HeadShok Stem Project — Quick Poll Inside

cannondalefanatic

cannondalefanatic

Well-Known Member
I've mainly been posting on the Vintage Cannondale Facebook groups, but I know this community may likely be interested as well.

I'll post some photos below to catch this community up to speed on what's been developing

Prototype progress report:
  1. Two body styles – ultra-open lattice and beefier shelled (hero shot below).
  2. Real-fork fit check – bolts straight onto a HeadShok, and matching stem-cap options are in the works (the poll lets you specify which cap style you run).
I’m gearing up for the first CNC batch and need your input to lock final lengths and quantities.

60-second survey: https://forms.office.com/r/GzXazeYQdj

Thanks for keeping this project rolling!
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JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
First, great idea and use of 3D printing to design and test fitment of prototypes. Sounds like an interesting idea.
Now on to the questions. Since these bikes were designed with 80-120 mm stems typically to maintain the proper ride geometry, unlike modern bikes who have longer TT and therefore move the stem back to keep the reach reasonable. I'd say keep the first batch in the 80-100 mm range. That is assuming you are trying to design something that is to replace the increasingly rarity of factory stems.

Any plans on making 25.4 or 31.8 bar versions? Also any plan on making riser versions? Finally what is the target price range you are shooting for?
 
cannondalefanatic

cannondalefanatic

Well-Known Member
Thanks for your feedback JohnnyD. That's a great question as there's a mix of those that like to restore these to original specs, and the "resto-mod" crowd that adapts some modern components and fits to these frames. I'm in the latter crowd and therefore started with a 60mm length to fit my specific applications (gravel mod to an F700).

31.8 is what it's currently speced at, and what most have reported they're interested in. Easy enough to adapt to 25.4 with some shims.

The riser part make this much more difficult as the model doesn't adapt well to the angle changes, so for now I'm starting with 0deg.

Price is going to be challenging considering the upfront costs, especially for smaller runs, but hoping the survey results can help prove whether there's enough demand to help bring it down.

Thanks!
 
JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
I'd be more interested in an 80-100 mm range personally. I found that short stem length made the bike feel a bit too twitchy when I put a 60mm stem on my Jekyll that had a modern fork on it before finally picking up a Lefty for it. It's now got a 100 mm +/- 5° and the riding postition is nearly perfect with, my other Jekyll has a 90mm 20° stem but with a flatter bar on it and both are pretty close in overall riding position.

I am still in the parts collection process of my own gravel mod of my '05 F600. I decided to keep it simple and not reinvent the wheel, Cannondale already did the research for me too. The XS800's already came with headshok and drop bars. They used 100 mm stems for those bikes. Still looking for a better bar than the Specialized Hover expert(who wants a Specialized bar on a Cannondale!) but it should put me in the right postion. We'll see. My next big hurdle is to see if I can fit 700c wheels will fit with 37 mm tires.
 
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JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
cannondalefanatic said:
Totally understand. Yeah, in my case, due to the drop-bar conversion, it necessitates a shorter stem. I was able to compensate with saddle position, but will be able to get it back to standard with a shorter stem, which are harder to find in this Headshok sizeView attachment 14163
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Reverse components makes 60 mm stems for them, they are usually in stock at Cannondale experts or on Ebay
edit:
ouch, i just checked pricing on the few floating around $70 is crazy, but if that is the only other option I guess it would be worth it. Such is the price you gotta play when dealing with Cannondale. Both old and new!
 
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JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
Another option would be to do as another member here did, Teomat I believe. He had a normal 1.5 in stem machined out to the 1 9/16 / 1.56 in that older Headshok and Lefties used. He's got access to a CNC so he's done some cool stuff for his bike rebuilds.
 
cannondalefanatic

cannondalefanatic

Well-Known Member
JohnnyD said:
Reverse components makes 60 mm stems for them, they are usually in stock at Cannondale experts or on Ebay
edit:
ouch, i just checked pricing on the few floating around $70 is crazy, but if that is the only other option I guess it would be worth it. Such is the price you gotta play when dealing with Cannondale. Both old and new!
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Yes, I actually have one of those for my SuperV. Only thing I don't like is it requires a shim underneath for proper spacing. This stem is intended to need no shims, just like the Cannondale branded ones.
 
JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
cannondalefanatic said:
Yes, I actually have one of those for my SuperV. Only thing I don't like is it requires a shim underneath for proper spacing. This stem is intended to need no shims, just like the Cannondale branded ones.
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I didn't realize that it required a spacer. Although you could consider the seal on Headshok's and Lefty's a spacer, but even without it the stem is pretty close to the correct height. Don't ask me how I know.. LOL. it was a fun "hey dumbXXX" moment for me.
 
cannondalefanatic

cannondalefanatic

Well-Known Member
JohnnyD said:
I didn't realize that it required a spacer. Although you could consider the seal on Headshok's and Lefty's a spacer, but even without it the stem is pretty close to the correct height. Don't ask me how I know.. LOL. it was a fun "hey dumbXXX" moment for me.
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Interesting, what model is it on? The Cannondale stem has a stack height of right around 2", and the Reverse one is more around 1.57" Both of my Headshok bikes have just over 2" of steertube stickup above the top headset bearing.
 
cannondalefanatic

cannondalefanatic

Well-Known Member
black lightning 1987 said:
That's a beauty. Any Idea on pricing? I have a couple of Super V projects........
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Thanks! Pricing will depend on how much interest there is. Right now the threshold to get pricing down is around 150 units. So far I still only have around 25 respondents to the survey. Will need many more to validate a market demand.
 
JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
cannondalefanatic said:
Testing update: maiden voyage went well. No slippage on either handlebar or steertube. Nothing extreme, but good test trails with lots of rocks/rough.
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Don't forget to fill the survey out: Cannondale Headshok Stem Survey
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From the angle the pictures are taken from it looks pretty darn nice. Then again it's also on a really nice looking F800. I am curious though, did you add the bottle cage mounts to the top tube? If so that is a really clean job.
 
cannondalefanatic

cannondalefanatic

Well-Known Member
JohnnyD said:
From the angle the pictures are taken from it looks pretty darn nice. Then again it's also on a really nice looking F800. I am curious though, did you add the bottle cage mounts to the top tube? If so that is a really clean job.
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Thanks! The one you see in the testing pictures above is from my SuperV, so those came like that.
 
cannondalefanatic

cannondalefanatic

Well-Known Member
For those wondering about weight, it’s surprisingly not as light as some would think (or hope). One-piece clamp will certainly add even more weight. Between bolt material and some design tweaks, the weight could be improved, but it sounds like some don’t have that as a primary concern. Reverse Components S-Trail 60mm will be the most direct baseline comparison, while the official Cannondale stem (80mm) will serve as the baseline for what’s possible.

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