Press fit / drop in head set

Beardo16

Could someone please tell the the difference between the two headsets please as im totally bewildered.

Thanks guys

Sorry guys just noticed in the wrong forum :roll:

Smokin Joe

With Ahead systems the bearings just drop into recesses the head tube. No tools are needed except to press the crown race onto the forks, and even this can be overcome by using a split crown race which will fit by hand.

On older type threaded headsets the bearing races have to be pressed into the head tube with a special tool, or tapped in using a hammer and a length of wood to avoid damage. Threaded steerer systems can be identfied because they use a one piece quill stem, Ahead systems have the stem clamped round the exposed steerer.

Monty Dog

You're talking about an integrated headset, where the headset cups are in fact incorporated into the frame, whereas a traditional headset design - of any type - requires the cups to be pressed into either end of the headtube. Integrated headset frames are easy to distinguish by the flared ends of the headtube to accept the internal bearings and the fork crown is usually flared to match. Integrated headtube designs are better for carbon and aluminium frames because the materails are less suited to the radial stressed of press-fitting the cups, whereas steel and titanium are probably better suited to pressed-cup designs.