Cane Creek IS-6 Integrated Headset

Price Paid:  $888.00 at ebay

Favorite Ride:
standard bullitt

Summary:
I have used integrated headsets on 2 BMX bikes, one MTB, and one Road bike. I have also read a great deal and have talked to a bunch of riders about them. I have a MS in engineering, and have had doubts about this design since i first saw it. Chris King's page on the subject pretty much sums up the flaws. BMX is about the harshest sport on any head tube or head set. Proper fit (for any bike/headset) is a must for long life and good performance. Regular headsets if installed and fit in a properly reamed/faced headtube and kept tight are not likely to fail. Head tube reaming is often overlooked, and is the main problem. Integrated headsets are DESIGNED with poor fit. "the drop-in bearings" have two benifits. quick assemble (which means lower cost for manufacturers assembling bikes) and maximum fit compatibility for many manufacturers head tubes (no tolerance standard necessary).These cut costs for manufacturers, that's it. But Many bmx riders love the clean look and easily assembly, but put up with headsets that are always slightly loose feeling. Forget aluminum frames, the head tube cup-seats will wear out. Yes, the headset itself is lighter (no cups), but the head tube must be made larger to accept it, negating some or all of the weight benefit. Lower stack height, but that can be handled with stem/bar selection. This design could be made so much better by simply establishing a head tube reaming diameter standard that allows the bearings to have a tight press fit. That would eliminiate most of the problems. I hate the fact that over 90% of new high end bmx frames being made today use these headsets. I am looking for older versions for regular headsets now. As much as BMX has become inovative in the last few years with it's own technology, it can still be trendy, Integrated headsets are a bad idea that became trendy. I have even heard rumblings of one company using this design for drop-in bottom bracket bearings. if thast catches on, i'm going to start building my own frames.

Strengths:
looks clean, lower stack height (if you need it).

Weaknesses:
designed with poor fit (in the name of easy assembly), no real overall weight advantage. Can damage frame. Can always sense some play no matter how tight.

Similar Products Used:
many bramds of headsets including king, race-face, syncros, cane-creek, dia-compe.

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Price Paid:  $35.00 at n/a

Favorite Ride:
Carbon Canyon

Bike Setup:
Custom Teschner Scandium with Dura Ace 10 and Reynolds Stratus.

Summary:
Great headset. Not sure where the claimed engineer below got his schooling from but anyone with some mechanical common sense knows this is a very smart design for a headset. Very easy to service, low weight and if you damage your headtube to the extent an integrated headset will not work, guess what, you have also damaged it to the exstent a regular headset will not work.

BS - ME Georgia Tech
MS/MBA - Manufacturing Engineering Sloan, MIT

Strengths:
Weight, easily serviced and you can buy 3 of these for what King would charge you to have his name on a single headset.

Weaknesses:
none, they work great unless you ride hundreds of miles with a loose headset which only an imbecile would do.

Similar Products Used:
FSA Orbit IS, CC IS-2

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Included w/Schwinn F

Favorite Ride:
Sonoma Coast

Bike Setup:
'01 Schwinn Fastback Factory frame, Dura Ace, Easton carbon bits, just starting second pair of Mavic Cosmos.

Summary:
Had to weigh in with a good review after reading so many doomsday predictions. My CC integrated came with my Schwinn Fastback. 3 years and 5-6K miles later... nothing. No problems, no noises, no adjustments, no ovalized head tube, no "ruined frame." I weigh 180-200 depending on the season, climb, hammer, jump curbs, etc., and this HS had done exactly what's it supposed to: work without complaint. I have a Chris King on my Hammerhead and this HS has performed exactly the same- flawlessly.

Strengths:
Light weight. No problems.

Weaknesses:
Few options in aftermarket, but I don't need to replace mine.

Similar Products Used:
Lots of headsets for 20 years. I'm actually a cheapo when it comes to HS's because I've only had one problem- bearing failure on an OE HS that came with a mountain bike. Lots of FSA's, Ritcheys, CC's, and finally... a Chris King. Most perform exactly the same.

Price Paid:  $1200.00 at everywhere

Favorite Ride:
Road bikes...zoom zoom

Bike Setup:
56cm velorazzo frame. all ultegra 9 speed drive train (dual)HG chain, and brakes. ritchey stems and posts
carbon fork. syntace tt flightdeck with barcon shifters. mavic ksyrium wheels. (tires: any 23c kevlar) ..found serfas to be the best all round. (18.4 lbs with flightdeck)

Summary:
The BS on IT headsets is just that... If you hava a badly constructed frame, headtube it will destroy any set of bearings you throw at it. If your headtube and IT headset fit properly it will last years, I recently had to strip down my frame to have it powder coated. I removed the IT headset (cane creek) dont know what series..(BTW they are LIGHTER! not heavier that conventional headsets. There was nothing physically wrong with the it headset or the frame. Minus the nick I put in the bottom spacer popping it out with a screwdriver.. they come out in seconds.. go back in in seconds.. and you dont have the overtightening issues you have with conventional sets.. I think most people just dont like new technology so the Dis it. I think in the next few years all bikes will go with the it headsets.

Strengths:
easy to install and remove.. cleaner bike appearance.. need a good stack of spacers just in case...you change it profiles. dont want to cut a carbon steer tube down too short.

Weaknesses:
really isnt a standard yet for it headsets.

Similar Products Used:
only it headset Ive ever used

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Price Paid:  $0.00 at Colorado Cyclist

Favorite Ride:
Folsom Lake Loop

Bike Setup:
Aluminum Litespeed, Ultegra, Cane Creek Integrated Headset, Time Pedals, TTT Morph bars, TTT Forgie Stem.

Summary:
I thought I'd respond to the only other review and share a different perspective. I too was very hesitant about integrate headsets, as I had the same doubts expressed by the prior reviewer. However, there was a great deal on an ultegra equipped aluminum litespeed, so I went ahead with the purchase.

In 22 months of riding, I found the Cane Creek integrated headset to be without problems. Easy to adjust, didn't come loose, didn't make noise.

My frame broke 3 months ago. Non drive-side chainstay cracked in half. So I had to strip the bike to send the frame in for replacement (Litespeed, by the way, replaced the frame with a new frame and sent a new all carbon fork and a new headset at the same time-took a couple of months but the replacement product is better than the original). Obviously, I took the headset out, and I was amazed to find that it was in great shape. Very little dirt/contamination, and the machined portions of the headtube looked perfect. In other words, I don't think the frame was going to fail anytime soon at the headtube/headset.

There has been a lot of concern expressed about integrated headsets, but so far I haven't read about anyone who ruined a frame because of one. If there are a lot of people out there having problems, they should post about them.

Strengths:
Low weight. Looks good. Works fine.

Weaknesses:
Design has potential for serious problems, but they don't seem to have actually materialized.

Similar Products Used:
FSA Orbit.