What’s so good about ’em? Never owned one, come close in a couple of occasions but never took the plunge. Are they really that much better than other brands (just bought a hope one) and if so how?

Chris Bling… they are nice though. But anything with sealed bearings is alright.

Chris King are the only fit-and-forget headset I’ve found so far… all the others I have tried have ended up requiring attention .

Hope headsets are a bit poorly sealed so crap gets in them and makes them grindy, but because the bearings are stainless you can clean it out and regrease it.

don’t bother – they have only just added the split-collars to their headsets and before used an o-ring that could mark your steerer, just because they didn’t want to pay the cane-creek patent, which has just run out.

Considering how expensive they were this was very poor imho.

Stick with Hope.

headsets are basically a “solved” problem, as the principle hasn’t changed for so long, they all work.
I usually buy Hope for the stainless bearings also, but cheap CC or FSA are really fine.

BBs on the other hand (external HT2 type)..

I do know a guy has had a CK headset for donkey’s years and has never had to do a thing to it. I’d say its fit and forget, but he doesn’t forget and in fact reminds anyone who will listen about it every chance he gets…. 😀

Had them but to be honest, Cane Creek S3 is just as good if looked after.

I have a King BB that’s now got play in it….

smiff – Member

headsets are basically a “solved” problem, as the principle hasn’t changed for so long, they all work.
Just because they all work doesn’t mean they’ll last! 😕

I have a cane creek on my current bike. Only had it since May and if the bike is unused for a couple of days it needs a bit of a wiggle to get it rolling again and feels a bit crap really.

A King will be in there soon. Fit it, forget it!! And pretty colours. Worth the money? Oh yes.

Chris Bling… they are nice though. But anything with sealed bearings is alright.

Disagree. Cane Creek in one bike has been changed several times in the last couple of years, King in another has been completely untouched for 8 years now, still perfect.

Just had bearings changed on an 09 headset that was new with the bike (it was only a £600 bike as I’m assuming it’s low end). Two year old Hope headset is still running smooth in another bike. Not convinced CK headsets are worth the premium, although I’d probably get one if building a ‘bike for life’

The CK headset on my old hard tail is now 15 + years old and all the parts are original. Only part of that bike that’s as it was when I built it up.

I like them. I’ve got two headsets that are over 10yrs old. One of which has been in 3 different frames and has only been serviced once in that time. The other has been untouched.

I had one, it was not fit and forget. They are not that well made and since then I have found Hope and CC as good. If you ignore the name, you cant justify the price.

(Unless you have just bought one and then of course it will be the best thing ever)

No seal is fully sealed, if you wash your bike with a cleaning fluid like Muc Off some will end up removing some grease and you will end up wearing out bearings fast.

Get a Hope (lots of sizes and spares availability) when the bearings wear out buy cheap replacements from a bearing supplier. They are very cheap, so even if it lasts a year or less you wont be upset.

Plus they do keep up with technology and trends. CK couldnt supply a headset for my Covert for example ! Its not that odd a bike, but they just couldnt cope with an integrated tapered steerer, where as Cane Creek and Hope could.

If you look at a CK bearing its not different to the bearings I got for my Hope.

I reckon those who say their CK has been in their bike since Jesus started riding would have found the same using any quality bearing.

They may be riders who dont soak their bikes in Muc off, fit them properly and dont fill their headtubes with water when washing their bikes.

Plenty of long lasting headsets these days, but that wasn’t once the case.

Those of who still have King headset from the early 90s have nothing else with bearings still working from back then. They were miiiillllleesss ahead of other headsets in terms of longevity back then.

Buying today? Slap a Hope on.

I still buy King, but old habits die hard. It’s nostalgia now, but it used to be a practical thing.

ive got one it`s very nice,but so is my hope,not worth the extra money 🙄

Worth a read

I’d like Hope to tone down the branding on their headsets, much prefer the subtle Chris King.

Worth a read

that’s why they used the flawed O-rings for so long then, and then as soon as the patent was up they changed – I see.

What’s so good about ’em?

Apparently they are fit and forget…

Until I read your thread… I’d forgotten I had one.

😀

They’re just very good, and have lasted better than the Hope units I’ve had.
A chap I know has several that are over 10 years old and still working fine.
I don’t use anything else on my ‘good’ bikes

We read it first time round TurnerGuy… and those of us that have used them for years have either been effected by this terrible O-ring design thing or not.

None of my four experienced any problems despite seeing use on 80, 140, and latterly 160mm forks… I’m not easy on kit and a number of the frames and forks were broken in that time.

I’m not a fan of Muc-off and just use water. But it’s muddy where I live so my bikes tend to get a hose-job after almost every ride. My Chris King’s have been fine with that… Cane Creek’s rusted solid in a month, an Acros lasted 6 months, FSA Orbit MX and extreme needed greasing every year, as did my Hope.

I remember Jedi had problems with his 1.5 CK headset but mine have been no problem.

Yep… I’m a fan of Chris King headsets. The less I have to approach my bike with a hammer the more happier I am.

I have had a Chris King headset in my singlespeed frame since 1999 and have never touched it. Still smooth as silk.

