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Home | Product Reviews | Headset | Cane Creek S-2 Headset | ||||
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Submitted by
corey
a Weekend Warrior
from se usa
Date Reviewed: 2/8/2008 5:12:42 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Purchased At: | came with new fork |
| Bottom Line: | bought a new marz fork and this headset came with it. I installed it and have been riding it for about two years. No problems yet. It never gets wet though, if it were to get wet on a regular basis, I think it might crap out quick. I don't think the design would keep water out. |
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Submitted by
Aaron Wixon
a Racer
from Needham, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: 2/22/2007 6:43:19 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | Holy power which miraculously within this headset which is capable of withstanding the power of a flat to flat 4ft drop from a short standing start. Silent, takes abuse, doesn't seem to mind being naked. (No dustcap) |
| Weaknesses: | Wide stack diameter. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Aheadset C-4, Chris King, Tioga Alchemy, Aheaset S-1, Diatech D-Cup, FAS Pig DH, Eastern Integrated, Campy Chorus, Shimano XTR Threaded 1 1/8" |
| Bike Setup: | WTP Thrillseeker, Ti Spindle, Eastern Pro Cranks, Drive MAG pedals, Odyssey Elementary, Odyssey Evolvers, Snafu Astroglide, Macneil bars,seat (sl) & post, Cane Creek S-2, Sun Rhynolite 36H Laced to Redline Sealed Hubs. |
| Bottom Line: | Odd as this sounds, I've been using it on my 29lb We The People Thrillseeker BMX BIKE. I wasn't able to fit the dust cap over the top bearing cup after discovering my Snafu Gyro was hitting it, so I just took it off. Ive been doing 4ft drops with it very often during the warmer seasons. I bent a 36H Rhynolite rim doing so, but the headset works perfectly. So far, no wear, no noises etc. I got it for free from a fellow bike mechanic so as you would expect, I was incredibly abusive to it. As im writing, my beater bmx bike is sitting in the garage after a fresh ride in the rain with this headset. 5 Chilis for value. It was free. 5 Chilis for overall. Im happy with it and believe it is a quality piece of componentry. |
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Submitted by
Brian
from Flagstaff, AZ
Date Reviewed: 12/20/2006 7:21:48 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Strengths: | Umm, the lizard on the top cap looks cool. |
| Weaknesses: | I, like at least one other on this forum, experienced one of the cups completely shearing away from the headtube insert. I'm just glad I only paid cost for this thing. I'm also glad I didn't get hurt. It certainly isn't worthy of its $50 price tag. Cane Creek: I hope you address this! I guess it's time to bite the bullet and get another King. |
| Bottom Line: | I ride pretty hard and pretty fast on a fully rigid 29'er single speed, so my headset takes some abuse, but this is still unacceptable. Cane Creek has a one-year warranty so I doubt they'll help me out, but I wouldn't want another one. I know Cane Creek builds some decent stuff but the S2 headset isn't one of them. |
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Submitted by
BLOPA
from ARGENTINA
Date Reviewed: 7/11/2006 11:01:31 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | secret |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $18 |
| Purchased At: | local store |
| Strengths: | feeling, hard looking, great sensibility |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Bike Setup: | gt avalanche with upgrades |
| Bottom Line: | you put, very easy, and you forget |
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Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Date Reviewed: 6/6/2006 2:06:55 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Fujimi Panarama Course "C" |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | Store in Saipan |
| Strengths: | Price... it works ok. |
| Weaknesses: | Starts loosening and rattling under heavy use. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Chris King |
| Bike Setup: | Weyless XP w/ Fox Float RP3, Marzocchi Z.1 FR SL 2004, Mavic EX 729, Shimano Saint Cranks, Shimano Saint Brakes, Shimano XTR front and rear derailluer M751. |
| Bottom Line: | Not the best out there, but it works somewhat. You get what you pay for. |
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Submitted by
Nhel
a Weekend Warrior
from Philippines
Date Reviewed: 1/8/2006 9:07:59 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | tagaytay,tanay, sta.rosa.. |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $15 |
| Purchased At: | cylce art |
| Strengths: | performs well, money's worth, looks cool |
| Weaknesses: | none so far |
| Bike Setup: | G.T aggressor " XC" HARO werks " freeride" |
| Bottom Line: | value for your money... performs well for 7 years i've used it and still use it today.... |
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Submitted by
SGT. ROCK
a Racer
from Grande Cache, AB
Date Reviewed: 1/3/2006 1:06:19 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | Greenfish |
| Strengths: | Works Looks good Decent price |
| Weaknesses: | None yet |
| Similar Products Tried: | FSA Orbit XLII, Aheadset STS, Aheadset SE |
| Bike Setup: | 2003 Ventana Pantera w/ 120mm Marzo Marathon S |
