Integrated headet

[Ivan]

A Ritchey A-head zero pro. I took away my fork this morning and noticed that it was awfull dirty, after just 2 months of use. Granted, I did a lot of long training rides in the rain. I also noticed the bearings weren't running smooth anymore. Is this normal after 2 months ? Do I need to replace my bearings or headset and most important, if I replace my headset, which one do I choose ? Weight matters of course, but durability also (I still live in Belgium - that means lots and lots of rain). Price is no odject.
I know this is not a 100 % WW question but there is no "technical" forum here ...

[Weisse Luft]

Integrated headsets are only a means of simplicity at the cost of the frame manufacturers who must assure MUCH tighter machining tolerances on the head tube. Furthermore, it places additional wear on the head tube which is probably one source of the dirt in your headset bearings.

Supposedly, Chris King has a partial solution to the problem. Please see their fact sheet on the technical weaknesses of the integrated headset designs. In my formal and applied engineering experiences applied to the bicycle headset, I find this document to be a valid summation.

http://www.chrisking.com/tech/int_heads ... ain_1.html

Even though the Ritchey uses press-in bearings, it still suffers these weaknesses. More frequent srevice is the only solution.