On Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 11:37:28 AM UTC-7, masmojo wrote: > > It is very strange, but when threadless headsets first appeared I am > pretty sure they were 1", but quickly went to 1 1/8" (or larger). > That was OK, but lately 1" threadless does seem to be becoming "a THING" > again, I've noticed components popping up in 1" threadless, it seems to be > popular with BMX racers under 10 years old. In that geme, light weight is > everything and smaller stuff just weighs less! (Surprise) > I made a similar mistake to you, I bought a threadless BMX stem and > didn't even look at the size, because it was a modern component; then when > it arrived I was shocked to find it didn't fit & I was like "Whaaa ?) > Now I see a bunch of 1" threadless components, but not frames with 1" > threadless spec.? > Maybe someone knows more? Last thing we need is another spec. And I am > unsure how 1" threadless is anything but a backwards step!!???
1" head tubes are 1" head tubes, threadless or threaded. The part you need to worry about is whether the fork is threaded. Actually, you can even chop down an extra long threaded fork to make it threadless if you so wish, as long as you don't end up clamping the stem on the threaded portion, because the external diameter is the same. Furthermore, if a manufacturer makes both 1" threadless and 1" threaded headsets, it's usually the top cap and associated parts that are different; the lower end is identical, and even the upper cup and bearings are usually identical. Chris King even sell conversion kits to convert one to the other. In any case, I don't think 1" threadless is a step backwards. 1 1/8" was introduced for mountain bikes, when it was decided that the 1" steerer was too wimpy, especially with the introduction of non-steel steerers. AFAIK, Rivendell steerers are all steel, and they don't especially cater to the "EXTREME SPORTS" crowd, so 1" threaded or threadless is plenty. As for threaded vs threadless, each have its advantages and disadvantages. For example, it's hard to get a lot of height out of threadless setups without it looking goofy, but it's trivial to properly setup and preload a threadless front end with only 1 or 2 Allen wrenches (no need for a pair of 32mm or 36mm wrenches). -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4a3b2f15-0094-4108-8bac-a642fb95c6f4o%40googlegroups.com.
