Cane Creek’s affordable premium Hellbender 70 headsets get two upgrade options with a new 70 Lite that’s now lighter than a 100 and a 70 Slam with one of the lowest stack height ever, so you can #slamthatstem to get your bar down. Plus, their ever-popular, super-fancy rim-brake eeBrakes get a new El Verde limited edition that goes on sale today…
What’s to say about a lightweight headset except that it’s lighter? The new version of Cane Creek’s made-in-Taiwan 6061-T6 aluminum sealed bearing threadless Hellbender 70 headset series is now 35% lighter than before, making it even lighter than their top-tier US-made 110. Compare an Integrated IS 70 Lite at 54g vs. the 110 at 79g, or a ZeroStack ZS Lite 70 at 90g vs. the 110 at 107g (all Cane Creek weight claims.)
Cane Creek says the new alloy cups are internally contoured (machined?) to remove excess material without compromising strength. And they get new hybrid construction Hellbender LITE sealed cartridge bearings with a steel inner ring/ball race and a red-ano aluminum outer race. Cane Creek calls them an “optimal balance between weight savings and durability”.
Another interesting point here, the 110 shares the same standard Hellbender bearing tech with the 70, so the existence of a 70 Lite suggests a 110 Lite could be possible soon, as well.
The new Cane Creek Hellbender 70 Lite headset is available to pre-order now to fit many lightweight bikes. An IS headset sells for $100, and a ZS headset sells for $117 with deliveries expected later this month.