Chris King

[mtbfree]

Thought some of you might be interested in this article/interview with the man himself:

Chris King's Noble Vision: Products Near Perfection

Read that and try to tell me you don't want to spec your next bike with all CK components.

[iamkickstand]

i read it, I still don't want to spec my next bike with all CK components.

[Critter7r]

FWIW, the Specialized headset that came on my FSR in 2002 still works just fine.

[mtbfree]

I've destroyed my fair share of headsets, but that's not the main reason I want all CK stuff... I want it more because of the fact that it's made in the U.S. in an environmentally responsible manner to a VERY high degree of precision. You don't find all three of those things from one company very often.

[iamkickstand]

I've destroyed my fair share of headsets, but that's not the main reason I want all CK stuff... I want it more because of the fact that it's made in the U.S. in an environmentally responsible manner to a VERY high degree of precision. You don't find all three of those things from one company very often.

I like their stuff, I'm just too poor to afford it.

[NotSoSuperlight]

I will always use CK headsets, but I will always use Phil Wood hubs.

[dirt]

I've destroyed my fair share of headsets, but that's not the main reason I want all CK stuff... I want it more because of the fact that it's made in the U.S. in an environmentally responsible manner to a VERY high degree of precision. You don't find all three of those things from one company very often.

I like their stuff, I'm just too poor to afford it.

\

Depends on how you look at it. The headset on my first MTB turned to crap within a year. I replaced it with a used $70 CK headset, and I'm still using that same headset 9 years later.

[okeja]

...and I put a diacompe basic a-headtset to hard use for 13 years without hicup

Bling parts do not by default work better or last longer than good parts


I appreciate Chris King because they make great parts in a responsible way
I even understand their premium price because of their processes and quality

I would very much like a set of hubs ...but keep finding other places to spend my spare money

[ArcticRobot]

Lets repeat ten more times this standard marketing mantra: handcrafted, handchecked, handpolished by virgins, environmentally conscious, made in usa, wrapped in a silk of venerian spyder.
I will take Cane Creek headset and Hope Pro 2 hubs any day over this glorified jewelry.

[RMXByker]

I'm not going to lie, I appreciate the work that is put into Kings stuff. I run a fair amount of it now. In all, I think its a great product that has the type of precision I'm expecting and I'm willing to pay for. This is why I run King and this is why I will continue to run King.

[bergsteiger]

I like king parts too.
My only beef with them was the not using the dia-comp split lock ring saying it was not needed, then putting out a new improved top cap including a split lock ring not long after the patent expired.
Though I do have 2 kings with the old style in the fleet and neither creek.

my only other problem is the rarity of purple parts.

[KLydesdale]

Lets repeat ten more times this standard marketing mantra: handcrafted, handchecked, handpolished by virgins, environmentally conscious, made in usa, wrapped in a silk of venerian spyder.
I will take Cane Creek headset and Hope Pro 2 hubs any day over this glorified jewelry.

And calling Chris King glorified jewelry is just as bad as their overblown marketing mantra.

The freewheel mechanism in my CK freehub makes the ones in my Hope hubs look like cheap kid toys in terms of design and engineering and that alone, in my opinion, is more than enough to justify the extra cost.

I like my Hope Pro II hub but there are plenty of reports of split freehub shells and broken pawls and springs in them out there. If I have to worry about that, I might as well have stuck with Shimano for 1/3 the cost.

[ArcticRobot]

Lets repeat ten more times this standard marketing mantra: handcrafted, handchecked, handpolished by virgins, environmentally conscious, made in usa, wrapped in a silk of venerian spyder.
I will take Cane Creek headset and Hope Pro 2 hubs any day over this glorified jewelry.

And calling Chris King glorified jewelry is just as bad as their overblown marketing mantra.

The freewheel mechanism in my CK freehub makes the ones in my Hope hubs look like cheap kid toys in terms of design and engineering and that alone, in my opinion, is more than enough to justify the extra cost.

I like my Hope Pro II hub but there are plenty of reports of split freehub shells and broken pawls and springs in them out there. If I have to worry about that, I might as well have stuck with Shimano for 1/3 the cost.

It might be nicely engineered hub, but they add a big chunk of cost by all that jewelryfying and hand polishing. I don't need jewelry on my bikes, I don't wash them and ride dirt and mud.

[Paul Brown]

Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has fallen out of favor evidently.

[mtbfree]

Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has fallen out of favor evidently.

What? Great book, but what does that have to do with this conversation?
If you're referring to the author's obsession with simple, easy to maintain, high quality parts, then I would think that Chris King hubs and headsets would be the obvious choice (yes, I know you need specialty tools to do a full rebuild of a King hub, but basic maintenance is remarkably simple and only requires a couple of allen keys - it's even easier than cup and cone hubs).