Jumped on the CX bandwagon last week and gots me a new Giant TCX which also made me happy. Has steerer mounted brake cable guide - less happy now.
The problem with a mount on the headset is that as you brake the fork flexs back effectively (if the headset is worn or loose that allows even more flex) making the distance between the brake and the headset mount further apart and causing the cable to tighten further which pulls the pads even tighter to the wheel and increases the flex .. eventually either the tyre slips momentarily on the ground or the pad slips on the rim (if you don’t go over the bars in the mean time) and the fork flexs forwards creating the shudder. The greater the distance between mount and brake the worse this effect .. ie long head tube big frames. Fixing the stop on the fork crown obviously reduces the length and corresponding reduces the shudder. Also you have eliminated the any movement in the headset.
The problem with a mount on the headset is that as you brake the fork flexs back effectively (if the headset is worn or loose that allows even more flex) making the distance between the brake and the headset mount further apart and causing the cable to tighten further which pulls the pads even tighter to the wheel and increases the flex .. eventually either the tyre slips momentarily on the ground or the pad slips on the rim (if you don’t go over the bars in the mean time) and the fork flexs forwards creating the shudder. The greater the distance between mount and brake the worse this effect .. ie long head tube big frames. Fixing the stop on the fork crown obviously reduces the length and corresponding reduces the shudder. Also you have eliminated the any movement in the headset.