Description
Will this work?
- Fits IS41/28.6 head tubes, 1-1/8″ straight steerer
- Drop-in cups, no headset press required
- Cups seat snugly in the IS41 bore
- 54 loose steel ball bearings included
- Cups, races, seals, washers, spacers included
- OEM compression plug and top cap included
Condition
All components have been cleaned and are presented disassembled. Cups, races, and seals show black finish with light service wear. Ball bearings are bright steel throughout. Compression plug and top cap show clean alloy with light surface marks. plenty of miles left.
Notes from MyBikeThing
Pulled from a 2005 Specialized Allez Comp frame during teardown, so this is an era-correct OEM set rather than a guess at a substitute. The Mindset is Specialized’s own proprietary design and it’s the single most frustrating part to source for a mid-2000s Specialized rebuild — dealers gate it and half the aftermarket cross-references are wrong. The cups seat tighter in the IS41 bore than generic drop-in cartridge bearings do, which is exactly why people who substitute aftermarket parts into these frames end up chasing creaks. The included compression plug matters too: carbon steerers can’t take a star nut, and a correct expander is another twenty dollars and a shipping wait.
Workshop Wisdom
Loose-ball reassembly is easy if you let the grease do the work. Pack the race with a thick waterproof grease first, then press the balls down into it one at a time — they’ll stay put while you invert the fork and drop the crown into position. Count them as you go and split the total evenly between upper and lower races so both sides run the same. Snug the compression plug’s top cap only until the play disappears, then align the stem and torque the steerer clamp bolts. Those bolts hold the assembly; the top cap only sets preload.
Guarantee
You put in the miles, we put in the work! 30-day Guarantee, rest assured of fit, function and condition.
Keywords
Specialized, Mindset, Mindset headset, OEM headset, integrated headset, IS41, IS41/28.6, 1-1/8, drop-in headset, loose ball headset, compression plug, expander plug, crown race, Allez, Allez Comp, 2005 Allez, Roubaix, Tricross, rebuild kit, proprietary headset
















