[CR]headset spacer conundrum

(Example: Framebuilding)

Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:00:30 -0800 (PST)
From: "Tom Dalton" <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com>
To: Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>, Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]headset spacer conundrum

Chuck wrote:

The Super Record headset originally came with a chrome steel keyed washer that is 2mm thick. Later this was changed to a aluminum keyed washer with flanges and lettering around it that is 4mm thick.

....Lighter and a more sophisticated solution, right?

Chuck, oh Chuck....

You gotta check the timeline baby, it's all in there. Check out the Campy timeline put together by that wise dude on the west coast... umm, okay, so it's not in there. Well, he sells nice copies of all the old catalogs (one a dese days I gotta buy one) and in there you'll see that the SR spacer is part number 4043, and the Record spacer is part number 682. They look remarkably similar, except that when seen in the flesh the former is clearly aluminium and the later is chromey-om-ium.

Lest my image of you be shattered, I'm going to assume that you are playing the devil on this weighty matter.

Looking at this slightly more seriously, the soultion was heavier, since both parts were the same material and the later one was much bigger. I think what was gained was the integrated wrench spacing, but more importantly the fancy-schmancy factor.

I always feel a little sad when I see and SR bike with a plain old skinny spacer in use because the steerer was cut too shoort (or originally cut for Record). The exception, of course, is a very early SR bike with the correct alminum 2 mm spacer, which is cooler than cool, imho.

Tom Dalton Bethehem, PA, USA

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