Chris King may not have a wildly diverse product range, but the company, and the man, make damned sure their products are the best they can be.
GripLock
It’s a safe to say that Chris King sets the standard when it comes to headsets. They’re extremely reliable, pretty and they work great. Yet Chris King, the man, refuses to rest. Improving on perfection is tough, but he did it with the GripLock headset.
Forks with carbon fibre steerer tubes are becoming more popular, and they tend to be a little more tender than aluminium steerer tubes. Even aluminium steerer tubes are not immune to taking the brunt of the force when the front wheel takes a hit. After a while, that force can stress the steerer tube where it is clamped by the headset. It will come loose and potentially harm the steerer.
To reduce this stress, and to create a headset with an even more invincible grip, Chris King developed a system that uses a ‘dual wedge technology’ where two wedge rings are placed over the steerer tube. This system keeps the headset bearing adjustment away from the actual steerer tube.
And it’s not just for fancy carbon road and cyclocross bikes. Long-travel mountain bikes can also benefit from the GripLock system.
Sour Apple
Chris King likes to offer limited-edition colors on all of its products. Right now, you can get Sour Apple yellowish greenish goods if you order between September 1, 2014 and May 1, 2015. Get ’em while they’re ripe.
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