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Tioga Headset Headset

2.79/5 (33 Reviews)

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MSRP : $35.00


Product Description

Tioga Alchemy Headset


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Reviews 1 - 15 (33 Reviews Total) | Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Mark a Cross Country Rider from Wolfeboro, NH

Date Reviewed: August 21, 2004

Strengths:    Has worked fine for 3 years.

Weaknesses:    Not the smoothest thing around.

Bottom Line:   
Bought my bike as a leftover in 2001, and have put over 1000 miles on it... I've had to replace a few parts, but the headset does its job without a hitch. I overhauled the bike last week, and noticed that the lower races were quite worn, as well as the bearings. Come February (rebuild), I will be looking for a new headset, but I think that this one has done pretty well for the beating it has taken. Not the best, but not as bad as some people have experienced here...
One thing: the lower bearings seem to be over-exposed to the elements. They rust if you don't look after them.

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Favorite Trail:   All of 'em

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Purchased At:   Came on bike

Bike Setup:   GT Avalanche, 2000.
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Rhodri from South Wales, UK

Date Reviewed: August 14, 2003

Strengths:    Still going...

Bottom Line:   
Just to say... there seem to be different Tioga Alchemy headsets - different models and different years...

The black one that came with my '98 Kona Lavadome has lasted and lasted...

...I've greased it once since I've had the bike.

It's still here, and I still don't notice it(which is a good thing! I've never had a problem). Once it's come loose after some pretty hard riding(for me anyhow).

These are now available from cycleshopsmart at £7(british pounds. If I can make sure it's the same model on my bike, I'm going to buy another one for a new bike I'm building.

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Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by theodore a Cross Country Rider from melb, australia

Date Reviewed: June 16, 2003

Strengths:    well...

Weaknesses:    looks dirty...
and doesn't look anything like the pic...in fact it looks much older and even more useless.
bit heavy.

Bottom Line:   
i have not greased/maintained it for 5 years, and have ridden it hard. numerous enduro rides, xc rides, even a few 2m drops

still going fine.

all it took were 3 taps with a mallet to get it out.

i'm changing it over to another 2nd hand bike i just got which has a crappy unsealed diatech headset which is already feeling like crap.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Similar Products Used:   plenty. including crapper ones on more expensive bikes than the one i got it on.

Bike Setup:   mongoose D50. i currently have a giant AC and don't really feel the difference in smoothness between the tioga and the giant's integrated cane creek.
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by RIder a Weekend Warrior from San Gabriel Mtns, CA

Date Reviewed: January 7, 2003

Strengths:    Keeps the fork somewhat centered in the bike's head tube.

Weaknesses:    Flimsy, don't keep out dirt, apparently made from old Pepsi cans.

Bottom Line:   
I gently rode with this headset (threadless Aheadset design) for about six months. I decided to replace my fork and bought another identical headset for the new races, etc. As I was removing the old headset, the lower race practically fell out of the head tube- it was cracked all the way through. This is a wonderful way to quickly damage a frame. The upper race had its microscopically thin plating worn completely off, and the bearings were running on the substrate metal. There were flakes of plating filling the grease on both the top and bottom bearing cages.

After a single ride with the new headset, the plating was already flaking off.

This headset appears to be made of recycled Chinese pot metal. It's not worth damaging your bike's frame to save a few dollars. There may be some low-priced headsets out there that are worth buying, but the Tioga Alchemy is not one of them. After seeing the second (brand new) headset start to disentigrate after a single ride, it isn't even deserving of a single chili.

As a side note, the bearings on both headsets were well packed with grease and the preload was adjusted properly.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $15.00

Bike Setup:   GT Ricochet
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Philip a Weekend Warrior from Gainesville, FL, USA

Date Reviewed: November 3, 2002

Strengths:    Cheap, strong for my weight (135lbs)

Weaknesses:    Seems to rotate inside of the headtube, plastic top cap almost pulled itself through the stem

Bottom Line:   
This thing is just fine for my purposes... I spun the bearings in circles to get rid of the paint on the contacting surfaces, then greased and rode. Has worked fine with the exception of the plastic top cap - the bolt nearly pulled through the top cap. A spare top cap at the LBS was given for free, so it's all good. No problems so far, and I doubt I'll ever need to replace it without breaking something else.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $12.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Bike Setup:   Fuji Thrill frame, Duke C fork, XT-DT hubs/spokes
Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:5
Submitted by k. m. a Cross Country Rider from somerville, MA

Date Reviewed: October 24, 2002

Strengths:    still works....

Weaknesses:    still works....

Bottom Line:   
This headset wont stop working. it never worked very well, always felt like there were a few grains of sand in it and every ride for close to five years i have expected it to break, come loose, orjust plain fail...to no avail. The other headsets i ahve used are far superior in feel but i havent riddent ehm as long as the tioga. Granted this thing is a small piece of crap taht will in no way improve your riding nor protect your bike/well being...i have yet to have it break..ive done only one bout of maintenance on it...anyways, its like those old toyota trucks...you dont like them, but they just wont die....anywyas, im going to replace this one this season...enough ugly componenets on my bike....

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Similar Products Used:   cane creek, FSA, Chris King

Bike Setup:   hardtail
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Ronin a Weekend Warrior from South Bay Rules!

