I wonder who makes what?

nicklouse

fourcrossjohn

nick you drunk?

nicklouse

nope.

just sitting too far from the screen.

supersonic

Or where some license the designs from ;-)



That patent is owned by... Cane Creek.

supersonic

And who make Fox lowers?!

switchback18

supersonic wrote:

Or where some license the designs from ;-)



That patent is owned by... Cane Creek.

Thought so, the newer Hopes seem very much like an FSA design, and I seem to remember FSA & Cane Creek are the same company.

supersonic

Not the same company exactly, but FSA do make headsets for Cane Creek, and used to liscense the patent to make Aheadsets in their own name.

nicklouse

switchback18 wrote:

and I seem to remember FSA & Cane Creek are the same company.

nope FSA are part of TH industries that make for Cane Creek and make their own under licence, CC refused to re negotiate the licence a while back and that sent shivers through TH, but they got it all sorted in the end.

switchback18

nicklouse wrote:

switchback18 wrote:

and I seem to remember FSA & Cane Creek are the same company.

nope FSA are part of TH industries that make for Cane Creek and make their own under licence, CC refused to re negotiate the licence a while back and that sent shivers through TH, but they got it all sorted in the end.

Right, I think where I got confused was seeing both in the same TH catalogue or spec sheet or something, so I assumed they were 2 brands owned by the same company.

nicklouse

Aheadset technology is widely copied. FSA, a licensee of Cane Creek's Aheadset patent for ten years, is struggling to comprehend why Cane Creek has terminated FSA's license. The termination is effective immediately.

Here's the letter sent to FAS and Yein Hsin customers around the world:

FSA and Tien Hsin Industries and Cane Creek have terminated our agreement to manufacture headsets under the Aheadset patent. This is effective immediately, and will affect customers where the patent is valid in the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Italy.

Please note that his only affects headsets manufactured under the Aheadset brand, or under USA patent # 5,095,770. This does NOT affect any threaded headsets, or headsets that do not use this patent or trademark. The Cane Creek Aheadset ® brand patent expires, in any event, in September, 2010.

We have been a licensee of this Aheadset brand patent for approximately 10 years. During this time, the technology has been widely copied and manufactured in many countries by competitors who pay no royalty for use of the design.
This places FSA at an extreme competitive disadvantage and has eroded both sales and profitability for this product. We were unfortunately unable to reach any mutually beneficial arrangement with Cane Creek to remedy the serious issues inherent in unlicensed usage. Instead, FSA is developing alternative technologies and markets during the remaining life of the Aheadset patent.

As our relationship with Cane Creek has now ended, we ask you to find an alternate supplier for your Aheadset patent OEM needs. We deeply apologize for this disruption in the supply chain, and hope that it does not cause delay in your production.

We look forward to returning to the headset market soon, and hope that we can earn back your business at that time.

FSA, Cane Creek Resolve Aheadset Dispute


WOODINVILLE, WA (BRAIN)—Litigation between Cane Creek and Full Speed Ahead over a headset patent has been resolved, meaning FSA can get back to making Aheadset licensed original equipment and aftermarket headsets.

"For the last year we didn't make any headsets covered by that patent," said Ric Hjertberg, technology manager at FSA.

FSA and Cane Creek terminated their Aheadset licensing agreement (U.S. Patent No. 5,095,770) early last year.

"We deeply regret the chaos this causes our customers who will need to turn elsewhere for headsets," said FSA general manager Matt Van Enkevort to BRAIN in a June 15, 2007 story. "But we don't plan to be out of the headset business for long."

Van Enkevort said at the time that "with the flood of unlicensed Aheadset-styled headsets on the market, it was painful to continue paying the licensing fee."

Cane Creek's Aheadset patent is due to expire in the fall of 2010. Additional patents, which are refinements of the original patent, like Tange Seiki's Zero Stack patent, will remain active after 2010.

Click on PDF to see Cane Creek's notice to the industry.

—Jason Norman

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/27308/Cane- ... anufacture
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/new ... /1353.html

Anonymous

oooh! I always thought Dia-Compe owned the Ahead patent.

nicklouse

Dia Comp do have a patent on a variation of a threadless headset, but it did not take off too well.

fourcrossjohn

i make poo

nicklouse

We know.

fourcrossjohn

supersonic

I think Dia Compe owned the patent before Cane Creek, but as nick says, have this funny version with an expanding collar.

Mancunianfightingcat

supersonic wrote:

And who make Fox lowers?!

Dunno, who???

Anonymous

Mancunianfightingcat wrote:

supersonic wrote:

And who make Fox lowers?!

Dunno, who???

+1

I'm curious to find out as well. Sonic said the other day that RST make them. However, I'd heard that it was the other way rond, that Fox make parts for brands like RST.
I was told by a certain person at a well known suspension tuning facility, that the old cheapo Shockworks OEM units were made by Fox.