MKIII headset question

take it to your lbs and they will find the part for you. also, it is a 1 1/8 headset.

tnickols said:

Hey while stripping the paint off of my MKIII i accidentally lost my compression ring, Iron Horse's website says that i have an fsa orbit z headset, but my bike has a cane creek branded headset with no markings for the model. I was also wondering if i get the FSA one should i get the 1 1/8 model or the 1.5 model.

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The FSA one and the Cane Creek Branded are the same one....there was some weird thing with it. I ordered the FSA Orbit Z as a replacement and it was identical to my Cane Creek Branded headset. It was confusing.

1 1/8th model will do it.

y0bailey said:

The FSA one and the Cane Creek Branded are the same one....there was some weird thing with it. I ordered the FSA Orbit Z as a replacement and it was identical to my Cane Creek Branded headset. It was confusing.

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Interesting. Historically, there have been a few slight differences between the two. E.g. as I recall, some versions of the Enduro Fork Seals Headset Externalizer would work with the angular contact bearings from one manufacturer, but not with the other. (I don't recall which was which.) I see that this product (the headset externalizer) now comes with a bearing to avoid any compatibility issues.

I recall too reading some discussion about one company having slightly deeper headset cups. (The cup depth can be important when using a Hopey steering damper.)

I had to take my entire headset apart due to installing the incorrect crown race and the bearings going bad (switched the races during a fork switch...things still felt right but there must have been a seal issue). The original headset on my MKIII was branded Cane Creek. I used a FSA Orbit Z to replace it, and the cups, race, and every component was identical. No need to press new cups, just replace the missing part and on you go!

I ordered the FSA orbit 1 1/8" compression ring for $3.25 but the shipping was $9.20 YAY!