Happy days.

the two CKs i’ve had have been perfect. I’d buy in an instant next time i have h/s needs. that’s all i have to say.

I was looking for a new headset on payday, i was recommended the Acros ones, anyone clued up on these ? better or worse than King/Hope etc ?

I’ve got an Acros one (about a year old), and several CK ones (all > 10years old), and a couple of Hope ones (bout 5 years old).

So far the Hopes have needed most looking after needing clean and grease once or twice a year, CK I have never touched and don’t intend to as they still feel like the day I got them. The Acros one seems well sealed and has remained smooth after a year so it’s doing better than the Hope ones, but only time will tell if it lasts as well as the CK ones.

Have had marking on *ONE* fork steerer from a CK and it seems to have been due to a combination of the fork steerer being very slightly undersized compared to my other forks, and running it slightly loose for a couple of rides.

FWIW I think the CK ones do last better, and I’ve not really had issues with the O-ringyness, but I wouldn’t fork out RRP for one, just buy them second hand now for the same price as a new –insert-other-decent-headset-here– .

If you look at a CK bearing its not different to the bearings I got for my Hope.

Really quite wrong. CK make their own bearings to very tight tolerances, not buy ’em off the shelf.

2 CK’s here, 7 & 8 years old, 5 different frames between ’em & zero servicing yet they’ stil smooth as. 1 Hope, 14 months, it turned to gravel.

My headsets are the only bits of my bikes that receive zero attention.

I had a series of Kings bought second hand – mostly off here. On short travel bikes, they were flawless. Never had to touch them, year in, year out. (various FSAs prior to that, they were OK for the cash, but never anything better, and when it’s £30 for an FSA or £40 for a mint S/hand King, well, go figure!)

Once I started getting into bigger travel, I had a lot of problems with the O-rings wearing the steerer and them constantly knocking (I was retightening 2 or 3 times a day when I went to Whistler one summer). Still got 2 on my Simple and Soda though.

So I switched to Hopes on the bigger bikes. Never had any “functional” issues (knocking), but the bearings are no where near as smooth from new, and they do need an annual rebuild. I’ve got the bottom cup of a Cane creek XX on my Uzzi (1.5″) and that’s shockingly badly sealed in comparison to Hope or King

Now King have got rid of the stupid O-ring, I’d very seriously consider going back the King route for future bikes, especially if I could wangle one at a deal price. They are just that bit better.

King headsets are really good, fit and forget for sure.
I had a few, swapped them between bikes and each time checked the bearings to see if they needed any attention, but they were fine every time.

Cane Creek S8 was another very good headset mind, the S3 is not in the same league.

Has anyone upgraded to the new King gripnut to replace the crappy o-ring bearing cap? They are $29 on aspire velo-tech, and I can’t decide whether to get one or to just replace the whole headset (which is still smooth, it’s just eating my steerer).

Bought my CK Second hand about 7 years ago.
I have had it on four frames and 3 forks.
I have a new frame arriving next week and was wondering if there’s anything that will come close to CK headset.
I might even get a brand new one, Rasta maybe?
CK really has been fit and forget.
Everything else has broken, bent, corroded, faded, snapped, twisted, worn out or fallen off.

I used to ruin headsets every 8 months. An on one smoothie lasted about 6. No idea why I might be heavy on headsets but I clearly am.

Anyway, I gt a bit sick of new headsets and fitting them ( I went through them that quickly, I bought a proper Park Tools headset press!) so bought a Chris King headset.

I’ve had the CK headset for about 5 years now and it’s been on 2 or 3 frames. I also have an Orbit Extreme Pro headset on my other bike, it’s lasted a long time too.

You get what you pay for I guess.

Worth the money for me but Hope are nice too IMO.

The o-ring thing was pretty crappy. Claiming for years that it was their preferred design then changing immediately once they could was more crappy. But then selling the corrected part to people who’d already paid a fortune for the o-ring headsets, that was super mega crappy.

They’re nice headsets, now, but how many FSA Orbits can you buy for the same price? And how much better are the Kings? Many, and not much.

Timix, CK are so overpriced and over rated you looked into getting one for your Covert 🙂

Whether they are worth it depends on what “it” is, and what the price of the competition is. I paid £60 new for mine, Ive seen Hopes labelled up for more, and the top end Cane Creek 110 is the same money as a CK.

The bearings are far better than any other bearing I have had on a bike and are built and sealed differently. My CK is 8yrs old and would pass as new in both look and feel. Other brands have closed the gap, when CK came out they were leagues better, but out of our fleet of bikes with a range of headsets on the CK is the only one that has never needed any attention.

Now their hubs, they really are over rated. Any hub you have to urinate on to get it to work in the winter is really taking the p— 🙂

I’ve had one for 6 years. Bought it when I didn’t know any better.

It marked 2 pairs of forks. It used to creak like a creaky thing until I took it apart and cleaned the outside of the bearings and the race.

I bought the new fitting getting rid of the o-ring as soon as I could.

Have a Cane Creek on my HT which has lasted 7 years.

If I was doing it again I would buy Hope.