Headset ignoramus question

[cgolvin]

For some reason headsets are a blind spot in my wrenching experience.

Are crown races manufacturer specific to the headset or generally compatible?

I have a Cane Creek headset installed and a replacement fork with a CK race — do I need to either swap the race for a CC one or replace the CC headset with CK?

Thanks

[kramnnim]

King baseplate is not compatible with the Cane Creek headset

[Dino Suegiù]

King baseplate is not compatible with the Cane Creek headset

Ditto.

[Mike Bryant]

Funny, I used a King baseplate on a Cane Creek headset (don’t know the model) and it snugged up fine.
Did a loose fit. No slop on the mating surfaces. Put it all together and have been riding it for months without any noise or loosening.
Didn’t have a crown race remover to gracefully remove the King baseplate.
Older bike by the way, so was willing to give it a go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hindmost]

Are crown races manufacturer specific to the headset or generally compatable?
Thanks

There aren't any standards (except for fitting to head tube and fork.) Cross-compatibility of headset parts is a matter of luck.