Jimalex’s 853 Crust Romanceur

Offered up the 600 levers tonight. Realized after years of hoarding these away I hadn’t noticed the sneaky eBay seller sold me two left hand levers. 😂

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Thankfully they’re almost symmetrical and I think I’ll get away with running them as is. I’ll at least give them a go.

Also Dog excited that Nitto rack arrived from Blue Lug.

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Stunning build. Agree with the 'arts & crafts' sentiment, respect for dealing with it!

You probably know this already, but your Chris King has a 'GripNut' bearing cover which works differently to a normal two-nut headset and won't work properly with spacers.

You'll have to either chop the steerer to suit and use the upper nut that came with the CK to properly tighten the silver grip collar by way of an internal conical chamfer, or get hold of a CK '2Nut' conversion kit if you're averse to cutting the steerer.

@ectoplasmosis Thanks very much and I was not aware of that so appreciate the advice.

The 2Nut is discontinued and they’re going for £200 on eBay!

I have a Tange Levin as a back up but will keep searching for the CK solution. My first Chris King headset too. There’s always something!!

No worries. Obviously path of least resistance is to just cut the steerer if your stem has enough insertion length.

That would be too easy!

I'm going to work to keep it.

Doesn't the Gripnut™ top nut have a threaded bit to mate with the top race and clamp the collet to the steerer?

Can't see that in OP's image (though can see what looks like the collet ...).

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You’re correct in that the OP has a different, seemingly non-CK top nut which is incompatible with the lower bearing cover that says ‘GripNut’ on it, and the silver collar is visible.

As mentioned, the original CK GripNut-specific top nut is required to make this headset work.

use the upper nut that came with the CK

Missed that in your comment ... ! As you were

mr king never ceases to amaze me at his apple level closed eco system and metal finishes

Proprietary™ is® Theft©

Yep the above is correct.

Top nut in pic is Tange Levin. I do have the CK top nut but it won’t thread on to the steerer as designed to screw directly into lower CK adjustment ring.

It does appear that there is or was a conversion kit that would bridge the gap. Just can’t find anywhere that sells one.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Either I find the conversion kit, or a stealth 2nut, or pull the Chris King out and replace with Tange Levin that cost 10% of the CK in the first place.

Personally I'd go with the Tange (or another brand that works without the faff of the CK), flog the CK. Bike's coming along very nicely indeed.

Saddleback.co.uk have always come good for obscure CK bits. Last time I had to phone and encourage them to dig through their drawers for a NoThreadset bearing cap that wasn’t on their website.

I’d personally just chop the steerer or swap the headset for something else rather than pay a fortune for a 2Nut conversion kit...

Ok so I think I might have found an acceptable solution to the Chris King problem that will allow me to use 1” Gripnut headset I have.

The top cap has a lip on its upper surface on which the CK branding is etched, and which is what prevents me from sliding it over the steerer tube and threading into the adjustment cap below.

If I was able to remove a mm or so from the internal diameter of this flange, the adjustment cap would clear the steerer and I could top the CK headset as intended.

This would then leave the steerer proud above it, so I would use 15mm or so of spacers above the CK top cap, and use the Tange top cap on top of those to wrap the whole thing up.

To this end, does anyone know someone with a lathe or a metal working shop in West London who could do this for me?

Also of course if anyone can see any stupid flaws to my plan I am missing please do let me know :).

Bike is now in the shop getting brakes and gears installed. New XT rotors purchased because the Yokozuna’s don’t play nice with the fulcrum hubs, so the Yokos will be available should they be of use to anyone.

Here’s a picture of the internal lip of the CK top cap I would intend to cut away...

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Always liked the Crust stuff, shame that the distribution in Australia has pretty much stopped and getting things from OS is so expensive. I also have two steel bikes that can fit big tyres with canti’s, so I’m not too upset.

@Verbs_&_Nouns Jambi Distribution might be able to help you for Crust in Oz if you didn’t already know of her.

Also of course if anyone can see any stupid flaws to my plan I am missing please do let me know :)

It sounds like an awful lot of faff for no reason beyond having a CK headset. Sorry if I missed something.

Yep, fully agree.
@jimalex sell it, buy a headset (or use the Tange) built for purpose rather than bodge a £160 one.

At risk of being a contrarian, having a “hacked” ck headset is quite funny/ desirable if you can find someone to do the work,

Worst comes to worst you put the tange in

The other option I support is buying the overpriced ck nut and being annoyed at the price for the first 6 months or so, maybe turn it into a “bit” you roll out when someone comments on it, get some form of return that way

If the heart wants the ck headset, let it be

Well... I’ve put an awful lot of thought and time into this build and while I love the Tange Levin - I’ve had the same unit on my touring bike for more than a decade - I’d treated myself to my first Chris King for the Crust because it’s a bit more special.

If I can tweak the CK it will be a precision job, so not really a bodge as I see it. More another way to make the bike my own.

Think Velo Orange do one, obviously not CK bling though.

Cane Creek 110 if you want the best.
Otherwise if you want something actually special as in different (available to buy NOS):

This is off the hook, planning to mod a very pricey headset but happy to stick with two LH brake levers 😀

Haa. @Big_Ted fair point :). I’m working with what I’ve got! Don’t think the levers will be an issue but if they’re not comfortable they will be swapped.