Is Chris King really worth spending the extra money on or is it better to go cheaper?

headset: no, ime. the steerer marking thing does happen and has put me off. cheaper headsets do just as good a job

hubs and bb, no personal experience so i'll hold me piece. they do look shiny though!

Hundreds will say no, hundreds will say yes.

I personally would say yes.

headset is fantastic look for a second hand one for a bargain

Not at full RRP it's not

Most of the headsets here are CK, never ever had a prob with a CK but all the others Cane, OnOne and Hope, need regular help and will get replaced by CKs when they die.

I was told the warranty is better than other brands which must mean average failure rates are lower

Only if you feel small in the trouser dept and need to wave your willy!
Nice kit but the extra price does not warrant the goods (Marketing Spin).
Waits for rush of Chris King clones to bat on about how many years they have had there headsets and that they have submerged them in the amazon and still running fine.
They need to justify spending twice the cash, other kit is fine like hope stuff and you wont be ripped off.

Hhhmmm, if you can get a good price on CK stuff then go for it, stopped using the headsets coz of the steerer issues, have a 20m front hub that has done 1000's of miles and is as smooth as the day i got it, with a DT 5.1 rim and DT spokes. The wheel had done 50 miles, was spotless and i paid only £120…so yep in that respect, it's worthwile, will probably try a BB at some point, but my hope one is going strong at nearly 2 years old.

Headsets, yes. Just from experience. Never used any of their other parts.

never paid full price, and would struggle to do so, but they are nice and very reliable. one of mine is on its 2nd bike and is 5 years old – all its had is the occasional wipe and regrease, which its never really needed. did get some marking on some 130mm forks, but only after 3 years regular use, and you couldn't feel it with the finger, only see the black anodising (or whatever it is) having come off the steerer.
front hub is also working very nicely, now its bedded in it doens't come loose.

Cane, OnOne and Hope, need regular help and will get replaced by CKs when they die.

No they won't because people like their steerers.

Defo,

Headsets and Bottom Brackets will go for miles, probably longer than your knees will hold up.

Wouldn't always buy at full RRP though.

Smart and will engineered.

I was told the warranty is better than other brands which must mean average failure rates are lower

All products (by all suppliers) are priced with warranty taken into account, so maybe their costs are higher… a bit like Merc/BMW/Jag

IMO once you've gone past the cheaper end, its just personal preference.

No they won't because people like their steerers.

In all honesty, I know this happens, but I've had three sets of forks from 140-160mm on three different bikes and never had this issue.

got king headsets, BB and wheels, cant fault them. price is relative

Headsets excellent, hubs not worth the money, bottom brackets untested. For me.

Never had the steerer problem here either and we have a few sets. Agree they are too much but ours are all SH so yet to pay more than a Hope price and seem to go on forever.

By repute the CK tandem special hub is the strongest hub out there. a very rare and expensive beast but apart from a rohloff the only hub not to fail under mtb tandeming

Pricey, but I have used CK exclusively over the past 15 years I have never had either a headset or hub problem of any kind.

coogan – Member

No they won't because people like their steerers.

In all honesty, I know this happens, but I've had three sets of forks from 140-160mm on three different bikes and never had this issue.

What the Sarge said..

I run Fox 36s on my Heckler, and no dramas here..

I've got 4 headsets. They're all brilliant. One is now 12 years old and still fine, although the crown race finally became too loose to use last month – I guess it's been on and off one too many pairs of forks!

The hubs are masses of cash, but again the bearing just last forever. Lesser hubs, even Hope, just don't last as long from my own use. That said, I currently have some Hugi 240s to which I've fitted ceramic bearings and they're still smooth after 4 seasons racing.

GB

Yes, headsets are worth it.

I have experienced some marking on steerers, however it does **** all to affect them, so will all you bumberclarts stop harking on about it.

Shiny Mango.

nuf said!

