Wheels Of Steel

I would like to understand why, objectively and subjectively, Chris King components are any better than other higher end brands. For example, one can purchase, or sell, a Ritchey WCS headset for half the price of a NoThreadSet which weighs 2 grams more than the King and carries the same lifetime guarantee. Is it the fact that their components are "100% made in the USA" that boasts such appeal?

mrrabbit 

Let's see...

1. Made in USA for people who live in the USA...that's a plus.
2. Good documentation.
3. They answer the phone...
4. Light and decent durability.
5. Like Phil Wood, axle design is somewhat stronger than a straight through M9 / M10 - even when used in slightly misaligned dropouts.
6. They do look nice...
7. They don't change their *&^% every year just to be the latest and greatest - stability and consistency is a nice thing.
8. Buy a rear hub now, chances are pretty good when you new a new freehub - they'll still be around - and they'll still have 'em. You won't be left with a useless but otherwise perfectly good hub.

Sure they're pricey, but so are Phils, Hopes, White I's, and Shimano XTR's...

=8-)

mechBgon

In regards to their rear hubs, it woud be interesting to see their changelog. They seem to have a lot of nuanced revisions that are merely hinted at in the hub-service instructions. Personally, if someone wants a CK rear hub overhauled with new bearings, I'll send the whole wheel in to CK or recommend that they do so themselves.

The headsets have their claims to fame. CK makes their own bearing cartridges, for example. They can also make you a custom headset with oversized or even oval flanges on the cups. Their o-ring-style wedge rings were nothing to brag about, though... I see they recently switched to a wedge ring (Dia-Compe's patent must've expired).

But overall, the high price probably can be attributed largely to US manufacture and low volume.

dddd

I've always been impressed with the unbelieveable durability of CK headsets.

I've had bikes come in where someone with nothing more at hand than a 12" Crescent wrench decided it would be a good idea to honk down on the top nut, and then go riding.
I've not seen another headset that would tolerate such a severe over-tightening, followed by riding. I loosened it and it was like new.

And the top nut itself, by observation, holds up to wrenching like it was made of good steel. It isn't. It is super-premium alloy without a doubt.

I wouldn't really compare CK to Phil Wood though. CK makes some seriously-light parts that are exceptionally durable and well-sealed, something that is very, very hard to do.

fietsbob

From Ashland, You can go to Portland on the Bus and walk thru Chris King's factory .

HillRider

I have a 6 year old CK headset on one bike and was a bit put off by their O-ring centering technique but I can't fault it's performance so far. With over 21,000 miles and no significant maintenance it's still as smooth and free of play as new.

dbg

And remember that lifetime guarantees and service level agreements are just marketing gimmicks that don't necessarily guarantee really well engineered components.

Snydermann

Some people, especially cyclists it seems, believe that the most expensive component has to be the best. Some companies exploit this belief.

well biked

+1. When I did a lot of mountain biking, I found that a CK headset was a very trouble free part whereas every other headset I used required adjustment and replacement fairly often. So over time, the CK was a good investment for mountain biking. I've never had a CK headset on a road bike, I find other good quality headsets to be plenty durable for that application.

fietsbob

Only trouble I've had with a CK headset was the assembly faux-pas
in their grip-nut 9/8" threaded specialorder for Bike Friday headset.

but by buying a couple park 40/36 headset wrenches and making a a few eMails,
that was easily solved, I just re assembled it better.

My 1" threaded headset has never needed attention. It's on my heavy duty Touring bike..

HillRider

The bicycle industry is by no means alone in this approach to marketing.

wphamilton

We can reasonably make an exception to "believe that the most expensive component has to be the best." for Chris King headsets. Sure it's probably overkill and a decent headset is probably all you need ... BUT, I want to install and forget a headset and not worry about messing with every year. Or less. CK has that reputation that it doesn't fail and it lasts, so it wouldn't be an embarrassing overspend to have one.

FBinNY 

Yes, sometimes (maybe too often) they are. But sometimes they reflect the manufacturer's willingness to put his money where his mouth is, based on what he knows this quality to be.

Chris King, isn't some new, highly advertised name putting out a "lifetime guaranty" as a ploy. Maybe that could have been said years ago. But they've earned their reputation for quality the old fashioned way. For years they've built very good stuff, and stood behind it just as well.

Now, whether it's better by enough to justify the price difference I can't say. That's something everybody has to decide for himself.

fietsbob

works really well at Apple and for Paris fashions, & Rapha?.

Dan Burkhart 

Some think it was Suntour's failure to follow this mantra that lead to their demise. I'm inclined to agree with this line of thinking.

Wheels Of Steel

What about transferring headsets from bike to bike? I've heard reports that this procedure doesn't always work so nicely.

fietsbob

It's Your Sources of this information I question.

I had a prototype touring frame that needed repair welding, in Killarney Ireland

I knocked out the Headset, got the welding done, then put it back together ,
using the fork threads as the headset press.

HillRider

Done properly and with suitable tools it's no problem. How many frame changes do you plan to make? It's not like you are going to use one headset among several bikes and change it every few days.

well biked

I've moved my CK headset from mountain bike to mountain bike, as I replaced the bikes. It's installed in the third frame that it's been on, and it's seen nothing but mountain biking. No problems whatsoever.

3alarmer 

For many of the CK headsets, you need a special adapter
tool for your press, but otherwise, not a problem.

Bike Snob NY has some humorous takes on the Chris King
Headset Index as an economic indicator..........

mechBgon

I've had a few customers' carbon steertubes actually get a groove in them from O-ring-centered top caps (Chris King being just one example). It's a little scary seeing a groove in a carbon steertube right where you know all the stress is being leveraged

dbg

And that was actually my (poorly made) point. Just because somebody else ALSO has a lifetime guarantee --doesn't necessarily mean they are equal in quality. I'm a big fan of Chris King headsets.

HillRider

Interesting observation as I have an Easton all-carbon fork on that bike. I've never noticed a groove in the steerer the couple of times I've had the fork off it in the past but that bike is due for a complete overhaul in the next few weeks and I'll inspect it very closely.