Steel Bicycle Headset: Can it Take Load?

[robind]

I have a tandem bicycle with a 1" headtube. I'd like to use a 1 1/8" fork with it. The ID of the tube of 30.1 mm. The OD of a 1 1/8" steer tube (the part of the fork that passes through the headtube) is 28.6 mm. 30.1-28.6=1.5 mm of diameter for the headset cup (the part of the headset in which the sealed bearing rests) to be inserted into the headtube. The cup is pressed into the headtube with a .1mm interference fit. My question is this:
Is there is enough room between the headtube and steertube for the walls of the headset to take the load and not interfere with the steer tube?
For instance, the walls could be .7 mm thick leaving a .05 mm gap. I'm afraid that deflection will close that gap.

 

[_coyote_]

The answer to this question is that it depends on the exact headset and fork you are using. The best way to determine if the headset will fit properly is to measure the inside diameter of the headtube and the outside diameter of the steertube with a caliper and compare them to the specifications of the headset and fork. If the measurements match the specs, then the headset should fit correctly.