With stanchions on single-crown forks getting larger and larger it was only
a matter of time before someone suggested trying oversized steerer tubes
again.

It’s certainly not a new idea, Klein’s ultralight, oversized Mission Control set-up ploughed a lonely furrow until a couple of years ago and
1.25″ headsets were all the rage on early 90’s aluminium bikes. However, the newly planned
1.5″ headset size leapfrogs all previous oversizing efforts.

According to Bicycleretailer.com, Answer/Manitou started the ball rolling
with a meeting at the Interbike show and since then Cane Creek, King, Race Face and
Rocky Mountain have all joined a collaborative research group to develop the tubes.

Manitou vice-president Scott Boyer told Bicycleretailer “As the use for
bikes gets more extreme, it’s not too difficult for frame makers to
strengthen their products by adding a little thickness on the outside…..The
guys on the inside–fork makers, headset manufactures, etc.–are stuck. As
the guys on the outside are making stronger and stronger, the inside guys
are vulnerable.”

Rocky Mountain have already committed to producing 1 1.5 inch headset frames
in 2003 while Cannondale won’t need to modify their bikes much. For detailed
technical information, visit the collective’s web site address onepointfivestandard.com.