I love this darn fork, but the top crown keeps coming loose every couple days of resort riding. I replaced the drop crown with a flat crown and it still does it. I'm running a CK inset headset. When I say it comes loose, its starts to clunk like a loose headset. There isn't any play it just makes a little noise. I checked the star nut and it hasn't moved. The bolts are all still tight. If I loosen everything up and retighten the noise goes away for a few days. Any ideas?
Boxxer top crown keeps coming loose
- Thread starter Kntr
- Start date
don't have a CK inset headset, but its done it on both my p-bike ck headset and the v10 I have now. To be fair to my purchasing decisions, I haven't ever purchased a CK headset, they just came on the bikes.
edit: its because all of the older ones didn't use a compression ring to correctly lock everything into place because aheadset owned the patent. Its now fair game, and so they use it, and their headsets are now work as they should.
edit: its because all of the older ones didn't use a compression ring to correctly lock everything into place because aheadset owned the patent. Its now fair game, and so they use it, and their headsets are now work as they should.
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You may just be able to get the few parts to convert what you have...
http://chrisking.com/parts/snapandsealkits
http://chrisking.com/parts/snapandsealkits
why i stopped using CK headsets. For the amount of money they sell for these annoying occourances happened all the time.
Chris King Headset: 145 dollars
Retrofit to make a poorly designed product work: 12 dollars
Paying extra to a company that knowingly sold you a product that didn't work and then offered an aftermarket "upgrade" to make it work for an additional 12 dollars: priceless.
Seriously, there is no way in hell that I would ever give king money on purpose for one of their products. The only thing that company has going for it is that they try to be extremely environmentally friendly, which I appreciate.
I'd rather buy something cheap that works from FSA, or if I want bling, from Cane Creek. Either way, something that works that costs less.
Retrofit to make a poorly designed product work: 12 dollars
Paying extra to a company that knowingly sold you a product that didn't work and then offered an aftermarket "upgrade" to make it work for an additional 12 dollars: priceless.
Seriously, there is no way in hell that I would ever give king money on purpose for one of their products. The only thing that company has going for it is that they try to be extremely environmentally friendly, which I appreciate.
I'd rather buy something cheap that works from FSA, or if I want bling, from Cane Creek. Either way, something that works that costs less.
I've had ****ty luck with cheap FSA headsets, but I'm 100% with you on CC.
Try some anti seize between everything (bearings/cups, bearing/lower race, bearing/top race, top race/csu). Tighten the start nut and than tap your head tube, csu etc with a mallet before tightening the the top crown to make sure its all seated well. Hopefully that will do the trick and last longer for your. It's worked well for me.
AL
AL
I should apologize, since I kind of hijacked the thread to complain about my own sh1tty chris king problems, and its entirely possible that kntr has a newer headset that comes with the proper compression wedge that works, and has an entirely different problem with king headsets coming lose and knocking.
Just a bit of food for thought. Easton gave away with free shipping their rear bearing preload spacers after they admitted to them having issues. That's how you do ****. Canfields offered new hardware on the older one's when the shock hardware had issues. Rolling proper.
Sorry but **** CK. they knew their **** had issues and now are seeking more money to correct issues they created.
Sorry but **** CK. they knew their **** had issues and now are seeking more money to correct issues they created.
Been running a CK Steelset since 2009. The FSA deep cup headset before it split into two pieces on me. All of the alternatives besides King sucked for deep cup 1 1/8" headsets (alu cups, etc).
The headset clunked before and now that I installed the stupid, overly-complicated compression wedge, it still clunks. Just not as much. But the cups haven't cracked on me, my head tube isn't ovalized, and the whole bit was made in 'Merica, by 'Mercans. So whatever.
Oh yeah. Just remembered. I was running a King Inset 4 on another bike, it came with the compression wedge and all. I don't recall it clunking while I had it all together.
I've always used some sort of Azonic Headlock/Sette Cheaplock/King PreLoader.
The headset clunked before and now that I installed the stupid, overly-complicated compression wedge, it still clunks. Just not as much. But the cups haven't cracked on me, my head tube isn't ovalized, and the whole bit was made in 'Merica, by 'Mercans. So whatever.
Oh yeah. Just remembered. I was running a King Inset 4 on another bike, it came with the compression wedge and all. I don't recall it clunking while I had it all together.
I've always used some sort of Azonic Headlock/Sette Cheaplock/King PreLoader.
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It's likely that over time there's something in that headset that you've ovalized due to the lack of the compression ring.
And you know, it's not so much that CK is slimy and trying to make a buck for their flawed design and wouldn't pay for the patent like every other headset maker that has EVER EXISTED, even though that's pretty low by mtb standards, it's that every single time someone brought this up to them and tried to fix the problem, CK always told them it was installation error or that they needed a new "scuff-washer", until the patent expired. So you can rest assured that if there is anything wrong with their product, they will blame you for it.
