-1 degree headset..... which one??

jonnyashworth

I am looking to relax the geometry on my blur LT by 1 degree.
which headset do I need??
I have a 2011 Blur LT and a tapered steerer fork.
(Also if you have done this is it a good upgrade?? My fork is a 150 rev currently)

lawman

This is the one you want - http://www.workscomponents.co.uk/new--- ... -186-p.asp

I have the same headset in -1.5 degree fitted to my Mojo HD and it's awesome, really good quality and the extra slackness is great the faster you go, added a lot of stability to the bike.

supersonic

It only relaxes the head angle - it steepens the seat angle.

lawman

supersonic wrote:

It only relaxes the head angle - it steepens the seat angle.

and lowers the BB slightly as well

jonnyashworth

right are you 100% sure that's the right one as I am nearly ready to buy it.

I would have thought that a 140mm rear / 150mm front bike like the Blur LT would be far better served with a 67 degree head angle than a 68 degree one wouldn't it???

lawman

jonnyashworth wrote:

right are you 100% sure that's the right one as I am nearly ready to buy it.

I would have thought that a 140mm rear / 150mm front bike like the Blur LT would be far better served with a 67 degree head angle than a 68 degree one wouldn't it???

66.5 is where it's at but yes I agree, some bikes need to longer and slacker but when the BLT was introduced that was the kind of geometry that was commonplace, bikes have come a long way in the last few years

adamfo

lawman wrote:

supersonic wrote:

It only relaxes the head angle - it steepens the seat angle.

and lowers the BB slightly as well

Looking at that botom stack height figure of 14mm surely it's going to raise the BB height even with the slightly lengthened wheelbase.

jonnyashworth

[quote="lawman 66.5 is where it's at but yes I agree, some bikes need to longer and slacker but when the BLT was introduced that was the kind of geometry that was commonplace, bikes have come a long way in the last few years[/quote]

With that in mind would I be better served by saving my pennies then just upgrading my frame??
I am very happy with all my components and have a nice suspension setup so would want one with the same size shock length like an SB66

considering this.....
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/107927/pr ... tAodRBoA7A

by the time I have sold my Blur LT I would probably only have a shortfall of about £600ish and with the headset costing £80 that means I'm only really £520 away........

would it be worth the upgrade??

supersonic

Geometry is very personal, how does it feel at the minute?

jonnyashworth

I've always been pretty happy with it but then I haven't had the chance to ride any bikes with more modern geometry

supersonic

More modern geometry doesn't mean much really, as before, there is ( thankfully) plenty of geometries to try. Sure, give it a try, but slacker isn't always better.

The Northern Monkey

Yes it is

jonnyashworth

I think to be honest I might try the -1 degree headset out on my blur LT.

I have built the bike up to a really nice spec and maintained it really well.

I have always liked santa cruz bikes so might keep riding my blur lt until 26 bikes are obsolete (or I win the lottery) then upgrade to a nice shiny new 650b bike or whatever the newest standard is.

I'll just have to keep my eyes averted form all the shiny bikes in shops and reviews!

jonnyashworth

having looked at these
http://www.workscomponents.co.uk/new---%20...%20-186-p.asp

they seem to be external upper cup. Currently my Blur Lt uses a Zero Stack upper cup.

am I right in thinking that the cane creek AngleSet ZS44 | EC49 would be the equivalent to the works one but and work with my tapered steerer forks yet keep the top cup as Zero Stack???

If so where is the best place to buy one (cheap)????

lawman

jonnyashworth wrote:

having looked at these
http://www.workscomponents.co.uk/new---%20...%20-186-p.asp

they seem to be external upper cup. Currently my Blur Lt uses a Zero Stack upper cup.

am I right in thinking that the cane creek AngleSet ZS44 | EC49 would be the equivalent to the works one but and work with my tapered steerer forks yet keep the top cup as Zero Stack???

If so where is the best place to buy one (cheap)????

Seriously wouldn't bother with the cane creek, heard of no end of issues and afaik you can only buy them with a full selection of offset cups, 0.5, 1 or 1.5 degrees and the kits about £200. They're also frequently known to creak. How many headset spacers do you run under your stem ATM? I've got the EC44/EC49 works headset and just took a few spacers out. They're best angle headsets out there IMO.

jonnyashworth

So now its decision time......

I have used geometrycalc to work out the changes to geometry if I go to 67 degrees or 66.5.....

Can someone in the know take a little look and tell me what differences to the feel and handling of the bike I should experience from them

works -1 headset taking head angle to 67 degrees
=seat angle +.22 degrees
=wheelbase +10.4mm
=bb height -1.7mm
=reach +2.2

works -1.5 headset taking head angle to 66.5 degrees
=seat angle +.34 degrees
=wheelbase +15.6mm
=bb height -2.5mm
=reach +3.4

I am leaning towards the 66.5 head angle route but am mainly concerned by the increased wheelbase.

lawman

The slacker and longer you go, the less manoeuvrable the bike will be and due to the longer front centre you might find it harder to keep the front end down and climbs and weigh it properly in corners. My Mojo HD is at 66.5 degrees and it feels pretty good but then the other geometry is probably quite different to your blur. Only you can decide really!

adamfo

jonnyashworth wrote:

So now its decision time......

I have used geometrycalc to work out the changes to geometry if I go to 67 degrees or 66.5.....

Can someone in the know take a little look and tell me what differences to the feel and handling of the bike I should experience from them

works -1 headset taking head angle to 67 degrees
=seat angle +.22 degrees
=wheelbase +10.4mm
=bb height -1.7mm
=reach +2.2

works -1.5 headset taking head angle to 66.5 degrees
=seat angle +.34 degrees
=wheelbase +15.6mm
=bb height -2.5mm
=reach +3.4

I am leaning towards the 66.5 head angle route but am mainly concerned by the increased wheelbase.

I fitted a Works Components -1.5 degree headset to my Canyon Nerve 29er.
http://www.workscomponents.co.uk/new--- ... -260-p.asp
According to my electronic bevel box the fork tube angle went from exactly 90 degrees to 68.6. So pretty accurate and a good figure for a 29er.

Some things to consider: The canyon, like many other bikes, requires the integrated bottom bearing to become external (see photo bellow) This 13mm increase in bottom stack height accounts for -0.5 of a degree and raises the BB height slightly despite the slightly increased wheelbase.

I don't understand how reach can increase in your calculations ? The steerer tube slopes backwards more decreasing reach slightly.

The Northern Monkey

My canyon went from 65.7 to 63.7 (apparently, I haven't measured it but have installed a works 2deg headset).

Headset is fine, just make sure you get someone that knows what they'r doing to install it. My LBS fecked it up twice so i did it myself in the end!

Seat angle is a bit off for steep climbs but thats about the only issue I've found.