In a message dated 20/04/01 16:23:04 GMT Daylight Time, bikevint@tiac.net writes:
> While threadless headsets seem ugly and less functional, they do have the
> advantage of being really quick to change. Some can be flipped around for
> very significant changes in rise in only a moment. Many riders cannot find
> that their optimal position might change over a season - and threadless
> stems offer much easier changes in reach than threaded ones provide.
> Again, the threadless ahead type stem is nothing new - a varient of that
> can be seen on ebay right now - a Daudon ahead type stem that works on
> 1950's French bikes!
>
My 1908 BSA road/path effectively has an aheadset -- the only difference is that a threaded cap screws down on top of the stem which clamps to a threadless portion of the steerer. I believe that this design was in production at least 5 years earlier.
Hugh Thornton