Dropset Fit Roundup

You may have read our first blog post about which DropSet fits which bike, but now that we've worked with more customers, and done more digging to find out which bikes work with which DropSets, we figured it would be a good idea to do a followup post! 

First a little refresher on the different models:

DropSet 1: IS41/28.6 45/45 degree Upper Bearing, IS52/40 45/45 degree Lower Bearing (fits many Santa Cruz, Yeti, Alchemy, IBIS).
DropSet 2: IS42/28.6 45/45 degree Upper Bearing, IS52/40 45/45 degree Lower Bearing (fits OPEN plus many Specialized, Trek, Cervelo and other major brands).
DropSet 3: IS41/28.6 45/45 degree Upper Bearing, IS52/40 36/45 degree Lower Bearing (fits forks with a 36/45 degree crown race).

Below is a list of the bikes and brands we've checked out.  It's not exhaustive by any means, and we encourage you in any case to take a look at your headset bearings (they will almost always have their dimensions etched onto the outside of the bearing) before ordering just to be sure yours matches the information we have! 

If you need help finding the correct headset for a bike that's not on this list, we'd recommend checking the Cane Creek Headset Fit Finder, and then calling us so that we can make sure you get the right one!

All-City:

The new Cosmic Stallion uses the an integrated tapered IS42/28.6 IS52/40 headset, which translates to a DropSet 2 headset.  Pretty much every All-City frame is compatible with a Chris King headset, and many will also work with the options we have from White Industries and Phil Wood, but we're sticking to DropSet compatibility here, so we won't go into detail on the others!

Ibis Cycles:

Most of the Ibis frames use one of the InSet variations, but the Hakka MX uses and integrated tapered IS41/28.6 IS52/40 headset which translates to the DropSet 1 headset.

Mason Cycles:

All Mason Cycles frames currently use integrated tapered IS42/28.6 IS52/40 headsets, so they work with the DropSet 2.  

Santa Cruz:

The vast majority of Current Santa Cruz bikes use integrated tapered IS41/28.6 IS52/40 headsets, so they work with the DropSet 1.  The few exceptions to this are the V10, which uses  an Inset 5 and the Jackal, which uses an InSet 3.

Trek:

Many, but not all Trek bikes use the DropSet 3.  The best idea with these is to remove your headset bearings and check the size, because Trek uses many different headset styles and standards across their line, and some are completely proprietary, while others will work fine with an aftermarket headset like DropSet.

Specialized:

Many Specialized bikes use a DropSet 2, but because of the wide range of variations between the models it's hard to say with much certainty until you look at the bearings in your bike, so that's what we recommend doing in order to determine which will work best.  One example that we've researched is the current S-Works Tarmac Disc, which uses the DropSet 2

3T:

The 3T Exploro uses an integrated tapered IS42/28.6 | IS52/40 headset, which translates into a DropSet 2.  Currently there isn't a Chris King headset that will work with the Strada, which uses a smaller lower bearing.

Open:

The Open U.P. uses an integrated tapered IS42/28.6 | IS52/40 headset, like the 3T Strada above, so it uses a DropSet 2 as well.  This is true for all versions of U.P., including the 'Classic', 'New', and the U.P.P.E.R.

Genesis:

Genesis, like some of the other brands already mentioned, uses a variety of headsets, some of which have Chris king equivalents, and some of which don't.  We've found that many of the ones that use integrated headsets use the DropSet 2, but we recommend checking the bearings in yours before ordering. 

Beyond this list, Chris King has these general compatibility notes:

The DropSet 1 is compatible with Santa Cruz, Yeti, and Alchemy, among others.

The DropSet 2 is compatible with Open, 3T, All City, Low, Cinelli, and Lynsky, among others.

The DropSet 3 is compatible with the Santa Cruz Stigmata (without baseplate), among others.

Given the vast array of variations in headset dimensions right now, it's beyond the scope of this post to list everything, because in many cases finding out what will fit what takes some research, so we'd love to hear from you about any new fits that you find.  This will help us help other riders to find the right headset for their bikes!

And of course, if you need our help figuring out which headset will fit your bike, we're here, so just give us a shout!