yes, they're just doing the last finishing touches on it and should be ready in about 7.5 years.
King 1.5 lives
- Thread starter EVRAC
- Start date
My Ck on my bullit with a super T has never creaked. My CaneCreek S3 on my hardtail has also had zero problems.
I've had the same King on my XC bike for almost ten years, and it's just fine. I ran another King headset on my previous BMX bike, and it was alright. The BMX bike prior to that had a FSA Pig DH, and it was not so good. The top cup was a piece of ****. My Brooklyn 26/24 has had King headset for well over two years now and I'm quite happy with it. My current BMX bike has a Solid headset, and it's outstanding. My next bike will have either a Solid headset or a King headset.
CK has gotten left behind. A 1.5 headset and a 150mm rear wheel way too many years late, whoop de doo da. Many better choices out there for the money, and I've owned multiple CK headsets. They aren't hard to make well as shown by all of the quality alternatives, the only reason left to run a CK is that you are one of those wankers that polishes his bike every night and gets off on having the most expensive parts regardless of performance.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Now seriously, who is gonna come out with a Zero Stack 1.5, thats what I need.
rep given
For a 1.5 fork? The E13 zero stack reducer cups work really well, but they only work with 1.125 forks in 1.5 head tubes... If anybody comes out with a true zero stack 1.5 to 1.5, I'll bet it'll be them.
or the other reason that they last ten years......
and making a 150 rear isn't going to make or break CK, its just another ripple in the water......
Yea, I want a 1.5 Zero stack for a 1.5 fork.
If your stem is cock-eyed, it may cause the creak and need faced. King offered to face my stem when I had the same problem (yes, after facing the headtube, crown race, blah blah blah), but I wouldn't give up my bmx for a few days so I threw it on my mtn bike and it had no problems.
King headsets, by design, (simple free body diagram will show this) tranform radial loads (front to back) to axial loads (up/down) at the top cap and crown race. This means that all king headsets try to self-loosen when being ridden...plain and simple.
Simply put, there are several issues with CK headsets (wear, and noise due to this wear) that are a direct consequence of King's design, which in turn is a direct result of Cane Creek's patent (s).
I have witten a fair bit online here and mtbr, explaining this to people with King creaking issues (there are many out there)...please search if you want a more in depth explanation of the design.
Simply put, there are several issues with CK headsets (wear, and noise due to this wear) that are a direct consequence of King's design, which in turn is a direct result of Cane Creek's patent (s).
I have witten a fair bit online here and mtbr, explaining this to people with King creaking issues (there are many out there)...please search if you want a more in depth explanation of the design.
That's unpossible. Where would the bearings go?
The only way e13 did it with a standard fork in a huge headtube was because there was so much extra room.
This is proven by the fact that the new King 1.5 comes with a headlock.
Simply put, sometimes all the engineering in the world doesn't explain what happens in the real world. And that is that CK headsets work great and have worked great for over 5 years for me and FSA's don't last 2 weeks before creaking. Oh and btw, the King headsets on my old bikes have never been tightened up because they were loose.
Keep trying to justify the $$ you spent.
You can slang science all you want..but at least understand the basics before you do so.
I will give you this..CK has sourced great bearings and designed a nice seal system for them...other than that......over-priced trinket.
As far as CC bearings....the mfg (TH industries, parent of FSA) is generally considered a higher end bearing mfg and offer many different quality levels, including stanless (like CK). (although stainless is a softer metal that the typical high carbon steel used for bearings)
You can slang science all you want..but at least understand the basics before you do so.
I will give you this..CK has sourced great bearings and designed a nice seal system for them...other than that......over-priced trinket.
As far as CC bearings....the mfg (TH industries, parent of FSA) is generally considered a higher end bearing mfg and offer many different quality levels, including stanless (like CK). (although stainless is a softer metal that the typical high carbon steel used for bearings)
Ibis's come oversized head tubes that house a 1& 1/8 steerer
So is this a 1 1/8" fork or a 1.5" fork? Hmmmmm.
It has to be 1 1/8. There is not enough room inside the headset to mfg an internal 1.5 with a 1.5 steerer.
they are 1 1/8, look at the steerer cap.........
your point of view and theories are appreciated, but after reviewing some of your previous posts I got to wonder if CK stole your first born or something?
