Cane Creek 40 Headset - EC34/EC34 Black

Lots of seals to stop water getting in.

After much research on a new 1 1/8” Threadless headset I decided to purchase this Cane Creek Forty unit and am very impressed with the look, feel and quality. I would stress that the Cane Creek crown race, which is supplied with the headset, is a very tight fit and because Cane Creek opt for the attached blue rubbery dust shield you need to be super careful when installing, I would strongly encourage the use of their crown race installation adapter (HST004) to protect the dust shield during installation.

I know these last because I've run them on mountain bikes for years now.

Barings on this model supposed to e blue these are green and for a lower quality crane creek headset

I have used several different brand headsets over the years, although most were Tange threaded models. I used a threadless Cane Creek 110 series for a previous bike (a Trek 720 disc that the frame cracked at the seat tube/top tube junction, but that’s a tangential rant I will skip for now), which was a pricey upgrade. While I would love to put a 110 series in my new steel frame, I could not justify the cost. The 110 is all US made and beautifully finished, including the smoothest bearings I have ever handled, but the 40 series appears just as nice in the hand, albeit not entirely US sourced. The bearings were just as smooth as my memory of the 110 series, too. Installing it was easy, using a home made headset press (threaded rod, an assortment of fender washers, and some nuts — look up DIY headset press and crown install tool on your favorite internet search engine), some wrenches, and grease (use it liberally at the headset/headtube interface). Adding the crown race to the fork was easy, using a section of PVC pipe long enough to extend from the fork crown to just beyond the fork steerer tube. You want the PVC to fit in the race as tightly as possible, so all the subsequent force is applied to the race, so take the race with you to your hardware store of choice. PVC is key, as you want something softer than the race. Place the crown race and gasket on the crown (more grease), PVC pipe on that, invert the whole assembly, and slam the PVC on a hard surface until it sets properly on the crown. Or you can pay your local bike mechanic for installation, but it really is easy to do without the pricey, dedicated tools from Park and other makers. Installation of the bearings and dust covers are easy to follow from the included instruction sheet supplied by Cane Creek. Definitely recommend Cane Creek, the 110 series (if you can afford it), and now the 40 series. I expect it to last for years, and Cane Creek sells replacement parts, so it is essentially a lifetime purchase.

Good quality! Very fast shipping!

fit like a glove. great replacement part.

God's chariot uses the cane creek 40 He may want the zero stack option for some models of bike or chariot though.

Excellent quality headset for a good price. Looks good too.