John Rader invented the Aheadset - who introduced OVERSIZE?

[pete_mcc]

There was an interview with the guys from Pace where they suggest that Dia-compe and others were sniffing around their bikes at trade shows in the late 80s and then came out with theirs afterwards.
To be honest, theirs was far superior to Raders prototypes. At least they’d figures out how to preload and adjust simply!

I’ve got a king a headset from 1989/90 where the threads were just machined out of the top race. The previous owner used it on his pace with a custom stem/steerer so maybe he can lay claim also!

 

[pete_mcc]

I’ve got a king a headset from 1989/90 where the threads were just machined out of the top race.

Just dug it out and i was being a little generous when I said machined, sanded and filed is closer...

 

[FluffyChicken]

the article doesn't claim Rader to have invented the threadless headset, just the Light Stem/Aheadset, his implementation of it.
The patent has the compression idea using the initial threaded into the steerer one, the SFN was a newer idea to make it easier.

 

[mk one]

Wasn't Aheadset a brand?

 

[2manyoranges]

Mk1 yes, exactly right, but it was also an exclusive DESIGN licensed/sold to Dia Compe. As I understand it, they then sold the rights to other manufacturers. I am not sure that they registered the STEM though, and so other manufacturers could produce those. But I also recall that there were law suits around all this. I must have a dig around.

 

[pete_mcc]

The stem certainly couldn’t be patented as it’s basically a stoker stem from a tandem. 1980s Ritchey stem:




Many early mountain bikes used clamping stems like those in the 1980s. Potts and the WTB guys used it both with their conical stubs and straight steerer tube extension stubs particularly with their LD stems, but also with far more traditional looking stems just like the Ritchey above, albeit with standard threaded headsets.

 

[BoyBurning]

Some people say I invented the headset. Maybe I did...

 

[pete_mcc]

Some people say I invented the headset. Maybe I did...

show me the cyclingtips interview or it didn’t happen

 

[shogun]

Tioga must have been hawking 1-1/8" components to potential customers from at least '88 to have them on production bikes from various companies in '90. I have two 1990 Shoguns in 1-1/8" (Shogun being a 3rd-party manufactured house brand of Marui/Oriental Boeki, like Tioga) with complete Avenger OS system front ends (Avenger OS fork, headset, Prestige T-Bone stem and bar), the older one was constructed in November of '89 (and the Shimano parts on it mid year) so you'd have to assume similar production lead times. Were I to guess I'd say the Avenger headset manufacturer was most likely Tange.

 

[shogun]

I’ve got a king a headset from 1989/90 where the threads were just machined out of the top race. The previous owner used it on his pace with a custom stem/steerer so maybe he can lay claim also!

To be fair, that's not much different to how they were all the way through, with that absolute garbage 'solution' of a friction O-ring for preload retention being no better (probably worse) than just machining out the threads. Surprise, surprise as soon as the patent expired on the split wedge compression design the GripLock was introduced.