Last week I pulled a Tange Levin HS out of a bike it had been in for at least 20 years (most in storage). Those balls had a holder (jock?) Am I missing something or were the early 80s ones not loose?
Steve Leitgen la Crosse, WI
On Feb 26, 2006, at 5:50 PM, John Thompson wrote:
> fatcogtom@comcast.net wrote:
>
>> This all sounds so silly trying to measure and compare the gaps
>> between crown race and headset cups. It looks to me like there are
>> gaps in both, with no other weather resistant sealing mechanism in
>> either. A gap of 1mm versus a gap of 2.5mm still lets in water and
>> grit. Neither are superior over another.
>
> Arguably false. A larger gap both represents a larger area through
> which
> debris can enter and a larger maximum particle size for such debris.
>
>> They are both effectively 'flow through' designs. Will someone argue
>> that contaminants are flushed through on a constant basis so less
>> dirt and crud build up in the races; as long as you overhaul the
>> headset on a weekly basis, what does it matter?
>
> Ah, but how many of us -- or more to the point, how many of the great
> unwashed out there -- overhaul their headsets on a weekly basis?
>
> As far as sealing goes, the old Record Strada steel headset had a very
> tall crown race, and when mated with the proper cup presented a very
> deep, narrow passage through which debris must penetrate before
> entering
> the bearing. As seals go, it is very simple but still quite effective.
> The alloy cups on the Super Record model required that the crown race
> be
> much thinner and some of the benefit of this seal was lost. My own
> experience is that the old Record units hold up noticeably better than
> the Super Record ones, and this may well be part of the reason.
>
> But I concur that the Levin was, and still remains the best bang for
> the
> buck in loose ball headsets.
>
> --
> John (john@os2.dhs.org)
> Appleton WI USA