FSA Orbit 1.5" ZS Headset

This is a simple headset that gets the job done. It seems to be oem spec on many bike as my two last bikes have shipped with this headset. There are not many parts, and everything is nicely made.

The crown race isn't split so it won't creak, the bearings are not the most high-end, but are well sealed and have never given me trouble. The colored compression ring is easy to see, the seals do their job, and the cups are well machined. I have pressed in two of those headset in different frames and they went in easily. My experience wasn't the same with Cane Creek 40 series cups or FSA Orbit Extreme's cups. That's probably due to the shorter cup insertion of the Orbit versus the other two. The machining tolerances seem just as good though, and nothing moved in there.

It is the cheapest of the three but it's the one who has given me the less trouble while installing and using it. I haven't heard a creak come from anywhere and the bearings still spin smooth even if I probably tighten my headset preload a bit more than most. In the end, it's one of those parts that shouldn't does a big jobs and handles a lot of pressure while it is often unnoticed, and this one delivers.