Anybody home?

Brett

Obviously integrated headsets are a big problem for Chris King, as it steers people away from their headsets and (virtually) nobody has adopted their standard for the integrated headset. So it is not too surprising that they are against it. Their arguments may sound pretty good, but from my experience they are, in the case of Cervelo, fears about non-existent problems. Of the thousands of frames we have sold with integrated headsets, not a single one ever developed the problems Chris King mentions. Not a single one. I am sure there are frames out there that have these problems, just like there are frames that brake and frames that are flexy. The bottomline is the same in those cases as it is with integrated headsets: choose your manufacturer wisely. The reason we use it is quite simple, higher torsional stiffness of the frame for the same weight. BTW, this only works if you push the downtube and toptube out to the ends of the headtube, not if you make the integrated bits stick out and don't really move the spots the tubes attach to the headtube when going from non-integrated to integrated.

As for consumers being savvy, unfortunately this is very relative. We notice this firsthand, everything with an elongated shape is aero to most people, everything carbon is good, etc. Not too savvy. Let me ask you, would you pay over two grand for a carbon frame with "aero" tubes that has not just flat, but even concave sides? And to top it off it has its logos relieved into the tubes by about 5mm to finish off any hope you would have of the airflow going over it smoothly? Or would you think that is silly and rather have that manufacturer make a bike with stiffer, lighter round tubes than pretend to be aero when it is clearly not? There are a lot of people on this site, surely a site with above average savviness, very excited about this frame. In the end most people take looks over savvy engineering.

Gerard.

There are 2 possible benefits:

(1) You can make a shorter effective head tube. Aero aluminum downtubes mean you can't make the headtube much shorter than 9 cm once you miter the downtube. By pulling the headset up into the headtube, your effective headtube is 2-3 cm shorter.

(2) You can assemble and disassemble your headset without tools. You don't need a headset press or cup remover.

There are a number of downsides that I will not get into since you didn't ask. Personally, I prefer conventional headsets.

Thanks for your reply, Gerard. I hear you regarding looks versus real performance. Cars, bikes, etcetera...

Brett

<<There are a number of downsides that I will not get into since you didn't ask. Personally, I prefer conventional headsets>>

Thanks for your reply, John. I'm all ears(eyes).

Brett

I find myself to be a pretty savvy buyer of many a high end performance bike. And I too looked heavily into the negative comments made about integrated headsets and found that a lot of them had to do with the first generation of headset and their inherent flaws. Something that has been addressed very well and from I have seen is now a non issue. From what I gathered the initial offerings were not a sealed unti, like those in bikes now, and there was concern that the bearings would wear into the races of the head tube. In that respect it was not only a legitimate concern but also a very good point. Some of us have a habit of only riding a frame for a year or three and end up selling it off anyway..so any wear that would have occurred wouldn't affect us much anyway. Having just put together a bike for my wife that has an integrated headset I can say..wow. The simplicity of the design and the ease with which is can be replaced (yeah yeah..I have a King on my Softie and it will never need replacing..I know..and it cost me 4 times as much to buy it too) impressed me. One thing that often gets mentioned is that the builder of a frame that uses integrated headsets need to have the top and bottom races perfectly aligned for the system to work as it should. This is not an easy thing to achieve I would imagine and which is why you see integrated headsets on only a few manufacturers. It takes time to do something right..and time means money. For all that I sometimes feel that Cervelo is a little too yuppie right now for my liking I agree with the comments made by Gerard. Yuppie trendy bikes or not his product is top quality..and comes with integrated headsets...and thei must be a reason for that.