New Products From Tensile

[Mark W]

I agree with james - Its slightly too much to be competative ?

example - 59 for a hope or 65 for a tensile ?

hope wins every time for quality and service and warranty. and possibly function.

dont get me wrong it looks like a good headset but I know what i would choose.

Regarding the two bits in bold - compare the two headsets. The Tensile has ti nitride coated hardened steel bearing races and ceramic balls, a carbon fibre/alloy top-cap, and weighs less. The Hope one doesn't really have any of those features, it's more of a standard sort of headset, yet the Tensile one's only £6 more (it's actually the same price if you look at the RRP of the Hope...). I know people won't really value my opinion what-so-ever in this thread, but you really are getting a top qual product here, that's been tested for a long time and works well.

Gavyn - people don't buy the King for it's name, they buy it for the warranty, how well they work, and how strong they are. Hence, Tensile are targetting that audience.

[Caleb]

First trials specific headset?

[Token]

First trials specific headset?

Deng....?

anyway, I still stand by the fact it looks plain and naff. For 65 quid, you know it's a top piece of kit, but I'd want it to look pretty special too.

[Josh Greenan!!!!!!!!!!]

Is that an external? Arnt most Onza frames internal headsets?

[hugh_b]

I think it looks great, just started using the onzaadn tensile components now i have gone 26" and have found them really good. They have been tested by top riders in the country and the spec is impressive to say the least. I'm the kinda person that thinks i would rather spend the £65 now than spend £30 now and spend £65 2-3months down the line when my headset is nackered and i wished i had bought the expensive one. I think the fact that it has been designed and tested with trials in mind would make me sway to this bit of kit even more. i know you cant really change alot in a headset to make it trials specific but this thing looks mega durable. I think i'll be having one

[rav]

Seems too heavy for a ceramic balls bearings and carbon cup product.

BT Head-sets are with steel bearings and alloy cup, weigt is 7g less and RR Price 46GBP

http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/product.php?id=2040

Edited February 24, 2007 by rav

[Mark W]

7g less, or longer-lasting bearings/races? I think if I'm going to spend that much on a headset, I'd almost always be willing to fork out the extra tenner and get the Hope due to it's reputation or a bit more again and get the Tensile, due to the extra features of it, to be honest.

[PaRtZ]

and its british mark.

[Shaun H]

Seems too heavy for a ceramic balls bearings and carbon cup product.

BT Head-sets are with steel bearings and alloy cup, weigt is 7g less and RR Price 46GBP

http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/product.php?id=2040

Try adding your steerer bolt.

[rav]

Try adding your steerer bolt.

Titanium bolt weight 4g

http://www.peppl.com/TRIAL//Try-All/HDDB45548a1de9df0

Still 3.5g hevier.

With ceramic bearings this tensile H-set should weight no more them 90g

Edited February 24, 2007 by rav

[Mark W]

Perhaps the weight saved from the bearings means they can put extra weight/material into the cups and races, meaning that their headset has longer lasting bearings and stronger cups and races than other headsets, at almost exactly the same weight?

[Krisboats]

Thats all very well and good but i think the target audience for this product has been misviewed slightly.

The average person will be fine with a £20-30 headset, which will usually last them a long time. If you want a reliable headset at that price with a bit of bling the echo ones cater for your needs sufficiently, and some FSA ones can be puchased in multiple anodised colours.

Most of the people who spend more on a headset do it because they want the best, whether thats looks, warranty, performance or brand name. I think chris king headsets generally have that "feel" to them that people associate with being the best, and if someones looking to spend that much money on a headset, they'll be able to push the extra £10 or so to pick up a king rather than a tensile one.

I think the tensile would have been much better if it had been aimed at around the £40-45 mark. Maybe the price could have been kept in the middle section between rock bottom prices and top quality branding by losing out on what seems slightly unnecessary, like the carbon top cap for instance, and the Ti bolt. I reckon if it had them as normal aluminium ones and a lower price more people would buy it due to the fact its cheaper whilst not being "quite as lightweight". Theres also the fact that the carbon top cap isn't designed for use with the high end onza stock forks (smart guys etc) due to the internal threads and narrow internal steerer diameter.

I just think that this might have missed the niche price range that would make it a much more appealing investment. Especially when its main selling point is the hardened steel components and the ceramic bearings... something i don't personally think justifies a £40 price hike on what seems to be an otherwise standard FSA/Cane creek style headset.

Edited February 25, 2007 by Krisboats

[basher]

People seem to be putting down this product already when they havn't tryed one. For all people no this headset could be better than a hope, raceface or king ect. People shouldn't go knocking things untill they have been tryed by many people and the verdicts start to roll in on it, so dont go saying its to expensive because it may turn out to be a amazing headset and worth every penny and more.

They look very nice and sound very nice by the spec, looks like you have done a great job.

[M-A-T-T]

FSA pig sealed for like half the price, that would be sorted.

