Finally gave in and tried a threadless headset on a vintage frame

Had a 1992 Trek 520 come in with a shot threaded headset, and the owner wanted to keep riding it. I was all set to hunt down a 1-inch threaded replacement, which is getting HARD to find. My buddy at the shop across town said, 'Just use a threadless adapter and a modern headset, it's solid.' I fought him on it for a day, arguing it wasn't 'correct.' Finally ordered the Problem Solvers adapter and a cheap Tange headset. Pressed it in last Thursday, and honestly, it's smoother than any old threaded unit I've installed in years. Has anyone else done this conversion on a customer's bike and had them come back with issues, or is it actually a legit fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_walker764d ago

Totally, did that on an old Peugeot last year and it's still perfect. Sometimes the "wrong" fix is just the right one.

rubyk863d ago

My uncle's 1998 Ford Ranger has a zip tie holding a cracked coolant hose. He read online that the clamp pressure was wrong for the hose material, but it's been fine for three years. Honestly @holly_walker76, your Peugeot story proves the point. I saw a forum post where a guy used a soda can as a shim for a loose alternator, and it outlasted the car. The factory manual doesn't cover that, but it works.

willow1143d ago

So the adapter just sits on the old fork's threaded part, right? What keeps it from slowly working loose over time, especially with a lot of front brake use?