[CR]tange levin facts

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme)

From: <fatcogtom@comcast.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 20:04:36 +0000
Subject: [CR]tange levin facts

This all sounds so silly trying to measure and compare the gaps between crown race and headset cups. It looks to me like there are gaps in both, with no other weather resistant sealing mechanism in either. A gap of 1mm versus a gap of 2.5mm still lets in water and grit. Neither are superior over another. They are both effectively 'flow through' designs. Will someone argue that contaminants are flushed through on a constant basis so less dirt and crud build up in the races; as long as you overhaul the headset on a weekly basis, what does it matter?

The salient differences seem to be price, country of origin, and the asthetics of crown race to headcup gap. Oh and ball size depending if we are talking about the Campag pista or road version.

Another thought- the campag headset discussed was never marketed as 'sealed', was it? if Tange 'copied' the Campag Pista headset, sealing does not matter at all since it was designed to be used on bikes in a velodrome- It's not like they were racing in the rain on an embanked dirt track.

The herring is red my friends.

Tange still makes the Levin, and an alloy version called the Levin 1500. Both are bargains for high quality loose ball 1" threaded headsets, with heat treated and precision ground balls and races with a chromed or polished appearance. Both are widely available in most countries. Moreover, the 1500 has dust shields that bridge the gap between headcup and race with little drag, which seems like a huge advance as compared to the Campy headsets in the same timeline. I think most race team mechanics would welcome this timesaving improvement no matter who they worked for.

Shimano's and Campagnolo's modern headsets utilize replaceable drop in sealed cartridge bearings. King sealed headsets are works of art. There is not much more to choose from in the 1" threaded world, unless you count Wald. And all of these are 2 or 3 times the price of the lowly Tange product (except Wald of course).

Tom Martin

Oakland CA