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ViscoSet (patent-pending) offers viscous damping to make bicycles safer by inhibiting the uncontrolled steering oscillation… aka the speed wobble. Speed wobbles are vibrations that start small and get worse due to harmonics. This frightening shimmy can affect the handling of any bicycle under certain conditions and is the result of many different factors.
Utilizing specially designed damping plates above the bearing in the upper assembly, ViscoSet stops the oscillation before it can grow to a dangerous level. These micro-thin plates are inter-leaved in an encapsulated cartridge and connected to both the frame and the steerer tube. As they rotate against each other, a fluorocarbon gel between each layer provides viscous damping and stops the oscillation of the handlebars before it grows to a dangerous level. Check out our rendering of just how the damping plates stack up here.
Confused yet? Logan Watts recently reviewed the ViscoSet on Bikepacking.com. One of his key take-aways? ViscoSet isn’t just for e-bikes and city cruisers. Logan installed the set on his gravel bike and says, “…The additional stability [the ViscoSet offers] was a welcome benefit. It not only makes it easier to ride no-handed, it also makes holding a line that much less work. This brings up another noticeable benefit: the ViscoSet cuts down on arm fatigue. It firms up your steering and helps you hold your line without having to tightly grip the handlebars. When you’re railing down a gravel road, you’re constantly exerting little flashes of energy to keep the front wheel straight. While I haven’t conducted an arm wattage output study on one versus the other, it’s definitely noticeable.”
Vernon Felton wrote for PinkBike: “While the whole ‘slam your stem’ movement has historically been more of a roadie obsession than a dirt thing, a growing number of mountain bikers are starting to fixate on stack height as well. You can chalk some of that up to the fact that nobody can obsess like a cyclist when it comes to the subject of bike geometry and it. I mean, why not lose sleep over your handlebar height since you’re already twitching uncontrollably over your bottom bracket height or reach? There is good reason, however, to consider stack height, particularly given the axle to crown dimension on those 170-millimeter travel forks that spearhead a lot of enduro bikes these days or any of the 140-plus millimeter travel 29er forks on the market.”
The Slamset is a premium headset created for riders seeking to lower their handlebars further than the standard stack height without compromising bearing seal and proper preload. With the Hellbender bearing included, the Slamset excels at durability and longevity when it comes to steering performance. Slamset is sold in both IS (integrated) and ZS (zero stack) configurations. Vernon continues, “The IS Slamset top assembly has lost its sealing elements because of the emphasis on creating a low stack height; as a result, the [included] Hellbender bearing has to house all of the seal elements required to keep it from getting contaminated and freezing up.”
Bike too slack? Bike too steep? Turns out you can teach your old dog some new tricks.
The award-winning AngleSet threadless headset makes it possible to change your game. You can transform the head angle of your mountain bike with ease with up to six adjustments. Steeper or slacker adjustments from 0.5 to 1.5 degrees, make dialing in the perfect geometry to attack the trail a breeze. The design of AngleSet is head-tube length independent, so it fits most popular head-tube standards for both tapered and straight steerer tube forks. Plus, this goodness is made in our facility in Fletcher, NC, USA.
This MTBR article explains the specifics nicely: In a nutshell, the system uses upper and lower bearings that are housed in gimbals, which then self-adjust themselves within the headset cups (sort of like a ball joint), one of which has an offset for the actual angle setting…. The self-aligning feature between the system’s main components, the bearings, gimbals and cups, and the steerer tube ensures a proper fit, and easy fork installation.”
Long recognized as the world’s lightest headset, the new AER now offers a hybrid steel and aluminum bearing that provides even greater durability and a 40% weight savings over comparable models. Strategic machining and precision contours provide an optimal balance between weight savings and strength. The new AER headset is now an ideal headset choice for road and mountain bike applications- a high quality durable headset with durability and lightweight performance in mind. For an ultralight “Race Day” application, road riders can outfit their AER with a Norglide composite bearing.
Only need a new bearing? The AER-Series hybrid Steel/Aluminum maintains the quality and durability our bearings are known for, while shaving 35% of the weight.
#SAVEALLTHEGRAMS, right?
For all you EXTRA weight weenies… the eeTop and eeNut offer a beautifully functional new concept for an extremely lightweight preload assembly. A total weight of only 9.6 grams for the full assembly, the eeTop and eeNut saves 30 grams over the typical top and preload. The eeNut is a unique and patent pending design providing ultra light weight, solid locking action and ease of installation in one package. The recessed cone shape provides greater tension stiffness. This increased stiffness facilitates precise headset adjustment and sets it apart from other lightweight caps.