| Bottom Line: | I do agree there are some marginal headsets out there - in fact, I bought the S2 to replace an Aheadset STS that developed an annoying, abrupt slip under heavy braking, due to wear on substandard bearing races. The STS was new, properly installed and adjusted, but it simply could handle what my new Pantera frame could dish out. The S2, on the other hand, has been absolutely trouble free. Even installing a fork with another 20mm of travel (and the subsequent harder riding) had no ill effects. I suspect that a lot of the complaints about this headset are the result of faulty installation. One guy writes about it working loose the first ride after his shop installed it. Find a new shop, guy - any headset that works loose after the first ride wasn't properly installed, or your frame was damaged prior to install. Either way, the shop is at fault. My S2 has seen two seasons on top of a five inch fork, and is as tight and smooth as when new. If there is any difference between the Cane Creek and the FSA Orbit XLII (a highly rated headset) on one of my other bikes, I can't see it. Won't give the S2 a five rating - that's reserved for the legendary King, but as many say, it had better be the best at that price. |
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Submitted by
Ivan
a Cross Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: 1/3/2006 5:36:13 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | Brixton Cycles |
| Strengths: | Looks Flash |
| Weaknesses: | Will not stay adjusted, slackens every ride and can't use front brakes without shuddering of forks. It's seems to be a piece of junk on my bike set up. I have had it in to Brixton Cycles to be looked at a couple of times but problem persists. Have to keep tightening. |
| Similar Products Tried: | N/A |
| Bike Setup: | Surly Karate Monkey, Mavic 700cc rims, single speed, etc |
| Bottom Line: | Take a look at how many negative reviews there are on this forum and think about buying something else. |
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Submitted by
Daniel
a Weekend Warrior
from Joplin, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: 9/30/2005 9:51:57 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Anything Dirt |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | www.JensonUSA.com |
| Strengths: | It works. |
| Weaknesses: | None come to mind. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Aheadset |
| Bike Setup: | Fetish Cycles Discipline w/ RockShox Psylo '03. Shimano XT front derailleur, BB, V-brakes, and M440 cranks. Avid Speed Dial brake levers, SRAM 5.0 rear derailleur, SRAM Attack Trigger shifters (8 speed), Sun Rhyno Lite rims w/ WTB Speed XC hubs and Panaracer TrialBlaster 2.1 tires. Some other stuff. |
| Bottom Line: | Okay, I don't know what much else to say about this product other than it works. I do mostly XC and I use my bike to get across campus to class and I've had no problems at all with this headset. I bought it over a year a go to replace the junk Aheadset that came stock on an older bike and had it reinstalled when I got my new Fetish frame. |
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Submitted by
Marc
from Seattle, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: 9/20/2005 9:50:51 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Strengths: | Inexpensive. Functional |
| Weaknesses: | I recently upgraded my frame from a Cane Creek S2 to a Chris King. Through the process I found that the Cane Creek S2 headset had a slightly larger skirt diameter and, thus, had reamed my headtube out just enough to ruin my frame. Granted I could continue to use the Cane Creek, but this none-the-less shows that Cane Creek's tolerances are substandard. That said the headset did work for the duration that I had it installed. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Cane Creek C2, Race Face, Tange Technoglide, Chris King |
| Bottom Line: | Invest in a company with better quality control. |
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Submitted by
Jon Churchill
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Rapids, MI
Date Reviewed: 7/24/2005 9:19:30 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | Pricepoint.com |
| Strengths: | Looks, smooth, price |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: | FSA, Bontregor stock |
| Bike Setup: | Titus Racer X100, Thomson stem, Reba Team, FSA XC300 wheels, RaceFace crankset, Avid BB7 mech disc |
| Bottom Line: | I love finding great products at low prices. You could buy a King for $125 and it better be good at that price. Try finding a quality headset for under $30. The bottom line is this product has worked flawlessly for me, its tough (I had it on 2 frames), and is inexpensive. |
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Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Cali
Date Reviewed: 7/15/2005 7:33:50 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $50 |
| Strengths: | UHHH i guess it looks cool |
| Weaknesses: | the thing is a piece of sh** |
| Similar Products Tried: | nothing... everything is better |
| Bottom Line: | Dont buy it. After like 2 rides the whole sealed bearing thing became dissasembled. As Cane Creek quotes "Mountain bikers and road riders who appreciate the difference a superior sealed headset can make in steering precision and longevity." Yeah... barely superior to a piece of poo. If your a mountain biker its a no bye. |
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Submitted by
Lonnie Jackson
a Weekend Warrior
from Lemoore, CA USA
Date Reviewed: 5/24/2005 11:21:53 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Buckridge |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | Performance Bike |
| Strengths: | Smooth bearings, easy install. Very sturdy. |
