BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Citing the need for a headset solution that would facilitate the use of a tapered steerer fork (1.5” to 1-1/8”) in a standard ZeroStack head-tube, Sean Chaney, owner of Vertigo Cycles, a custom frame builder from Portland, approached Cane Creek with a simple headset idea.
“After hearing about the design from David Turner (owner of Turner Bicycles) and then speaking with Sean, I was so excited by the problem-solving nature of his headset solution and it’s far reaching implications for both new and old bicycles using the ZeroStack standard that I produced a technical drawing the same day,” says Josh Coaplen, Cane Creek director of research and development.
“The headset bottom is simply a 1.5” traditional with a 44mm diameter insertion sleeve that fits a frame using the ZeroStack standard.”
Chaney added: “I knew that a tapered fork could dimensionally fit into a ZeroStack standard head-tube. My customers have been asking me for months about tapered forks and tapered head-tubes. My goal was for small builders to be able to use a commonly available straight head-tube rather than having to resort to machining a tapered head tube; a costly, time consuming and wasteful process.
"This hybrid headset bottom solves a lot of problems, allows a person with a ZeroStack head-tube to retro fit a tapered fork and it makes it possible for me to give my customers the flexibility in fork selection they’ve been wanting.”
The bottom headset assembly, tentatively called the XX 44mm Traditional, allows any tapered steerer tube fork (1.5” to 1-1/8”) to be used in a 1-1/8” ZeroStack™ style frame. While the headset was specifically designed with the small builder in mind, it has a much wider appeal for modern mountain bikes that feature a ZeroStack head-tube from a number of companies, including BMC, Fisher and Pivot.
Two models, addressing different price levels, of the Sean Chaney inspired XX 44mm Traditional bottom headset assembly will be available mid-summer 2010 from Cane Creek.
