Chris King just got own3d
- Thread starter Jimmy_Pop
- Start date
I think the amount of debt people have in this country is a bigger problem. It does not matter where you buy it from, if you do not really have the money to pay for it.
Nobody makes as good a headset as King. Which if you think about it is quite amazing as they have been around in pretty much the same form for 20 years or so....Those bearings are killer. I've had one last for over 10 years.
The majority of this thread sums up my feelings; Crank Brothers can't even get pedals right. 
Less money on packaging and presentation, more money on quality and performance.
Less money on packaging and presentation, more money on quality and performance.
Debt is just one more facet of it. US bulk manufacturing of goods overseas only puts real money in the pockets of those who own the company's and a few guys who speak foreign languages and can track shipments..hardly qualifies US citizens as suppliers of anything.
We have to be a supplier of physical goods and pay our citizens to supply those goods to be a real economy. Look up the definition of a "paper tiger" and it sums up the US economy pretty easily. Sure, the owners of some companies in the US "supply" goods to the rest of the world...but those profits don't translate into long term jobs for US citizens.
And if you're supplying goods made in other countries, all it takes is one person to pay your supplier 5 cents more for you to be not needed by the world.
Who are the richest people in the world? Those who supply oil, metal and wood. And why are they rich? Because they don't have to buy it from anybody else...and the world needs what they have.
cough....cough....Cane Creek. They INVENTED the A-headset standard and always made good headsets. Their new 110 looks really nice and they pointed out some design flaws in King's headsets that their 110 fixes when I was talking to them. And can a company that makes the CCDB be bad?
Yes, yes they can.And can a company that rebadges the CCDB for Ohlins be bad?
Exactly. All their stuff looks really nice but it just doesn't work as well as it could if the designers put function over form
CB Mallets failed in EVERY conceivable way within a month of riding. Unbelievable. Their other pedals pretty much all give up the ghost quickly too. People who get them for free are sometimes stoked on them.
I do have the XXc Flush headset and it's ok. Nothing bad, nothing spectacular.
I'm not a huge fan of King but CB still has a ways to go.
I do have the XXc Flush headset and it's ok. Nothing bad, nothing spectacular.
I'm not a huge fan of King but CB still has a ways to go.
Cane Creek has made some god awful headsets in the past.....just horrible junk.....i have no idea what they have on the market now.cough....cough....Cane Creek. They INVENTED the A-headset standard and always made good headsets.
I bought 2 CK's and have had for about 8 years......still smooth as silk.
Actually, they machine the shock bodies in house. Not sure about the internals. So I wouldn't consider it rebadged. Or do you call 5th Element/Manitou Swinger shocks rebadged Curnutts?
True, but you should take a second look at their stuff. I am currently using Kings too, but for future builds Cane Creek is on my map. They have come a long way IMO.
Chris King is a socially,enviromently responsible company that treats it's employees fairer than most while providing a product that excels,at a decent price while being made in America.One company I'm always happy to support!
Um, no, no they don't. CK parts are insanely overpriced. There are headsets that work 90% as well for 25% of the price. There are hubs that work just as well, for under half the price.
They make good products, but well priced is something they certainly are not.
Not sure why all the hate to crankbrothers. Their pedals are the best for my eff'ed up ankles and the Northeast mud for me. I also like their design approach and aesthetic. They have a great eye for color and lines.
Finally, and best of all for me, is that they are awesome, very personal, and personable, folks. They always go the extra mile for their customers and their riders and do so with a smile and fun.
As for King, I don't have a ton of experience with them personally myself but, some of my previous experience left some to be desired. Their headsets do not pre-load the bearing so, they can become loose when using dual crown forks. They have been militantly against internal headsets (yet their reasons why they are bad aren't proofing out in experience) and it seems to be primarily motivated by their lack a compatible model more than anything. While they worked on the 1.5 standard, they were kinda DB's to some industry folks who then asked their input on it's use. Their hubs, while admittedly lustful in the looks department, loosen up often.
On a final note for all of those so "pro America" and commend CK's US mfgr'ing, a couple years back when they moved for a 3rd time in a few year stretch, there was talk from employees that their move was largely motivated by tax breaks from the city of Portland. They upped and moved but didn't aid in the re-lo of employees from CA to Oregon. That's all-and-well for keeping biz in America, but what about those employees and their families who made a move and then get asked to make yet another move? Is it better to outsource and have MORE American employees or keep biz in-house/in-America and employ less?
-ska todd
Finally, and best of all for me, is that they are awesome, very personal, and personable, folks. They always go the extra mile for their customers and their riders and do so with a smile and fun.
As for King, I don't have a ton of experience with them personally myself but, some of my previous experience left some to be desired. Their headsets do not pre-load the bearing so, they can become loose when using dual crown forks. They have been militantly against internal headsets (yet their reasons why they are bad aren't proofing out in experience) and it seems to be primarily motivated by their lack a compatible model more than anything. While they worked on the 1.5 standard, they were kinda DB's to some industry folks who then asked their input on it's use. Their hubs, while admittedly lustful in the looks department, loosen up often.
On a final note for all of those so "pro America" and commend CK's US mfgr'ing, a couple years back when they moved for a 3rd time in a few year stretch, there was talk from employees that their move was largely motivated by tax breaks from the city of Portland. They upped and moved but didn't aid in the re-lo of employees from CA to Oregon. That's all-and-well for keeping biz in America, but what about those employees and their families who made a move and then get asked to make yet another move? Is it better to outsource and have MORE American employees or keep biz in-house/in-America and employ less?
-ska todd
o rly?
I think the point is the Ohlins designed the DB for CC. Curnutt may have been first to the table with a kind of SPV system, but he didn't design shocks for 5th Element or Manitou. I think it's also probably safe to assume that Ohlins also maintains at least some measure of quality control over the DB production since their name is associated with it, but Curnutt had nothing to do with the production of 5th Element or Manitou stuff.