Hi everyone,
I often venture into the backcountry for days or even weeks with my heavily loaded Surly Karate Monkey (size M, 2022). It was originally a trail bike, but I converted it into an all-terrain touring bike. Believe me, it's fantastic because it takes me everywhere I need to go.
By using a Jones Bar and a short but very high stem, the bike now has a super relaxed riding position – perfect for long rides. However, the effective length of my stem is now virtually zero, making the steering too twitchy for days of touring on country roads where you just have to go straight ahead., especially when unloaded.
Has anyone had experience installing an ANGLE HEADSET to make the head angle slacker and thus the bike more stable?
Which angle would you recommend to improve stability and maneuverability? (-1°, -1.5° -2°)
Thanks for your tips!
by EfficientHornet2170
5 Comments
I was thinking of using a headset like this one 👇 Any thoughts?
https://www.workscomponents.co.uk/15-degree-ec44-zs56-angle-headset—to-suit-tapered-steerer-tube-138-p.asp
Not an expert, but that sounds like a good idea to me. As I understand it, the slacker you go, the more stable, and the LESS maneuverable the bike will be. And the impression I get is that most riders won’t notice a huge difference with just one degree, so if it were me I’d probably go for the 1.5 at least, if not the 2.
Wolftooth makes a good one.
[Wolf Tooth GeoShift Angleset Headset Review: The Future is Now – Spencer Harding | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.](https://theradavist.com/geoshift-angleset-headset-review/)
Hmm. I’m not sure this will do what you want. With all that load on the front fork, the bike is likely very “stable”, meaning resistant to turning. Most folks who carry a front load would actually want the opposite, to make the steering faster to counteract the sluggishness of the front load. This is typically achieved by a low trail (high offset) fork. Slacking the HTA will actually increase trail.
So anyway, I guess I’m wondering what the symptoms are rather than which headset might be the correct treatment.
The angle headset can make things feel very different. Keep in mind that several things will change at the same time – your fork will get slacker, which means mechanical trail will go up, which is what improves steering stability at speed. However, it may also make the bike more susceptible to “flop” at low speeds, especially with bags on the side.
It will also make your bottom bracket a bit lower, and your seat tube a bit steeper. Again, small changes, but the riding position will get slightly more “aggressive”.
Overall, it could be worth a try, but I’d try a smaller increment, maybe the -1 degree option. I had a -2 on my Mone La Roca, and while it rode great on the rough stuff, it was too slack on the flats, and I ultimately changed it back. If I had bought the -1, it may have worked for me longer.
As for brands, I’m sure the new Wolf Tooth is awesome. I used a Works, personally, and it worked very well, especially for the more reasonable price. Beefy, good machining, strong bearings, all good. Just not as blingy. 😉