| Weaknesses: | None yet. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Old aheadset with plstic cap. |
| Bike Setup: | 05 Ignition 2 |
| Bottom Line: | Does what a headset is supposed to do, I have ridden some pretty rough trails and the headset has stood strong. No need to service yet. Great upgrade for my bike!! |
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Submitted by
A aron Williams
a Racer
from San Luis Obispo, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: 4/16/2005 8:19:03 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | anything |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $50 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Great value at 50 dollars. Nice and smooth. Doesn't require any maintenence. Solid feel. |
| Weaknesses: | Doesn't integrate into a frame all that well. If your head tube isn't chamfered you'll have a little gap at the top and bottom that gets a little dirt in it sometimes. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Other Cane Creek head sets |
| Bike Setup: | Madone SL |
| Bottom Line: | I wish it integrated into my head tube a little better, but its no big deal. When you ride with it in a road bike you could never tell that its not a king. It seems like the lower bearing is easily exposed to dirt but the cartride seems to seal well enough to keep the grit out. The all mountain guys hate it because they picked the wrong headset for the job. Keep you XC riding pretty light or use it on the road. Like I said, its a great value. |
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Submitted by
Joel
from Sacramento, CA
Date Reviewed: 2/23/2005 6:56:43 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Auburn Trails |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | Jenson |
| Strengths: | - Looks good |
| Weaknesses: | - don't get me started... |
| Similar Products Tried: | FSA Pig Headset |
| Bike Setup: | >p.2 >stance statics >gusset single-speed >e-thirteen bashguard >ODI lockers >FSA pig headset >Maxxis rubber |
| Bottom Line: | Don't buy it. Better suited for road use. Trust me on this one, go with the FSA if you want performance, durability, and affordability. Hardtail pride! |
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Submitted by
Graeme Jones
a Cross Country Rider
from Christchurch
Date Reviewed: 2/22/2005 1:45:16 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Blowhard Track |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $37 |
| Purchased At: | Beyond Bikes |
| Strengths: | Looks pretty |
| Weaknesses: | it's crap, I recieved the S2 "set up" from Beyond bikes, but the bearings fell out of the "retainer" before bike was ever ridden, tried to bed headset in for a few rides, until I eventually pulled the S2 apart and discovered what had happened plus the damage that was caused. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Aheadset, Ritchy, Shimano |
| Bike Setup: | Turner 5 Spot |
| Bottom Line: | Buy something else, the S2 looks nice but cheaper headsets that I have had certainly work better than this peice of ... Cane Creek did send me some sealed cartridge bearings that are superior to the stock bearings that come with the S2, which makes me wonder why they bother with thier current set up of 'retained' bearings, but the damage has been done to the rest of the headset form ball bearings free floating around in the headset, I definitly will not be buying another, and certainly would not recommend the S2 to anyone |
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Submitted by
YaMon
a Weekend Warrior
from Jamaica, W.I.
Date Reviewed: 2/6/2005 6:35:05 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Blue Mountain |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Strengths: | Good Looking |
| Weaknesses: | Very Weak, constant adjustment |
| Similar Products Tried: | Chris King |
| Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Dare...setup mainly for all around. Light at 32 pounds. |
| Bottom Line: | Bought strictly based on price and also have a set of WAM Disc Ti on my other bike. Needed a part fro the wheel once and they sent it to me pronto and no charge. Headset was ok, needed to be tightened every couple of months, no big deal. Last week coming down a very fast and bumpy track the headset loosened up again. Tried to tighten at the bottom of the hill, noticed that the bottom cup was moving...oh, oh....thought I ovalized my headtube. Upon disassembly discovered that the bottom cup had COMPLETELY sheared off at the headtube. Ordered and putting on a steel headset now. If you ride strictly cross country, it will be ok, for anything else, do not take the chance. I was lucky. Wish Cane Creek would put in a disclaimer saying ONLY Cross Country Rated. |
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Submitted by
sno_twin
a Cross Country Rider
from central ohio
Date Reviewed: 1/18/2005 10:29:53 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | performance |
| Bottom Line: | I have used this headset in all conditions especially mud.If you ride in ohio you know what I mean -Wet and Muddy.I just check it every few rides for play, none so far.Worth it for price. |
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Submitted by
Tim Ace
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucker
Date Reviewed: 1/8/2005 1:39:36 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | All the ons in GA and SC |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | Adrenaline Bikes |
| Strengths: | Well it would be nice if it had lasted |
| Weaknesses: | bearing crown spacer made out of plastic, what the crap is that |
| Similar Products Tried: | Giant and Chris King |
