USING A THREADLESS HEADSET ON AN OLD FRAME

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Rat Rod

Rat Rod

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Curious if anyone has successfully used a new 1" threadless headset on an older cruiser frame.

Trying to determine which 1" threadless headset would fit an older frame like a JC Higgins or a Schwinn, etc.
 
I may be simplistic in my thinking but couldn't you use a regular headset and have your Uncle (he's got the dirtier garage) die grind out the threads on a reg thread on top race to slip fit the thread less steerer and there you have it !
 
I'm basically wanting to run a threadless fork, headset and stem on an older cruiser frame.

I need to get my digital calipers out and check the neck tube diameter to see what cups would fit.

Was hoping someone had already found a headset solution out there for the conversion. :wink:
 
I you want to run all new stuff no mod what fun is that! :lol: If the cups are just slightly too big and your head tube has enough meat grind it a little. cups too small shim aluminum duct work tape works well wrapped on the cup.
 
On my cobbled headset, I shimmed the bottom cup, but the shim has to relatively large.
1" 30.1mm cup (headtube ID)
1"BMX 32.7 mm Cup(headtube ID) Most old frames.

Just go buy the Chris King Bling. :mrgreen:
 
My question is why? Is there some threadless fork that you have to have? I have used a
threadless triple tree fork and it was a pain to get tight. Like he said I ground out the threads
and then had to use a big pipe clamp to get it tight. The people that designed threads on a fork
tube knew what they were doing IHO!
 
Yep, want to use a specific fork that's threadless.

I think if you have the correct headset then getting it tight isn't an issue.

All of my Electras and my two 3Gs have threadless forks and after playing around with them enough I realized the correct way to tighten them.

Reading about them would have made it quicker, but through my own trial and error I discovered the importance of tightening down the center cap before you tighten the stem bolts.
 
It seems like there have been a few done during the build offs, but I can't recall any off hand.
 
another option but I could not find it online for sale. It has the correct size cups.

200902050922442.gif
 
I have never done old frames with the threadless, converted plenty of bmx bikes.
For adjustment you really need the star nut and bolt/cap assembly, I have snugged the stem bolts, then lightly tapped it tight with a dead blow.
The cool here is you can remove the bolt and cap after adjusting, run the front cable down thru the head tube, bmx style. Or drill a cable(not housing) sized hole thru the bolt and run it tha way with a split housing, I counterbore the bolt for cable housing caps/ends.
Looks really cool with a disc or drum brake.
 
Yep...that star nut and cap assembly was always a mystery to me.

Last week I was swapping the stem around on the new 3G Broadway and I couldn't get the front end to tighten back up.

I thought, surely I'm doing something wrong here. Then it dawned on me that the whole purpose of the star nut and cap was to tighten the whole front up up first, thus allowing you to then tighten the stem bolts.

I also realized that you need to make sure that the steer tube on the fork is a bit shorter than the height of the stem when installed so that the center cap will push the stem down hard enough to tighten everything up.

Cool brake cable trick too! :D
 

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