No vendetta against King, I own a headset and think they make great items for their intended use (XC). I just dont subscribe to the idea (that so many seem to) that they are the end-all be-all in the bicycle world. In fact I think they have some significant short commings for certain applications (ie slacker angles and/or longer travel forks causing higher radial loads for the headsets...)
There are lots of people (in the www world at least) with noise and or loosening issues with CK headsets. My other posts about CK headsets were a simple attempt to try to explain how and why people were experiencing these problems (with tips to try to help).
There are lots of people (in the www world at least) with noise and or loosening issues with CK headsets. My other posts about CK headsets were a simple attempt to try to explain how and why people were experiencing these problems (with tips to try to help).
after all of these threads about CK not being good, and my past experience as well as everyone else I know that has a CK headset, I'm gonna have to go with their being two types of people. Those that can afford and appreciate a King headset, and those that can't and try to create reasons as to why King headsets are not worth the money.
To some they may not be 'worth the money' compared to an FSA and a Cane Creek, but there are also plenty of people that would think a Porsche 911 is not 'worth the money' compared to their Subaru or Civic.
It may not be 'worth the money' to some, but it is better.
To some they may not be 'worth the money' compared to an FSA and a Cane Creek, but there are also plenty of people that would think a Porsche 911 is not 'worth the money' compared to their Subaru or Civic.
It may not be 'worth the money' to some, but it is better.
And there may be lots of people in the www world with noise and loosening issues with CK headsets, but there have been no people in my real world that have had issues with Kings, but plenty of problems with other non-King headsets. You can butter it up however you want, but every Cane Creek or FSA headset that I've had has been garbage. My FSA has sucked since I purchased it. Up until this Summer I've had King headsets on all of my bikes since... maybe 1998 when I bought my first full suspension bike. Never had a problem with any of those headsets and they are all still in use today. I had a dia-compe aheadset before that but I can't give an honest review of it because I was 10 or 11 then and the only thing I can remember is one day taking it apart to regrease it and searching the basement for every single ball bearing that fell on the floor as soon as I got the fork pulled out of the frame.
i loved my king until it gave me trouble on my dh bike. it lasted 4 year and 3 frames so far. it started creaking and even pulling out star nuts. of course having a head lock would have helped, but i didn't want to add unnecessary weight. so i traded it for a hope head set which uses a compression ring. works perfect now. BTW, the king is used on a 5in single crown fork now and works fine.
i'll have to agree whit the monkeys who say king aren't worth it, sure they are nice and are perfect on shorter travel applications. but for dh, a cheap head set would do the job. (although it may not last as long as a king or have the same build quality, it gets the job done for a fraction of the price.) i opted for hope, which is pretty much the same price as a king. bottom line, a compression ring is a far better solution for a head set. just comes down to how particular you want to be about the quality of the product.
i'll have to agree whit the monkeys who say king aren't worth it, sure they are nice and are perfect on shorter travel applications. but for dh, a cheap head set would do the job. (although it may not last as long as a king or have the same build quality, it gets the job done for a fraction of the price.) i opted for hope, which is pretty much the same price as a king. bottom line, a compression ring is a far better solution for a head set. just comes down to how particular you want to be about the quality of the product.
One reason for using CK (the hubs) is the 72pt rear hub.
Unless you want 120pts and aluminum spokes
If I9 made a headset then they could probably produce one that is on par with King build quality, but as it is now, the other headset manufacturer's just have so-so build quality, so even if their design is theoretically and scientifically better, they don't build them good enough to make a difference. I'm going to give my FSA another shot and see if I can get it to stop creaking, but if it doesn't work out then I'll have to get a King before too long.
Dang it. Right after I order my reducer cups and am about to install a 1 and 1/8th King headset.
P.S. They're $169. That makes me cry. A lot.
P.S. They're $169. That makes me cry. A lot.
You're way off.
I have a King on my DH bike (and on all my other bikes actually except one).. I just consider it DISPOSABLE as experience showed me that they are shot after 1 or 2 seasons on such a bike... Why do I still have one? I am a sucker for colors and like to support small US manufactures...
CK needs to update their design. It is not up to todays long travel high loads requirements.
