing you cant fit one yourself. unlike hope

The Chris King headset is being fitted by my LBS today. They reckon that Hope headsets are actually just cane creek headsets with nice anodised bits!! Not sure where that info came from.

Thanks for all the feedback.

It replaces the normal, non-function stem cap of a threadless style headset with an analog fully functional clock.

Never had a CK let me down (my oldest one is well over 10 years old and been on several bikes) have had a Hope let me down (I don't care how good their customer service is, I'd rather not have to make use of it).

Their hubs may suck (IME), but I've used CK headsets on most of my bikes for 10+ years & only ever had to regrease one of them (it was very simple, and cost a tenner for new seals). I've only used one Hope headset but that was fine too, though only used it for 18 months or so. I personally wouldn't touch Crank Brothers stuff, especially an important component like a headset, but I've just had bad experiences with their stuff in the past.

The cutting into steerer tubes thing was specific to a fork/headset type (1.5inch I think) and as far as I know has been resolved. And I would hardly say 'dogged by runours'.

Nope. Definite problem on 1 1/8". Usually with longer travel forks. As far as I know it's sorted with the split ring upgrade.. Even though they never admitted it was a problem, and not the reason for the upgrade at all.. oh no!

I always reckoned that part of the reason for CK headsets lasting so long was because of the rubber ring loading system.. It should spread the load around the bearings more, at the cost of some movement.

100% agree with turnerguy. I have both hope & CK on my current 2 mtb's and have had both on other bikes in the past. The CK's have marked all my steerers. The design of the old CK without the split ring is dated and flawed IMO. The longer your forks the more this becomes apparent as the forks easily unseat the top bearing race with the extra leverage. If you are going to use the CK make sure it's done up tighter than the hope.

heard all the hype about CK headsets, took the plunge and got them for both bikes - a DJ bike with 100mm forks and a DH bike with 200mm dual crown forks

within 1 month both CK headsets were causing problems I'd never had before with FSA, Cane Creek, etc.

headsets constantly working loose, causing creaking / clicking noises and starting to chew a nice groove in both my fork steerers where the top cap 'o ring' sat.

the lower bearing on the DJ bike actually failed (seized), and Evolution refused to warranty it claiming abuse and just sent me a bill for a new bearing which I refused to pay and returned.

the steerer tube on my DH bike was becoming compromised by the other CK headset, in Whistler the Marzocchi technician who looked at my forks before fitting a new steerer (free of charge, bless 'em) and a FSA Pig Pro headset I'd bought and he said "we've seen this many times with CK headsets"

my riding buddy also with a CK headset on his Marzocchi 66 fork had exactly the same problem, and the Marzocchi people in Whistler also replaced his steerer, we bought them some beers for their troubles!

for riders who keep their wheels on the ground I guess a CK is worth the money?

for riders getting airbourne, I'd steer well clear (to clarify though my experiences were with the older "o-ring" top cap CK design)

never had any issues with my replacement headset which were FSA Pig Pro and Race Face Diablous