We make five different crown race sizes, and they are labeled by “bearing size” first, and “crown race seat diameter” second. For example, a 52/40 crown race will work with a 52mm bearing and 40mm crown race seat diameter. First, figure out what size bearing your lower headset assembly takes. Then, confirm the crown race seat diameter on your fork. If you’re having trouble accurately determining these numbers, please visit your local bike shop for help, or visit the Ultimate Guide to Identifying and Choosing a Bicycling Headset.

Cane Creek headsets have replaceable bearings - below is a list of headset standards and the bearing size.

• EC30 will take a 38mm bearing
• EC34 will take a 41mm bearing
• ZS44 will take a 41mm bearing
• ZS49 will take a 41mm bearing
• EC44/40 will take a 52mm bearing
• EC44/33 will take a 47mm bearing
• EC49 will take a 52mm bearing
• ZS56 will take a 52mm bearing
• ZS62 will take a 52mm bearing
• IS41 will take a 41mm bearing
• IS42 will take a 42mm bearing
• IS47 will take a 47mm bearing
• IS52 will take a 52mm bearing

Pro tips:

Your headset requires an upper and lower bearing (Tapered headsets require two different size bearings).

All Cane Creek headset bearings are cross compatible with Cane Creek headsets no matter the series (i.e 110 Series bearings are compatible with Forty Series cups).

If you're lucky, your bike manufacturer may list the specific headset code for your bike in the spec list or in the user manual. Often times however, headsets must be measured to determine what you need. If this is the case, refer to our Headset Code Breaker and follow the color-coded steps to determine which headset you need.

Cane Creek brought threadless headset technology to the bicycle industry in the early 1990s, beginning the revolution in fork and headtube innovation. We held the patent for nearly 20 years, and during that time licensed the technology to qualified manufacturing partners around the world. Many of these partners elected to etch the “Cane Creek” name and the patent number on the top cover of the headset, in recognition of the license. Regretfully, due to the sheer volume of headsets produced, we are not able to stock spare parts nor assemblies from these licensed headsets. For direct replacement, please visit your local bike shop, or contact us at 828-641-9560 and we can help you identify an equivalent Cane Creek product that will fit your bike. You can refer to our Headset Code Break Guide for stepwise instructions on how to identify the headset that you have.

While relatively straightforward, headset installation does require some mechanical knowledge of bikes and certain specialty tools. We suggest heading down to your local bike shop and letting a professional mechanic take care of your installation. But if you want to do it yourself… check out our instructional video on headset installation.

It’s a good idea to periodically check for good headset adjustment. There should be no looseness, play, or knocking in the headset. If you detect any of these, then your headset should be tightened. It’s a relatively simple, straightforward task and we’ve created a short video to walk you through the process. You must first loosen the stem clamp bolts and then tighten the preload bolt on the top cap to draw the headset together. Tighten the preload (top cap) bolt to roughly 3Nm, then re-tighten the stem clamp bolts to their manufacturer-recommended torque.

Yes, all moving parts on your bike should be regularly serviced; your headset is no different. Periodically remove the stem and fork, remove bearings, and wipe all mating parts of headset and fork clean. Be sure to wipe out the bearing cups, and wipe down the bearings themselves. Re-apply a thin layer of grease to all mating surfaces and reinstall the bearings, fork, and stem. If bearings feel exceptionally rough or loose during cleaning and inspection, they should be replaced. We sell replacement bearings that drop in to all Cane Creek headsets.

In most cases you can, especially if your headset uses sealed cartridge bearings. The first step is identifying your headset code. Check out the Headset Code Breaker on our page: The Ultimate Guide to Identifying Your Bicycle Headset. Once you determine your headset code, you can refer to Headset FAQ #2 or reach out to our support team by emailed support@canecreek.com. All Cane Creek headsets use drop-in bearings that are fast and easy to replace without the need for special tools or knowledge.

Your bicycle’s headtube must have an inside diameter of 44mm or larger in order to use any tapered steer fork.  Traditional, straight 1 1/8 in headtubes, or 34mm inside diameter headtubes, cannot accept a fork with a tapered steerer tube. If you are unsure about the measurement of your bicycle’s headtube, you can consult our Headset Code Breaker or consult your favorite local bike shop.

Yes you can. We make our 52/40mm crown race available with some extra height. There’s a 3mm and a 6mm version. Both are available on ourHeadset Parts & Accessories pageunder “Solutions.”

The AngleSet requires a minimum head tube Inside Diameter (ID) of 44mm.  If your frame has an ID of 44mm or larger on both the top and bottom it is AngleSet compatible.  Certain head tubes will only be able to utilize a straight 1 1/8” steerer with the AngleSet (see our S.H.I.S. poster).

Cane Creek has engineered, designed and tested Angleset in partnership with a variety of frame manufacturers, up to 1.5 degrees of offset. We don’t recommend building configurations beyond what is offered in stock assemblies.

The gold-colored Interlok® Filler Ring fits into the top-most Interlok groove in your cockpit setup to provide a flat surface for placement of a non-Interlok-compatible stem. This could be the headset top cover (as supplied) or the top-most Interlok spacer in your spacer stack. It is not placed inside the headset. (Note that the Interlok Filler Ring is not necessary for placement of a non-Interlok stem with Interlok top covers or spacers.)

If you need a replacement Interlok® Filler Ring, head on over to our Headset Parts & Accessories page. You’ll find them under every series headset and in the “Solutions” section to boot.

Are they necessary? No, but there’s a few good reasons why you might want to use them:Our patented Interlok spacer design provides solid interface between the top cover and spacer stack, meaning they “nest” together and into the top of the bearing cover, which helps minimize shifting under load while riding; and our “Scalloped” spacers shave 25% in weight off a standard alloy spacer stack.Where you want your stem height to be will determine how many and what size spacers you may need.

Unfortunately we no longer produce or stock any complete replacement headsets, though we do have a limited number of replacement bearing kits. They are available in the “Solutions” section of ourHeadset Parts & Accessoriespage.

Yes you can. We make our 52/40mm crown race available with some extra height. There’s a +3mm and a +6mm version. Both are available on our site under Headset Parts & Accessories > Crown Races.