Date Reviewed: July 12, 2002

Strengths:    Price
Durable

Weaknesses:    Not sealed very well
So many damn pieces

Bottom Line:   
I think 3/4 of you people are talking about the threaded headset. I've got the Alchemy DL/S Aheadset and it's served me well over 5yrs without a single problem. I remember having to tighten it once to clear up some fork slop but other than the required maintanence intervals (lube), it has performed flawlessly. That's phenomenal considering I bought this for $10 from SuperGo about 5-6 yrs ago and have put it through hell and back and then hung the bike up for a year. The only gripes I have are the way it's sealed and how it falls apart when removing your fork. Both problems can be attributed to it's weird design. It's an open design that is pieced together unlike it's sealed bearing brethren which cost 20x more. This is of course due to cost efficiency (What did you expect for $10?) and has no effect on overall performance other than having to be lubed more frequently in dusty conditions. I've put alot of jumping and medium DH time on mine and it's held up to everything. It's not a DH or FreeRide item but does it claim to be? For the money you just can't beat it...literally.

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Favorite Trail:   RollerCoaster

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $10.00

Purchased At:   SuperGo

Bike Setup:   Nishiki Hardtail, Manitou X-Vert DC
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by Jason Walker a Cross Country Rider from Halifax, N.S, Canada

Date Reviewed: July 25, 2001

Strengths:    Looks Pretty Beefy

Weaknesses:    EVERYTHING!!!!!


Bottom Line:   
Someone please help us cursed people who have these headsets. I've been riding this on and off for a year, and was creaking and loose from day one.!! There is no way this product can really be this bad. I'm a mechanic and I've had this apart too many times changing everything race, bearings, bearing sizes, you name it. For those of you who may think that it's too old, don't worry, it did this from the day I installed it. If anyone uot there can figure out what we're all doing wrong please submit a review. It's so bad that I hate my KHS just for having it on the bike

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Sackville Powerlines

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $20.00

Purchased At:   the bike people

Similar Products Used:   Dia-Compe Aheadset

Bike Setup:   KHS Alite 4000
Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Richard Cunnew a Cross Country Rider from England

Date Reviewed: April 15, 2001

Strengths:    STAYS TIGHT

Weaknesses:    CREAKS A LITTLE

Bottom Line:   
I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SLAGGING OFF THIS HEADSET
BUT MINE HAS WORKED PERFECT AND I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH IT WHATSOEVER.
IT CREEKS FROM TIME TO TIME BUT THATS ABOUT IT.
I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING MANY PROBLEMS WITH IT, I AM PROBABLY ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES WITH ONE THAT ACTUALLY WORKS.
FOR ME ITS AN OVERALL GOOD HEADSET THAT WORKS WELL IN ALL CONDITIONS.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   anyting

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $10.00

Purchased At:   with bike

Bike Setup:   CLAUD BUTLER CAPE WRATH
XT
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:2
Submitted by Andrew Kirkpatrick a Weekend Warrior from Northampton

Date Reviewed: October 8, 2000

Strengths:    Has Bearings that sort-of move

Weaknesses:    Made of plastic (don't know what the pic above is about but mine is 100% plastic), odd shape, utterly crap sealing (one ride in mud and the bearings are f**ked), cheap, weak...

Bottom Line:   
This is approx £15, and thus shouldn't be utter crap. I have used a £2 headset and even that is made of metal! Never buy this in your life!!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Harleston Firs

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Purchased At:   On Bike

Similar Products Used:   YST Cartridge

Bike Setup:   Kona Scab, Z3 Long Travel, LX
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by J.R. Johnson a Cross Country Rider from State College, Pa, USA

Date Reviewed: August 22, 2000

Strengths:    Hey, Its a headset.

Weaknesses:    Every stinkin thing

Bottom Line:   
This is a piece of trash. It creaks real bad, the ball bearings fell out on mine and it finally broke from my riding and I'm only 115 lbs. JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK JUNK dont waste you money on this junk that doesn't.

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Purchased At:   Stock on my bike

Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Lupe' a Weekend Warrior from NYC

Date Reviewed: August 15, 2000

Strengths:    Last with little maintenance.

Bottom Line:   
This headset came OEM on my bike three years ago. I just upgraded to a Cane Creek S5. While removing it I just realized I have never had a problem with this headset! I ride hard over rocky terrain with lots of jumps and drops and when I'm not off road I'm jumping off loading docks like a BMXer and this has never failed me. I only hope that my new headset performs as well considering it cost 8 times as much.

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Favorite Trail:   Van Cortland Park

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Bike Setup:   Schwinn w/ LX/XT XC setup
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:2
Submitted by Michael a Cross Country Rider from Newark, DE

Date Reviewed: May 3, 2000

Strengths:    It has kept my bike together

Weaknesses:    leaks

Bottom Line:   
I've only put about 40 miles on my bike and the headset is already screwed up. The plastic cover cracked and I have grease mixed with metal oozing out of it. Part of the problem was probably the installation

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Middle Run

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Bike Setup:   '98 Yeti AS3 dualie with XT drivetrain and judy XC fork
Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Dale Smith a Cross Country Rider from Canadice, NY

Date Reviewed: April 8, 2000

Strengths:    Easy to maintain, comes aoart relatively easy, strong

Weaknesses:    Looks cheap, wont stay tight all the time, doesn't seal out s$%t

Bottom Line:   
This is a cheap affordable strong all around headset, works well most of the time. If you take care of it,it will give yuo many years of economical service, JUST TREAT IT WELL.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Harriet Hollister Spencer Park

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Similar Products Used:   dia comp
richty

Bike Setup:   Mongoose a50r
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by tommy a Weekend Warrior from woodside, nyc

Date Reviewed: March 23, 2000

Strengths:    cost only $10

Weaknesses:    getting ridiculed from my friends for buying it

Bottom Line:   
So far i havent had any problems with the headset. The only bad thing that came out of it were my friends and the owner of my LBS who made fun of me for buying a $10 headset for a $2000 bike

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Similar Products Used:   Aheadset

Reviews 1 - 15 (33 Reviews Total) | Next 15

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