FSA pig headsets being out of spec....

Lower cup of both pigs is cromoly steel.

The coating on the lower cup ranges from .0002 to .0008 mm thick (I really have no idea what they do it with) if I remember right. I think putting a biggggggg lever (such as a triple clamp fork) on a headset could easily cause that coating to break down..

I remember when I pulled my pig pro (black) out of my frame, a lot of the coating on the lower cup had rubbed off. That .0002mm of coating that was gone would let the headset cup move around that much. Someone doesn't expect it, assumes the headset is just loose, tightens it and keeps riding hard. Boom, ovalized headtube.

I have a pig dh pro that is black, but how can I tell if it is anodized or powder coated? It doesn't say on the little box that it came in if it is anodized or powder coated, on fsa's website it only shows the pig dh being anodized black but Im not sure if thats the only one.

I had mine in my holeshot, and when I pulled it out it was fine, and there was a Super T on it.

Originally posted by blinded
Too bad it happened to your bike… a .243.

nope.
eric specifically said in the post that with bmx-grade steel on the headtube a la .243 it wouldn't be a problem but with inferior materials it might be.
i repeat i doubt it very highly

what happened exactly?

how could it ovalize due to paint? the paint would be all the way round, no? 8i just don't believe it. maybe if someone hacked the installation you could ovalize a tube like that. but not some fucking paint

Paint would cause it to be loose, and if you keep riding it like that, it could ovalize it. I see where you're coming from, but 0.0008mm wouldn't make that much of a difference IMO…

Has anyone here sanded the cups clean of paint and installed a PIG DH Pro? If you do sand the cups you could take too much off couldn't you and cause play in the headset that way? I have a DH Pro and a new frame I need to know what I should do.

Originally posted by Keefer
Paint would cause it to be loose, and if you keep riding it like that, it could ovalize it. I see where you're coming from, but 0.0008mm wouldn't make that much of a difference IMO…

i doubt ANYTHING on any of our bikes is machined to that degree of tolerance. still not buying it - sorry

I'm with Eddie…
I've run that headset on 2 bikes and had NO problems at all.
When my uber-thick headtube ovalizes from .008mm or whatever, I'll eat my left shoe. I'm better at hopping on my right, so I need that one.

You didn't read what I said.

It doesn't matter. Run what you like, sand it off or don't. Think I give a flying fuck? Hell no. Just don't cry about it if something does happen.

All I know is that I ran a black pig and ovalized my old frame. The paint, or WHATEVER THE FUCK it is on the lower cup, was gone when we pulled the cup out.

Originally posted by phlegm
The paint, or WHATEVER THE FUCK it is on the lower cup, was gone when we pulled the cup out.

it would be. the installing/deinstalling process would do that. it's paint vs metal - the paint's always gonna lose. if the paint didn't scrape off then it would mean that the headset was under-spec.

which is EXACTLY why i believe that your tube got ovalized another way (probably poor installation), and this is just an incidental fact, not connected.

Originally posted by eddiebrannan
**it would be. the installing/deinstalling process would do that. it's paint vs metal - the paint's always gonna lose. if the paint didn't scrape off then it would mean that the headset was under-spec.

which is EXACTLY why i believe that your tube got ovalized another way (probably poor installation), and this is just an incidental fact, not connected. **

OK! You want to fucking know what I really think there bud??? I think the god damned frame just wasn't up to a triple clamp. Ever seen the headtube on the 15" version? … Didn't think so.:rolleyes: I think abusive riding with a lever that big made the headtube flare. Because that's exactly what I did: abuse that frame. I cased and dropped to flat A BUNCH.

All this shit I've been saying about the stupid headsets isn't what I really think, and I should have just said why I thought my bloody frame ovalized in the first place.