Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Headsets
Woodman Jupiter aheadset 1Woodman Jupiter headset

Woodman Jupiter aheadset 1

8
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Apr 24, 2009

2
£59.99

VERDICT:

8
10
A super smooth and well sealed headset ideal for bikes in hard service
Weight: 
156g
Contact: 
www.greyville.com
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Good quality one-inch components are getting scarcer but if Woodman’s Jupiter Aheadset is anything to go by, they're not about to disappear just yet. Weighing 156g, the Jupiter will suit anyone needing a bombproof headset and I can understand its popularity amongst the single speed fraternity. The unique, inverted crown race shields super smooth needle roller bearings from dirt and road srpay while O-ring seals complete the belt and braces weather protection.

I smothered everything in marine grease when I installed the headset but even without this most riders should enjoy long service intervals. Being alloy, the cups require careful installation so use the proper tools and don’t be tempted to improvise.

An expandable bung replaces the effective but fiddly star fangled nut. Ours needed a short bedding in period but after that never once rattled loose or left the front-end feeling sloppy. Such bungs are a great idea, and essential if using a carbon steerer, although I am not wholly convinced of their superiority to aftermarket headlock type systems.

Steering from the outset felt extremely refined, far surpassing that of units turning on loose balls. It's also available in standard inch and an eighth sizing which broadens the appeal to more contemporary markets including tourists and mountain bikers; it’s a shame there’s not an inch an a quarter option as the Jupiter’s ideal for tandem applications. The choice of black or silver anodizing means it won’t clash with existing colour schemes.

Verdict

Slight weight penalty aside the Jupiter won’t disappoint anyone seeking a high quality replacement headset for older road, cyclocross and mountain bikes. A super smooth and well sealed headset ideal for bikes in hard service.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Woodman Jupiter aheadset 1

Size tested: 1"

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Jupiter is a CNC machined needle roller bearing headset with excellent weather sealing aimed at anyone needing a high end item. The importer advises they're particularly popular amongst the singlespeed fraternity.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The headset comprises of CNC machined alloy cups with inverted crown race defending against dirt and ingress, O-ring seals providing further protection to the needle roller bearings.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

Might be a little on the hefty side for some.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Super smooth and dependable.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Pretty much what you'd expect to pay for a headset of this quality.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Faultlessly, although bung type steerer required a little practice to set up correctly.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Bullet proof build quality and super smooth bearings.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Woodman
one inch
Jupiter
headset
1in headset
1
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

Add new comment

2 comments

Avatar
Shaun Audane | 15 years ago
0 likes

It's a very curious arrangement comprising of a large cup and seal- like a mushroom sheilding the bearings from dirt and ingress thrown up by the front wheel.

Avatar
Barry Fry-up | 15 years ago
0 likes

How does an inverted crown race work? I'm trying to picture it in my head but the picture is rubbish

Latest Comments