Are all Acros headsets junk?

[Sparkomatic]

Just seen a third Across headset premature failure.

One came fitted on my Vitus Sentier, it lasted two rides before seizing up and the lower bearing was made of pure rust inside & out.
One came on my Scott Genius and whilst it did a little better than above, it started creaking like made within 12 months.
I've just been looking at a friend's Haibike CF6. 80 miles on the odometer & guess what, Acros headset sounding incredibly rough like the bearings are made of pure rust!

Are they all this bad?

 

[Bones]

They will be made to a price and that will be as cheap as possible!
I recommend that you go on a bearing shop website and get something not made from Chinese cheese. Also buy some marine grease from eBay and fill the bearings with that.
They do need to be checked regularly if you ride in wet/muddy conditions as they are not fit and forget items

 

[steve_sordy]

Get your bearings from Trailvision, the Blue Seal ones when you can. They claim all sorts of good things for them, so I bought some. Their price and delivery are competitive and they have all sorts of handy web pages to help you choose your bearings. The bearings I have fitted, have each time never needed replacing and have been trouble free.
See here:

Blueseal Bike Bearings™ | For Wheels, Freehub, Pedals, Bottom Bracket

Unlike standard bearings, Blueseal Bike Bearings™ are bike-specific bearings, designed to withstand the unique challenges faced by a bike bearing. ABEC 3 rating, a complete fill of premium waterproof grease and close-contact rubber seals make Blueseal Bike Bearings™ the obvious choice for bicycles.

trailvision.co.uk

 

[John_likes_bikes]

Yes and worse.

 

[Sparkomatic]

They will be made to a price and that will be as cheap as possible!
I recommend that you go on a bearing shop website and get something not made from Chinese cheese. Also buy some marine grease from eBay and fill the bearings with that.
They do need to be checked regularly if you ride in wet/muddy conditions as they are not fit and forget items

They're very cheaply made with lots of plastic including the cups(!) themselves in the case of the OEM Acros that was fitted to my Sentier. They're certainly not cheap to buy though, the original Across lower I used on one of my bikes was £70 yet the Hope upper (far superior having a stainless bearing & made in the UK) was only £40.

I suspect OEMs get them waaaaay cheaper than the general public can buy 'em for

 

[franciscoasismm]

Whenever I change a bearing I look for SKF and forget to change that bearing again. SKF is expensive but it comes cheap over time