Threaded versus threadless headset

Gary Young wrote:
David Damerell wrote in message ...
[1] I still don't see how this happens - the head is usually at least
somewhat aft of the bars, and the apparent wind will blow droplets of
sweat to the rear. When I sweat enough that it cannot evaporate it hits
me on the knees, not on the headset!
When I'm riding my road bike, my head is almost directly over the
headset.

I looked and I see this is the case for me when riding in the drops - I
have my bars mounted quite high, so I ride in the drops most of the time
and in the hoods uphill, which I find most comfortable.

When climbing a steep hill there is little apparent wind, but then the
combination of riding in the hoods and the slope _has_ moved my head
definitely to the rear of the headset.

You're right that apparent wind keeps the sweat away most of the time,
but what about when you've made a hard effort on a hot day and then
have to stop for a light?

If I'm going to be there for any length of time I let go of the bars and
stand upright.
--
David Damerell Distortion Field!

In my opinion, no real differences. Threadless makes adjustment easier, but a
well-adjusted threaded shoud never need adjustment. The real reason for the
whole threadless thing goes back to mountain-bikes. It was a huge inventory
pain in the ass to keep forks around with 5-9 steerer tube diameters/length
combinations. Imagine the bike companies needing hundreds of thousands of
forks, some 1 inch, some 1 1/8 inch, some 1 1/4'. Some threaded, some not. So
make them all the same diameter, 1 1/8 seemed about right, make them threadless
and then you only need 1 steerer tube ( long) and it could be trimmed to length
as needed. Then, convince the public that this is lighter, safer, cheaper and
better and they'll buy in. By the way, it generally isn't lighter, costs about
the same to us ( though is cheaper for the manufacturers). is easier to set up
and adjust. So it wasn't all bad. But on road bikes? Answers a question nobody
asked. But it did make it easier on shops not having to stock 8 different
lengths of each carbon replacement fork. 1 long one was enough.

"David Damerell" wrote:

Well, I'm not disputing that most of the quill stems that
came with bikes are just as pointlessly low as the threadless
equivalents that come with bikes now...

I didn't think for a moment that you we you were clearly saying that an
unusual A-head stem would be needed to put your bars where your unusual
quill stem now puts them.

The fact that some quill stems and some threadless steerers are too short
to allow some riders to find their favoured position is an argument for
providing longer-quilled stems for those who require them, and supplying
threadless forks with long, uncut steerers. It has little to do with the
relative merits of the two systems.

James Thomson

"Bikefixr" wrote in message
...
In my opinion, no real differences. Threadless makes adjustment easier,
but a
well-adjusted threaded shoud never need adjustment. The real reason for
the
whole threadless thing goes back to mountain-bikes. It was a huge
inventory
pain in the ass to keep forks around with 5-9 steerer tube
diameters/length
combinations. Imagine the bike companies needing hundreds of thousands of
forks, some 1 inch, some 1 1/8 inch, some 1 1/4'. Some threaded, some not.
So
make them all the same diameter, 1 1/8 seemed about right, make them
threadless
and then you only need 1 steerer tube ( long) and it could be trimmed to
length
as needed. Then, convince the public that this is lighter, safer, cheaper
and
better and they'll buy in. By the way, it generally isn't lighter, costs
about
the same to us ( though is cheaper for the manufacturers). is easier to
set up
and adjust. So it wasn't all bad. But on road bikes? Answers a question
nobody
asked. But it did make it easier on shops not having to stock 8 different
lengths of each carbon replacement fork. 1 long one was enough.

Used to be that one long steerer steel fork was good to keep around for an
emergency. Then all you had to do is thread down to the right length and
cut. Voila! Instant custom length fork steerer.

Mike