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I donno, I guess its just one of those mechanical things that you have to look at the design of. Its why for the longest time, the syndicate had to use the headlock or whatever they called it that replaced the starnut and went all the way through the headtube and clamped it together from both ends.
The sentiment I'm gleaning from here is to give CK the finger and buy something else.
If I end up caring enough, I'll throw the compression wedge and upper race from an old cart. bearing hs onto my Steelset and see what happens. The CK wedge design seems overly complicated and not as robust as just a wedge jammed into an upper race.
Yeah, by now something in mine is prolly effed. Meh, whateva.
If I end up caring enough, I'll throw the compression wedge and upper race from an old cart. bearing hs onto my Steelset and see what happens. The CK wedge design seems overly complicated and not as robust as just a wedge jammed into an upper race.
Yeah, by now something in mine is prolly effed. Meh, whateva.
ding ding ding, winner! I got told to buy that stupid preloader thing. still did it on the trail after a few rough rides. Gave the top nut a little twist to see if it was loose and the stupid brass pin sheared off.
sweet design guys, you seemingly created a solution to a problem no one else has. bravo!
I've been running Candy Components stuff for a bit now, and its an external headset, but the height doesnt bother me and that thing has been on 4 different bikes no and been bullet proof.
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Why bother getting anything besides a Cane Creek? They invented the threadless headset (they used to be called Diacomp) and have always made perfectly functioning products* at various prices and weights.
*They currently make OEM headsets for Santa Cruz that use plastic top caps and crown races that cause problems but these aren't available aftermarket.
*They currently make OEM headsets for Santa Cruz that use plastic top caps and crown races that cause problems but these aren't available aftermarket.
Cane creek 40 = problem solved
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I was told to ream and face everything on a brand new high end bmx frame, did that, then they suggested that my stem needed faced, and that i could send it in for that... Went with some FSA headset and problem solved. The clunk drives me insane, especially with such "high end" parts. Developed the exact same problem as Kntr on my old demo, then got a $30 CC s-3 and it completely solved my problems on that bike.
I must have had amnesia about the first experience.
I was under the impression that a former employee of CK left them however long ago started another headset company using said split ring and King either opted not to use or was not allowed to use the split ring? I may be way off but maybe not......anyone know for sure?
from what i was told CK didn't want to pay the licensing fees for the patent... so the "opted not to use it"
i donno, buying that 12 dollar piece that ianjan recommended might do it. cheaper then buying a whole new headset since its already clunking.
actually, that ****ty plastic stuff comes OEM on some divinci (buddy just replaced a headset that ovalized after one ride (plastic cup/race on a DH bike?? surprise surprise it didn't work), and some mid/entry level trek hardtails ~$1000 mark. So cane creek isn't perfect. But its pretty darn good, and anything aftermarket doesn't have that bull**** going on.
Even I didnt have problems with the Angleset 
But imo the 40 is the only thing you'll ever need...
But imo the 40 is the only thing you'll ever need...
That's basically what I heard, that a CK employee left and started working for Diacomp where he implemented the split wedge and invented the threadless headset. CK was upset over the situation and didn't want to pay to use the design so they attempted to make threadless headsets work with just tight tolerances, washers, and an o-ring. The result only worked on steerer tubes that were just the right size. Once the patent expired in late 2011 I think they started using a split wedge and it's available as a retrofit to older headsets.
Wasn't Diacomp a Taiwanese or Japanese company?
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I think the link I sent was for the metal snap ring. I would call them and confirm that that is all you need ....
My first mountain bike came with a Dia-Compe headset, it said "Japan" on the cup.
Looks like a new bearing cap with the compression wedge assy will cost you $29, Kntr. Double that and you could get a new complete Cane Creek upper assembly. The head tube insertion appears to be shallow compared to the CK cups in case you care, though.
Send them this link too.
Good luck getting it sorted out w/o having to spend $ on more CK stuff to fix it if the problem is with the headset.
just buy their new split wedge, or ditch the headset.
They'll blame anything. Im a longtime CK headset defender, but bottom line is that the design is bad, and definitely not the fault of any spacers, or even if you 'left your headset loose'
Those things wear and click on the regular. Tell them fix it, or put CK in the rearview and get a proper Cane Creek.
Does the steerer go all the way through the crown with a spacer on top? If not there's not way its clamping enough o stay tight. Also grease the wedge and tighten it properly (not just "nipped up"). King parts usually only come loose because someone didn't do it up tight enough! - have a good read of their tech info too- http://chrisking.com/tech/tech_headsets
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