In the next 60 seconds you will learn everything you'll ever need to know about headsets:

There are 3 categories of headsets in the road bike market:

1. Standard threadless headsets. By this we mean you have to press in two headset cups. Seven, Serotta, Colnago, and many other fine brands of bikes require this style of headset. Chris King owns this slice of the headset market because their Nothreadset is widely considered to be as close as you'll ever get to the perfect bicycle component.

2. Standard integrated headsets. Most frames nowadays are built with this style of headset, and virtually every carbon fiber frame requires them. An integrated headset is one where the bearing cups are an integral part of the headtube, i.e. you do not press in headset cups.

What's important to understand, though, is that there is not an universal standard for the bearing size of an integrated headset. Most (but certainly not all) frames have headtubes with an inside diameter (ID) of 41.1mm -- so there's almost a standard. Cervélo, for example, abides by it. But Pinarello and BMC do not -- even though they each use an integrated headset. It is likely, though, that if your bike is carbon fiber it has a 41.1mm ID headtube.

3. Non-standard integrated headsets. These are identical to (2) above, except they do not use the 41.1 "standard". Most commonly seen is the Campagnolo Hiddenset. This has an ID of 42.0mm. If a bike you're considering comes equipped with a Campy Hiddenset, then it has a 42.0 ID and is not compatible with the 41.1 standard mentioned above. Eddy Merckx is an example of this.

And just to keep things interesting, there are companies such as Pinarello that employ an integrated headset, but use bearings that are neither 41.1mm or 42.0mm. There aren't many instances of this, but they're out there.

Why do we bother to spell all of this out? It's for a pretty simple reason: Everyone has heard of Chris King, and pretty much everyone wants a Chris King Nothreadset in their bike. The problem, though, is that most folks have bikes with integrated headsets and Chris King oh-so-famously refuses to manufacture integrated headsets. And while their explanation makes for interesting technical reading, one important detail you can never overlook is the fact that Cane Creek owns the patent on the threadless headset, which apparently means that everyone who manufactures one (including King, of course) has to tithe Cane Creek. (Ever wonder why Shimano doesn't make a threadless headset? ) The fumes of ressentiment in King's manifesto are unmistakable.

So, anyways…where were we? Ah, yes: Bloods and Crips. Sharks and Jets. Yankees and Red Sox. Only the fiercest rivalries of modern times can match the two-fisted do-si-do going on between Chris King and Cane Creek. King refuses to validate Cane Creek's push of integrated headsets due to engineering (and possibly financial) considerations. Cane Creek turned the tables by taking a chapter out of King's cost-is-no-object approach to manufacturing: With their 110 IS standard integrated headset, you get something so beautifully well-made that, well, you might call it King-like (are we allowed to write that?)

The 110 IS is made with the lowest-friction, sealed stainless steel bearings available. Furthermore, the individual balls are 5/32" -- oversized by headset standards -- in order to minimize rolling resistance (i.e. giving it added smoothness) and added durability. It features an overhanging cup/cover design to keep contaminants from reaching the bearings both at the upper cup and at the crown race. (But, for what its worth, Cane Creek recommends occasionally rotating the bearings -- top to bottom, bottom to top -- in order to lengthen bearing life since the bottom bearing gets about 90% of the wear & tear in a headset.)

The 110 IS is a fantastic upgrade for any bike built with a standard integrated headtube. (It's most popular around here with Cervélos.) It gives you performance no less sweet than what you get from a King Nothreadset. And, like King, it comes in numerous colors -- Black, Silver, Pewter, Red, Blue, and Gold -- along with a 10-year warranty. And one huge bonus is that it comes with two covers, a "short" and a "tall", allowing you to dial in your handlebar height to perfection. 1-1/8" only. 72g with the short cap installed, 82g with the tall.