I'm still running a £7.00 FSA headset on my S Works that i put on when i built it in 2001. The bike has been used, abused, jet washed, ridden in all weathers etc and the only time the headset has been touched is when i've changed the forks (so basically its been greased twice in that time).
Its still smooth as the day it was put on so no, paying £90 odd for a spangly headset is pointless.

no 🙂

Yes to both headset and bb….

headsets and bb id say yes but hubs i wouldnt

FSA Pigs here. Just changed the upper and lower bearings after nearly 5 years abuse and no maintenance, so at £19.99 for the headset and £8 for the bearings every 4 or 5 years why would I want anything else?

Personally, I've never had any sub-£40 headset last much more than a year. Not one. So I buy King headsets either from the USA when the Pound is strong or secondhand. One new one on MrsPPs bike cost £65 and mine were all around £45.
So far I've had about 3 years out of the used one on my inbred, so £15 a year so far seems like a bargain to me.
I have had a Pike steerer marked by one, but that's all it was, a mark. I couldn't even feel it with my fingernail, so I fail to see how that's a problem myself.

I wouldn't bother with tfeie hubs myself, because I believe you can get better hubs for less money. For that price I'd have Royce hubs myself. They make King hubs look like overpriced costume jewelry IMO. 🙂

I've had various headsets give me problems after riding in wet/muddy conditions. CK headset has been on 3 bikes now, and apart from needing the odd clean and re-grease has been faultless.

The hubs are really nice, 72 tooth engagement on the rear has very good pick-up, they're incredibly well-engineered using top quality materials and go on for years and years. Front hub is alot of cash for a front hub, but faultless there too. Had some very shiny Mavic wheels before which needed lots of bearings changing, so IMO the CK front is worth the money.

CK components are NOT 'fit and forget' – they're designed to be maintained (occasional cleaning and re-greasing basically), but will give a lifetime of service. Rear hubs can freeze in winter if not maintained properly – CK go for quality bearings which will tolerate a bit of water and minimum sealing rather than using cheap bearings/uber sealing (which causes drag). Consequently moisture in the ring drive may need to be removed every so often (it's a 10-minute job). I'm very happy with my CK stuff and would definitely buy again, although I probably won't need to!

P.S. Headset warranty is 10 years, hub warranty is 5 years.

Is it worth it? I've had my Chris King wheels since 2002. I've really only ever run one bike. So they've been used (and self serviced twice) by me for the past 6yrs.

My King headset has been in and out of circa 50frames? since 2003 all fitted by myself.

You get what you pay for. No idea on the BB's. I'll wait to see what the first run's longevity is like before taking the plunge but seeing as BB prices are relatively high anyway I dont see why not.

Chris King is the only thing I havent bought and sold repeatdly.

having seen what the king headset on my 80mm equipped Bontrager race and the piccies of Hincappies trek i would never touch another king headset.

they may be durable but the patent avoidance means the design is $hit.

Quality does not come cheap.

TJ shouldn't that be mtb tandemeering?

Yes

having seen what the king headset on my 80mm equipped Bontrager race and the piccies of Hincappies trek i would never touch another king headset.

they may be durable but the patent avoidance means the design is $hit.

Clarify? Links etc?

I used to ruin cheap headsets at a rate of 1 a year and have had my CK headset for 2 years now without any issues. I had a Hope one that did OK and sold on S/H so Hope is also a good bet IMO

Another year with the CK headset and I'll be quids in. its been on 3 frames not with no issues on any. Always fitted by me.

I also have a Ck rear hub and its mint. Paid £215 (new) for it last year (for a prezzie to me for reaching 40!) in a sale. The speed it engages is ace and a few degrees of crank movement have the wheel engaging. I stripped it a few months ago to give it a wipe and it looked mint inside after 10 months of riding through crap. One of the bearings had some dirt in it the other was fresh as a daisy.

IMO, CK is worth it if you can get it less than RRP, but even then it will still be dearer than the competition.

As someone has already pointed out, it isn't fit and forget stuff. It needs to be looked after every so often and if you're willing to do that, you won't regret the investment.

My stripped hub. Machining marks still visible after 9 months!

best image i can find, whatever the official reason, the deep scores on my steerer do make me think there is more than has been officially said.

Ive had scores on a steerer once- the headset wasnt fully tightened though. I think you have to over-torque to a degree.

Is the above a carbon steerer?