[BikeDotStuffAtOnzaDotCom]

BT Head-sets are with steel bearings and alloy cup, weigt is 7g less and RR Price 46GBP

Its nitpicking I know, but ours was weighed with the star washer and the bolt to give a "complete" weight.

[Greetings]

For that money I'd rather have a King headset...

[Brian Bleech]

how deep do the cup go in a frame, compared to an FSA pig? Looks like a seriously good headset, way better than a hope. Make it in some fancy colours and the kids will lap it up...

[AdamR28]

how deep do the cup go in a frame, compared to an FSA pig?

9.95mm on the Tensile, FSA Pigs are 12mm bottom and 10mm top.

[Phatmike]

You buy king for the name, you buy hope for the quality, and you buy Deng for the asthetics why would you buy tensile?

I'd disagree with all three of those statements personally.

I'm amazed at the amount of interest in a new headset!

Obviously regarding the two other headsets which compete with the new tensile, Hope and CK, the hopes have been proven that they don't hold well up to trials, and are generally purchased for the Hope brand name and/or their asthetics, whereas Chris King have been proven over the last 2 1/2 decades that they're the most reliable performing headsets available.

Fair play to tensile, they've developed a new product which, from the specs seems to compare favourabley to the CK, and as we'll find out, may prove to be even better. Tensile now compete well with Middleburn cranks, which are generally widely accepted as the best for trials.

Nice one.

[Mike Poyzer @ Onza]

Just to answer a few quotes and queries. In our long experience of headset selling on things like King , Cane Creek FSA etc. we find that we sell 10 black to one of virtually any other colour. With a limited first production it therefore made sense to only do them in black anodising. Depending on demand we may add other colours later. To do flat colours like white requires powder coating which we generally find to be not a good finish on headsets so it is unlikely that we will produce one. It also leads to further problems on laser etching or screen printing logo's.

[Krisboats]

I'd disagree with all three of those statements personally.

I'm amazed at the amount of interest in a new headset!

Obviously regarding the two other headsets which compete with the new tensile, Hope and CK, the hopes have been proven that they don't hold well up to trials, and are generally purchased for the Hope brand name and/or their asthetics, whereas Chris King have been proven over the last 2 1/2 decades that they're the most reliable performing headsets available.

Fair play to tensile, they've developed a new product which, from the specs seems to compare favourabley to the CK, and as we'll find out, may prove to be even better. Tensile now compete well with Middleburn cranks, which are generally widely accepted as the best for trials.

Nice one.

Thats exactly what i'm trying to say though, the tensile cranks are £109 for an isis set where as the burns are £139. Similar quality products at a much more competitive price. With King headsets not costing much more than this i there isn't a great deal to make the tensile an obviously appealing product.

If tensiles cost £130 would you still buy them instead of £139 burns? I know i wouldn't, its not a reflection of the quality of the product, but i'd rather have a reputable and extremely good warranty over a slightly cheaper price.... and i think its going to be the same with the headsets.

[Ash-Kennard]

i would have the middleburns, as they have the awesome warrenty and they look the shiz

[Mark W]

I'm not trying to defend the headset to the death here or anything 'cos I don't have one and I never will, but you're arguing that people go for the Tensile cranks because they're £30 (22%) cheaper than the similar alternative. Bearing in mind we're talking about King headsets vs. Tensile, I just looked on Tarty and King headsets are £119. £65 and £119 is a substantial difference compared to the £109/£139 difference. I think it'll work in just the same way, really.

[AdamR28]

I think people are comparing the price to 'what you can get them for from the USA'. Obviously that should be subject to customs fees, duty and VAT, making the imported King headset much nearer the UK price.

Either way, I can't afford a King, so I'll be popping a Tensile in my headtube, they look extremely well made with good tolerances (digital calipers ) and the spec is very impressive for the price.

Adam

[Krisboats]

I'm not trying to defend the headset to the death here or anything 'cos I don't have one and I never will, but you're arguing that people go for the Tensile cranks because they're £30 (22%) cheaper than the similar alternative. Bearing in mind we're talking about King headsets vs. Tensile, I just looked on Tarty and King headsets are £119. £65 and £119 is a substantial difference compared to the £109/£139 difference. I think it'll work in just the same way, really.

I'm not saying people go for them solely on the fact that they're cheaper, but they fill a nice niche in the market which obviously helps with sales. I'm only trying to say i can't see it being such a good seller when you can get kings from ebay, every week for as little as £69+£5 postage.

A lot of people get their kings from ebay because of the cheaper price from the ebay shops, if i was going to get one i wouldn't think twice about the choice of buying it off ebay for £69 or buying it from a shop for £120, but then again, kings can be purchased for much less than £120 at most other places... like here.

I just think if the tensile one had been aimed at a £45-50 price it would fill the niche up quite nicely and i know i would probably buy one. But if i'm paying over £60 on a headset when £20 headsets have been lasting me just fine then i'd go all out and get a king, for the name and the warranty.