joebz@optonline.net wrote:
> I like all the Stronglight headsets and find them very durable. I
> just wanted to add a warning that the v-bearing and tapered roller
> bearings require better facing alignment and concentricity alignment
> tolerances than a cup and cone bearing. If you retrofit and it
> binds, wither reface or go back to a conventional headset.
The Stronglight roller bearing headsets are actually quite forgiving of misalignment; the reason for this is that the bearings are not in fact tapered, but cylindrical and run in floating races. Cylindrical bearings arguably have slightly more friction than tapered bearings, since there is some sliding contact rather than rolling contact due to the difference in radius from the inside end of the bearing to the outside end of the bearing. I say "arguably" because this sliding contact is only a factor in rotation. Unlike hub bearings, headset bearings are not in a state of continuous rotation so the increased friction of a cylindrical bearing was felt to be insignificant. The greater capacity to accommodate thrust loads (vs ball-bearings in a parabolic race) means the headset can be both lighter and stronger than a ball-bearing/ parabolic race headset, and the lower manufacturing cost and ease of installation (vs a tapered roller bearing) allows the best of both worlds IMHO. I don't think there's a better headset out there.
The V-race Stronglight headsets, OTOH, can be a royal PITA to set up without binding and in my experience at least are not even as durable as a ball-bearing/parabolic race headset.
A true tapered roller bearing headset would likely be as fussy as the V-race headset and considerably more expensive than parabolic and cylindrical roller bearing headsets
--
John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA