44mm headtubes and tapered forks, worth it?

[buldogge]

I'm running a tapered HT/fork on my latest custom (Red Star Uno). It corners on rails and the front end is extremely planted.

In my case the frame is steel...but...not a 44mm HT. Both Nova and Columbus make tapered steel HTs. The Nova takes external cups and the Columbus takes internal.

I think for AL...which will assumedly have larger tubing...that there is no downside to the tapered HT...You can always run a straight steerer with reducer crown race if wanted.

-Mark in St. Louis

[soulspinner]

Does Envy make a 1.0 tapered? Could not find one on their site............

[idrinkwater]

tapered 44 ht futureproofs you pretty well, I would think

[fuzzalow]

I would go, and have gone, with the 44mm headtube. As long as the other tube diameters are in line with what the aesthetics impose on the frame by going to the larger tube.

I know the stiffness quality always comes up but as the resident cycling Luddite here, I can't tell the difference in the beefy-ness of the tube over the normal 1 1/8" stuff. I have no issues or complaints about the 1 1/2"-1/18" taper on my Eriksen.

Getting a new build? Go for it.

[tigoat]

I think it will look best on a 44mm ID head tube with a 1-1/8" fork using Chris King Inset 1, which has both top and bottom cups on the inside of the head tube. It looks so streamlined without those King logos on the cups. Stack height can also minimized with Inset 1 headset if you want to go the lowest possible. Rigidity wise, don't think you will feel much different between a tapered fork versus a straight fork, unless you are a pro sprinter.

[Ryun]

Two viewpoints from two projects I have incoming:
First is an aluminum bike. builder felt pretty strongly about using the 44 headtube. Primarily as it made for nice joint with the large downtube. Interestingly he also recommended a standard 1 1/8 enve since more rakes are available and the"correct " geometry would effect the bike more than the tapered steerer.

Second is a a spirit tubed steel bike. My preference was for the standard headtube but the builder had the test mule with the larger headtube and felt it really made the front end better. I haven't gotten it yet so hard to say but the builder didn't have a dog in the fight and is pretty week respected so that was enough for me.

[evo111@comcast.net]

Last year spoke to the folks at Kirklee during the TX custom frame builder show last year in Dallas. The display bike they brought was his personal bike with the larger head tube. He thought it offered gains in stiffness on his road carbon frame.

[Steve in SLO]

I am 185 pounds, and have a 44 mm head tube on my DiSalvo titanium frame, here:
http://forums.thepaceline.net/showth...hlight=Desalvo
I am running a 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 tapered ENVE fork, feels great: responsive and stiff but not enough to beat me up.
I spoke to Mike about a 1 1/8 to 1 1/2 tapered fork, he said that taper was a bit too stiff for most, and that for road, many are settling out on the 1/8-1/4 inch taper as a good combination of stiffness and comfort.

[FlashUNC]

Thanks all. Sounds like the 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 is the way to go.

[22Mike]

Originally Posted by John H.

Not much of a difference in frame weight for ti.
The weight difference is more due to the different headset and fork.
A King Inset7 is not so light compared to a 11/8 King.

Just to chime in on the weight gain issue: there's no getting around the fact that a 44mm head tube is going to add weight. On our bikes, here's where the differences show up:

• Head tube: our 160mm HT weighs 214g. I don't have a 1-1/8" HT of the same length handy, but I would estimate it at 150g. Gain: 64g.
• Headset: a Chris King i8 headset weighs 169g, while a 1-1/8" NoThreadset weighs 130g. Gain: 39g.
• Fork: Enve's 2.0 fork with a tapered 1-1/4" 350mm steerer weighs 368g, and the same fork with a straight steerer weighs 350g. Gain: 18g.

All told, the bigger head tube will add up to roughly 121g of extra weight on our 160mm HT example. Is it worth it? In my opinion, absolutely. The bigger head tube adds noticeable stiffness and steering precision up front, and the larger head tube also allows a larger down tube for better stiffness under power. For most riders, I would say the improved handling more than offsets the weight gain.

As for 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" tapered steerers, that's a difference in stiffness that I doubt is tangible. I've often heard people describe 1-1/2" tapered forks as harsher than 1-1/4" versions, but to be honest in my own experience I can't notice a difference that couldn't be chalked up to my imagination. With that in mind, my preference is the 1-1/4" tapered fork, mostly because the smaller lower headset race looks tidier than the 1-1/2" version. If there's a minor ride quality improvement with the 1-1/4" steerer, then that's a nice bonus.

Just my two cents!

[abalone]

I think that tapered steerers have taken over on all the new bikes from the big bike manufacturers. They are now more common on bike shop high-end bikes than straight steerers, unless you specifically order a custom frame and specify a straight steerer. So, I think going with a headtube that can accomodate a tapered fork steerer is a good idea to future proof.

You do take a weight penalty with a big fat head tube. Plus, if you get the fat head tube, then naturally you are going to go with appropriately proportioned larger diameter down tube, top tube, etc.. This is the reason why nearly every modern titanium frame with 44mm head tubes and appropriately oversized main tubes are heavier than classic skinny tubed titanium frames.