Headsets....

I went through this a while ago, and decided the prices of the "good" stuff was rediculous, so I bought a Shimano Ultegra for ~$100 Australian, which is 37.6296 GB Pounds.

They should be coming down in price because everyone is going threadless.

Unfortunately, like most things, the relationship between the increase in price and the increase in performance is not linear.

There's no way I'd spend more than 50 pounds on a head-set or a BB -- the Ultegra stuff is fine.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Tonto
Hi,
I'm building up a steel frame I picked up cheap recently and the first thing I want get sorted is the headset.
There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of choice in the market for 1" threaded headsets, but I have seen prices vary from €20 to €50. I'm not trying to build anything fancy here (planning to pick up Mirage/Veloce components whenever I see some good value).

So what do you get for your buck when you buy a more expensive threaded headset?
Actually I could also pose the same question for bottom brackets.

I can see where your money goes on other components, but not on those two.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks

There are plenty of 1" threaded HS. You just have to check the right source. Better HS have better seals, smoother bearings and often last longer(but that ain't absolute, as there are some relatively expensive ones that I think suck) . Some Insist a CK is the only thing to use.Stronglights and ultegras among others are good bang for the buck. BB has to match the crank in spindle length and spindle design. With todays cartridge types, Often you don't have alot of choice. With BB, more money again gets lighter weight,better seals and bearings. I think campy only offers one grade with the centaur and lower groups,but there is aftermarket(usually more expensive ) available.

Thanks a million. That's really useful information.
With the bottom bracket I was assuming I'd have to go with the standard Campy one Boudreaux mentioned, but I saw some other-brand ones that were cheaper. I guess the safe option is the Campy one, and it's not too expensive either.
For the HS I'll look out for one of the brands you mentioned.

Thanks to you both.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Tonto
Thanks a million. That's really useful information.
With the bottom bracket I was assuming I'd have to go with the standard Campy one Boudreaux mentioned, but I saw some other-brand ones that were cheaper. I guess the safe option is the Campy one, and it's not too expensive either.
For the HS I'll look out for one of the brands you mentioned.

Thanks to you both.

You can't(actually you physcially can, but there will be issues) just stick any brand square taper crank BB on a campy crank.It has to have ISO taper and correct spindle length.