Topcap Deepdive
This is the first NICHECYCLING.CH newsletter so thank you for signing up and enjoy a deep dive into topcaps.
Top caps are an interesting part from a niche perspective. Technically the only function they serve is to preload your headset correctly before tightening your stem. It serves no purpose when riding and you could also ride without one. In fact, Schmolke Carbon offers a steer tube cap to cover the steerer after removing the top cap, expander and bolt. Weight saving is a hell of a drug.
What crank bolts and preload rings are for cranks - top caps are for the cockpit. If you look at Dura-Ace or Sram Red cranks those parts are made from plastic and work fine. But why are top caps never made from plastic then?
The answer is I don't know for sure, but I could imagine that a cheap plastic version would work fine but make a Walmart bike look even cheaper and this is why top caps matter. They are very exposed and deserve some attention.
There is a special niche category of top caps, and I don’t know if there is already a name for it yet but I’m going to refer to it as performative top caps.
Some impressive examples of performative top caps here:
Bentley Components
HEX Components
77designz allows you to clip on your favourite beer (or other drinks because it's also cool to not drink alcohol).
Also available for your fork to match but this is not a deep dive about fork air caps.
Enough about performative top caps. Let’s focus on minimalism. Minimalism is a lifestyle that gained a lot of popularity in the last couple of years. If minimalism is healthy or just another extreme form of capitalism is another topic but interestingly the aesthetic of minimalism is very objective and follows the most basic rule of aerodynamics: Reduce or fill.
Let’s, make an example with a 32 spoke wheel. To make it more aero dynamic you could reduce the spokes to 24, 20 or even 16. You could also fill the gap and use a disc wheel. I don’t know of any aerodynamics top cap test, but you could probably call it neglectable or marginal depending on how you look at performance.
Intend makes a clean top cap called Dandy. We sell it and it works on any stem but sits especially flush on Intend Grace stems.
To make the Dandy step up on the stairs to minimalism heaven it would seem logical to reduce the parts from two to only one. There are already some manufacturers doing one piece top caps and in theory it is great.
Bikeyoke Topper absoluteBlack premium integrated headset top cap
Both options have waves or edges and because of the one piece construction they will rub against your stem when tightening. This might scratch the anodization or what ever surface finish your stem has.
Enough market analysis. Let’s begin the mission of the aesthetically most minimalistic possible top cap. The goal was not to make the lightest or strongest top cap but to make a clean looking flat top cap that only has the necessary small opening for an Allen key. This mission brought me to this design. Simple 31mm outer diameter with a 5mm hole for the Allen key. This is as minimalistic as possible. To be even more radical the opening in the middle could be reduced to 3.5mm but I prefer to not make it too tight so the tool will not scratch the opening. To make this design possible the bottom has two clamps/rails that support a titanium bolt. Because titanium is much harder than alloy, the tool interface can be reduced to a 3mm Allen key without the risk of rounding it out or the need of using unconventional Torx bolts.
There are only 10 prototypes of this Minimalist Top Cap. They are CNC machined and anodized in Zurich by Feramic AG. The included bolt is from pro-bolt and fulfils the highest standard.
If you read until here, you might wonder why you got a newsletter about a prototype that is not even available for sale. It’s because we are still testing but expect to release them soon.
We apologize for geeking out hard on top caps and thank you for your time and attention. Those are the most precious values you can give, and we truly appreciate it.