| Bike Setup: | New Yeti 575, SRAM X.9, R der, shifters, chain, cassette. XT hubs, Mavic 717 wheels, Mutanoraptor wheels, Marzochi ETA Comp fork, Fox Propedal RP3 shock |
| Bottom Line: | I wish i could say good things about this product. It's made of cheap components to reduce cost, not weight. the plastic bearing crown ring wore out after about 12 hrs of use. the bearing begun to sieze out. it would be beeter that these components had less lose parts. tere is a lot of play with the top tube. won't buy another one of these puppies. I'll try FSA or WTB. would buy Chris King if i had the spare change |
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Submitted by
Gerr
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: 11/7/2004 3:03:39 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | performance bike |
| Strengths: | Inexpensive |
| Weaknesses: | Bottom caged bearings if headset gets loose might destroy the headset and possibly the fork crown steerer. Bottom bearings are caged bearing and not a bottom cartridge as in the top. Could I have received an older model headset ? |
| Similar Products Tried: | All types of cheap headsets over the years |
| Bike Setup: | Blur/Xtr/Avid Mech. 185mm rotors/Spinergy Disc Pbo. |
| Bottom Line: | Shop installed and I believe it was loose on my first ride out so at the end of the ride I checked and tightened. But, the damage had already been done. The lower bearing cage must have become deformed and thus; smashed the bottom race to the point of it coming loose from the steerer ! (With little ball bearings all over the place.) I'm lucky the fork steerer/race interface was not damaged. One could say that it was all from improper adjust. The headset probably would have had some fault tolerance if it had lower cartridge bearings. Don't waste your money on ANY mountain bike headset that has caged bearings these days instead of cartridge bearings upper AND LOWER. I guess I'm Ordering a $$ King also. |
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Submitted by
George
a Cross Country Rider
from Dublin,CA
Date Reviewed: 9/4/2004 8:50:40 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | any trail |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | Jenson USA |
| Strengths: | Easy to install, simple design, sealed cartridge bearings, looks great, excellent quality for the price,comes in black, smooth bearings. It has held up well. |
| Weaknesses: | None |
| Similar Products Tried: | FSA, Chris King, IRD-junk(King knockoff),other Cane Creek headsets. |
| Bike Setup: | Supergo Access XCL 18" hardtail frame with Avid mechanical disc brakes, mostly Shimano and Sram rear D and shifters. |
| Bottom Line: | A great headset at a great price. This headset is easy to install and adjust, uses smooth quality cartridge bearings, has never given me problems, and looks great. The Chris King headset cost at least three times the price of an S-2 and I'd rather buy other bike parts with the difference. You can easily buy replacement parts from Cane Creek if ever needed for this headset. |
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Submitted by
Bufflehead
a Cross Country Rider
from State College, PA
Date Reviewed: 8/26/2004 8:37:26 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | QBP (as a shop mechanic in Charleston, SC) |
| Strengths: | cartridge bearings, well sealed, lightweight, ease of adjustment |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: | various Aheadset's |
| Bike Setup: | Stock Specialized Rockhopper '03 with upgrades: Cane Creek S-2 Headset, Avid SD-7 Brakes, Ritchey Pro Stem 90mm |
| Bottom Line: | This is a great headset. It gets the job done. It's smooth and solid, and it costs less than a Chris King. If you can afford the King, great, but, if you can't, get the Cane Creek. It's the best value per dollar on the market. |
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!
Date Reviewed: 7/27/2004 9:01:56 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | JensonUSA |
| Strengths: | It's smooth and it spins freely. It costs 1/3 of a King. |
| Weaknesses: | The lower seal isn't perfectly grit-free. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Dia-compe Ahead-sets |
| Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler, Fox Vanilla 125R, XT disc brakes |
| Bottom Line: | My bike has taken a beating. I've bought some questionable stuff that really has no business on an abused bike. However, I can say that my Cane Creek S2 headset has taken the beats without giving up the ghost. You have to install it properly. That means facing the upper and lower seating surfaces for your headset bearing cups. If the seating planes aren't parallel then you'll never get good life from your headset. A Chris King is 'da bomb. The Cane Creek S2 is pretty good but a whole lot cheaper. It still gets the job done without the fanfare. |
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Submitted by
Russ Gartner
a Downhiller
from durango, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: 3/9/2004 12:21:58 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | all of them |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | jensonusa |
| Strengths: | Never a complete failure. |
| Weaknesses: | Been through two of them in the past year, a few before that as well...they wear out and the steering, bars, and turning get really loose. Again never a complete failure, will get you home and back again even when loose though. |
| Bottom Line: | All things considered, the installation could be the problem here but I can't seem to get one of these that s |