Headsets
Headsets, spacers and adapters to route cables into the frame and fit a cockpit with hidden cables. It all starts with the frame's standard and what you keep from your current headset.
Reading your frame's standard
A headset is identified by its S.H.I.S. standard: two letters for the fitting type, then the bearing seat diameter and the steerer diameter. In IS, the bearing sits directly in the frame; in ZS, a cup presses into the head tube; in EC, the cup stays outside. The WCS Switch upper headset comes in IS52/28.6, ZS55/28.6 and ZS56/28.6, for a 1-1/8" steerer. In IS, it needs 8.7 mm of bearing insertion depth: check this with the frame manufacturer. The WCS Switch EC44 is for 44 mm head tubes: its 51.9 mm bearing doesn't fit inside, so the external cup holds it above the tube.
The cables run past the bearings
With the WCS Switch stem, the cables run down in front of the spacers, then enter the frame through two channels in the headset, without touching the bearings. The Switch spacers are open at the front: they go on and come off without disconnecting a cable. Raising the bar by 5 mm becomes a simple adjustment, with no hose to cut and no brake to bleed. The upper headset comes with two, the EC44 with none.
Keep your headset, change your cockpit
An FSA, Token, ENVE IN-Route, Acros or standard 1-1/8" headset can stay in place: the WCS Switch adapter takes the Switch stem, and the Butano Ridge adapter the cockpit of the same name. For a Kreuza Apex bar, the Kreuza adapter replaces the headset top cap, with a specific version for each frame. Workshop rule: before cutting the steerer, add up everything in the stack, top cap or adapter, spacers and stem clamp height, and leave the steerer 3 to 5 mm below the top of the stem so the top cap can compress the headset. The Ritchey adapters account for 8 to 10 mm.
Frequently asked questions
How do you find your headset standard?
In the frame's specifications, which give it in S.H.I.S. notation, for example ZS56/28.6 for the upper headset. Failing that, the frame manufacturer or a workshop can find it by measuring the bearing seat.
What do IS, ZS and EC mean?
IS: the bearing sits directly in the frame. ZS: a cup is pressed into the head tube and holds the bearing. EC: the cup stays outside the head tube and carries the bearing above the tube.
Can you keep your headset with integrated cables?
Often, with an adapter: Ritchey makes them for FSA, Token, ENVE, Acros and standard 1-1/8" headsets, Kreuza one per frame for its Apex handlebars. Otherwise, the Ritchey Switch headset replaces the upper half of your existing headset.