I’ve got a pair of King ISO hubs kicking around in the shed. The rear is QR and the front has a 24mm thru axle for a maverick fork. Both 32H

I’ve also just bought a Planet X Tempest with a Force 1 groupset. The bike’s great, but I’m thinking I could build some nicer wheels around these hubs. The stock Fulcrums are OK, but I’d like something lighter.

So I need to change the axles for 12mm thru, and get a clamp thingy for each one. I was thinking a pair of tubeless Kinlin rims – I think Hunt use them. I can build them, so only have to buy spokes.

So is this worth the bother and the expense? Or will the wheels I end up with be no better than the Fulcrums?

Also I’m a bit confused by thru axles. It makes sense that I have to change what I have because obviously they won’t fit, but axles seem to come with frame/forks rather than the hubs??

Thanks!

The axle comes with the frame and fork (usually).

Presumably* Chris King will sell you a set of end caps and tubes for your hubs that the axle will slide through.

*I don’t know how convertible their hubs are.

The king hubs I have used in the past have generally been quite convertable but they do require a whole new axle and pre-load collar generally, especially if going to through axle.

I would have a look on AVT bike as they seem to have a good stock of CK stuff.

Chris King themselves are also quite quick at responding to emails as I had a question about a hub conversion recently and they got back to me within a day or 2.

The front will be a large diameter designed for 15/20/24mm axle. Might not be able to take a 12mm. The rear should convert fine

I run CK ISO hubs on my Tempest.
‘Normal’ rear through axle, same as an mtb one.
You’ll need to buy a new axle but the preload collar should be the same. (Was on mine, anyway). Not the cheapest, iirc it was circa £60.
The easiest (and cheapest) was to do the front, as I had a 15mm axle so I just bought some press in 12mm converters from eBay for less than a tenner.
Mine have Stans Arch rims, simply because they were already laced to them from mtb duties.
Definitely lighter than the stick Fulcrums.
You’ll need new disc rotors too as the stock ones are Centrelock not 6 bolt.

‘Is it worth doing’
Financially, probably not.
But a road bike with some nice ck hubs will be a thing of beauty imo.
Ymmv.

The Tempest is a beauty – I love Titanium!

However you also said “The stock Fulcrums are OK, but I’d like something lighter”

According to Planet X the Fulcrum wheels are already quite light at 1620g

Will the new wheels be as light? Is it OK if they aren’t?

CK hubs are also things I admire – so maybe??

I must say I thought they were heavier than that, but I don’t have a means of weighing them accurately, and even if I did I’m not sure I could be bothered to fetch the tyres and rotors off.

If I use Stans Crest rims, they should come out at around the 1400g mark, maybe a fraction less.

I’m puzzled by the end cap thing – never done that before. The front hub already has a 24mm axle, so I can’t see how that would work, or am I missing something?

I’ve since come across another possibility for the rear. The Tempest has replaceable alu inserts in the dropouts – Planet X sell them for QR axles, so I could leave the hub alone and adapt the frame. The trouble is Planet X want £30 per side which is pretty much what it’ll cost me to convert the hub. Does anyone know if those inserts are standard items I could buy elsewhere, or are they only available from Planet X?

Thanks all,

Peter