Chris King Bottom Brackets – Are they really worth 3* the price of an XTBB?

After genuine user feedback if people have any??

Cheers,

M.

I use the CK ones and if I had to use something else would probably choose Hope (what I used to use)…most other BB’s are more or less disposable. I always regrease mine when doing any other maintainence.

EDIT: I’ve one here in my spares box that has 1000’s of miles on it…I only changed because there was a noise coming from my bike that I thought was it. After changinging it though, turned out to be something else!

Not quite answering your question- I’ve not used the King BB. But I don’t think XTR is worth 10p more than XT, it’s different internally but seems to perform just the same

I had one fail after a year – changed under warranty. I think they are worth it if you have the grease tool…..but not without (I CBA to keep taking it back to a shop)

XTR bb’s are only £17 from Rose

You don’t need the grease tool, that just makes things easier…you can just pop the seal off the bearing.

Yes and no. They’re nicely made, don’t mind paying a premium for that, but if you’re not particularly hard on kit, or look after your stuff anyway, then I’d say probably not. Having said that I’m not sure mine would last that much longer if I ignored it as much as I ignore the hope one I’ve got ( which seems indestructible regardless of the treatment it gets)

But that’s not why folk buy CK is it?

Probably worth it, I’ve had 2 shitty winters and two ‘summers’ out of mine on the singlespeed, I’d usualy expect 8-14 months from XT, and it was already 2nd hand.

Might go buy the tool at some point…….

If its anything like a ck headset then it’s a definite yes from me. I have a ck headset fitted on my commuting bike, fitted late 2007 and not been touched since, I’ve ridden at least 20,000 miles on the bike through 5 winters and its as smooth as the day it was fitted.

Looked at getting a CK BB a few years ago after getting sick of Shimano BB’s lasting only months.

Ended up getting a Shimano internal square taper BB and nice pimply Middleburn chainset for less than the BB and grease gun. If it ain’t broke….

Just offering another option.

Hope do excellent BBs. They are better sealed and last much longer than XT. Iv never had one wear out.

As for Chris King – Iv never been able to justify buying any of their stuff. Its obsene money for what are, at the end of the day, pretty simple components. Their hubs are craaaaaazy money – who buys them?

If a Chris King BB lasted my entire lifetime it still wouldnt be worth it – Hope (just about) is.

Second hand CK here, on my SS. Been in a few years now. Swinnertons purged the grease for me last summer. Cost £7. It just keeps spinning away merrily. I wouldnt buy a new one though. Too pricey.

Cheers for the advice, Gents. Bought a brand new one today for £73.

Their hubs are craaaaaazy money – who buys them?

There are about 300,000 people worth over a million in this country alone, and you don’t need anything like that money to buy CK regardless of what folk think.

So, answer, millions of folk buy them.

It’s worth shopping around and not being too fussy – I got one for £67 a couple of months back in the Evans sale as it was “brown” and presumably no one was buying shitty coloured bottom brackets.

Given where it is hidden on the bike, and the fact that I only clean the bike every 3-4 rides, I figured I’d give it a go. No one has yet spotted it.

I really fancied a brown one