Initial Impressions:
After receiving the Opium, I toyed around with it for a while scratching my head. I truly didn't want to try another headset with an O-ring that holds the steerer centered like King does, but this one's different...the upper cap COMPRESSES the o-ring so it doesn't have as much of an issue with slight steerer size differences. The whole unit is rather brilliant, tiny and LIGHT. By using the actual cup as the outer race of the bearing, Crank Brothers were able to eliminate redundant parts, and thus make it a LOT lighter. It even has a 36 ball complement bearing for load handling.
The parts
It comes with a special installation tool for pressing in the upper bearing, both cups, a top cap, upper cap, crown race, and 2 o-rings. One o-ring is for steerer capture, and one for a seal on the lower bearing. I found this a little cheesy for sealing, but decided to give it a shot and see what happens. I knew that if it was ever going to let anything in, I'd be able to get it to do it in the wonderfully muddy spring trails here in Colorado.
Installation:
As with all headsets, it's a measure and press the cups in operation. Since these run the cup as the race for the bearing though, it is suggested to press the cups in one at a time, so the races don't become ovalized at all from cocking sideways in the headtube bore and flex the race area. I followed those suggestions and used the supplied tool to press in the upper cup with a Park headset press, and followed that with the bottom cup. Easy as pie, it pressed in more easily than any other headset I've done, straight the whole way, never wanting to go off sideways.
Pressing with special tool
All in!
After the cups, I removed my old Cane Creek crown race and installed the Crank Brothers one. This was a VERY tight fit, I suggest using the right tool, as you'll crack a PVC pipe trying to bang this one on. Once that was on, you slide the lower seal on the steerer, and run the steerer up thru the cups, slide on the other o-ring, and top plate and stem. When you tighten the headset down, it squeezes the o-rings into their seats, and all of a sudden all play disappears!
Play free and ready to ride!
Check that stack height too! I was running no spacers with my Cane Creek! Ride testing:
I have so far about 5 trail rides on it. If you know me in the forums, you know that our trails are nothing to scoff at and as such test parts to their limits and past them sometimes. Trail bikes for us are no less than 6 inches of travel, and slack geo. We aren't your typical trail riders here. It's been wet here so I have been hosing down the bike after rides too, further testing the sealing of it.
The headset has been operating flawlessly. No creaks, groans, pops, whines, grinds, squeaks, or other ridiculous noises I've had happen in the past. It keeps dirt out well, but do note if you drive thru salted roads in wet weather a tiny bit of salt may get under the lower seal. It doesn't get in the bearing as that has its own seal, but it gets to the race. If this happens, just give it a good rinse and scotchbrite rubdown to get rid of the rust on the race.
Mud rides and hosing and not a trace inside the top bearing
Lower looks grit free too, just a little sign of moisture
No dirt has gotten in, and we have nasty gritty dirt here that wreaks havoc on bearings so that's a big thing to me. The system works, and works WELL. I might have just found the best headset for me!
http://www.crankbrothers.com -
http://hummeroid.pinkbike.com
Just for a reference, I've been running a Chris King for over 2yrs on my dj bike that sees a lot of freeride, and it has never done me wrong.
After 6 month, this opium DH directshit (and I have AM bike)dirt, water and dust just killed it. Worst headset I ever had.
Even worse that candy pedals and joplin seatpost.
I would ditch that Opium set, just my opinion.
PS Best way to have success with 'Operation Gram Counter' would be to not start with a Norco Six (read: anchor) as your frame.
I also have access to all shop tools/work at a shop. This headtube (as measured by a 3d measurement device at a local machine shop) is within .0005'' of perfectly parallel, far tighter than the spec for it.
This is why I will never write anything for pinkbike.com, not interested in the banter it produces; everyone has their own opinion, and that includes the writers of these reviews.
5 rides though, wow, that's a super long-term test, so your results are worthy of reporting on. Almost as good as a car reviewer taking a brand new car for a test drive and saying it drives great!
As for testing, I sais nothing about the bearings, those usually being the long term failure part. You can analyze the way it holds the steerer without long term testing, its more of a works/ doesn't thing. For noises and such, I had issues with other headsets prior to 5 rides. Just so you know, now there are well over 15 days of rides on it, but ill be sure to tell you when I have 5 months on it
Also:
Chris King for life.
running a dh headset on another type of bike is not ok!?
what!
Another things is that Dual CRown fork i believe would put more stress on a headset because of the leverage/pressures. I don't know that for a fact, just thinking. Want to elaborate Hummeroid, I don't mind being proven wrong, like I just was.