(My FSA orbit extreme pro is much better than my CKs)
Yeah, that will help with the thousandth of a second of raw acceleration I could be putting on the drive train that keeps me out of the world cup... 
You need to get a marketing job with the Dupont Registry..... To me this seems alot like... "There are those who can appreciate a liberal application of lube before a good roggering, and those who will never relish it."
Many people on this site have one (or more) $4500+ bicycle. I'm pretty sure we could all afford a King headset. I will, though, continue to say they aren't worth the money without 'creating' reasons, since I have actual ones. An example of such a reason is the regular FSA Pig (that cost me $14 new) that has been beaten on my street-bike for the past 2 years and still runs fine.
Is there some aspect of a King that I don't know about, and thus cannot appreciate?
There are whatever reasons that you want to create. For me they are reliable and don't creak. I can't say the same for my FSA orbit extreme pro.
The only thing that I would say might make a difference, is that all of my King headsets are 1.125" and my FSA is a 1.5 reduced to 1.125. It's really not worth it for me to spend another $80 to find out if a non King headset will last as long. Especially since you can usually get a free King headset with the purchase of a new fork.
The only thing that I would say might make a difference, is that all of my King headsets are 1.125" and my FSA is a 1.5 reduced to 1.125. It's really not worth it for me to spend another $80 to find out if a non King headset will last as long. Especially since you can usually get a free King headset with the purchase of a new fork.
Dude you're a ****ing retard. We are not CREATING. We are giving you facts. Wha'ts hard to understnd? I should have done a video of my last king with a 1/2" side play if measured at the end of the bars and crazy creaking just for fun.
I am also giving you facts. For me, King headsets have lasted for a long time. The two that I'm currently using are both over 5 years old. Probably more like 7 or 8. One is on an Intense Tracer w/ 5" fork so no real load problem there. The other is on an Intense Uzzi SLX w/ Marz Super T. It works good, just like it is supposed to. On the other hand, I've got an FSA orbit extreme pro 1.5r on my Socom and Fox 40 that is only a few months old and it is no good. It creaks and clicks and pops and just plain doesn't feel smooth. It's been adjusted several times and so far every time that it gets adjusted to roll smoothly and quietly, it only lasts for a week at most. It doesn't stay tight. It's also finicky. Getting a King headset setup to operate correctly has never been a problem. I never even thought about it, I just assembled it and bolted everything up. I need an extra set of hands to hold all of the pieces together so the FSA even gets close to tight.
Your reasons for getting a King are that you like the way they look and you want to support a small American company. Those are good reasons.
My reasons for supporting King and why I'll be replacing the FSA on my Socom with one is because of durability, trust in the company, as well as the reasons you listed.
I have one
Woo-hoo King is finaly steping up and producing a 1.5. I'd rip on them for taking so long to get it to market, but we all know how hard it is to design a headset, I know it would take me at least 2 hours to design and machine a prototype, so 3.5 years is perfectly reasonable. Yeah right.
I currently have 2 King headsets, both creak, both "click" when I turn, one on my Fly and one on my 575. I used to have one on my road bike, and it creaked too, now I have a Campy headset and it magicly doesn't suck. Kings just aren't top-quality anymore, I know it's not an istalation issue in my case, and it's not that I ride so much I destroy them (I honestly hardly ride anymore). After my first one started creaking I warentied it, reamed the head-tube and asked the guys at King exactly how to install one of there headsets, did it exactly how they told me too, and it creaked even worse. Fior now I just deal with it, but new headsets are in my plans.
I currently have 2 King headsets, both creak, both "click" when I turn, one on my Fly and one on my 575. I used to have one on my road bike, and it creaked too, now I have a Campy headset and it magicly doesn't suck. Kings just aren't top-quality anymore, I know it's not an istalation issue in my case, and it's not that I ride so much I destroy them (I honestly hardly ride anymore). After my first one started creaking I warentied it, reamed the head-tube and asked the guys at King exactly how to install one of there headsets, did it exactly how they told me too, and it creaked even worse. Fior now I just deal with it, but new headsets are in my plans.
I have a buddy that works in a bike shop in Whistler and he told me CK headsets just dont last on the Shore and Whistler. He told me they replace CK headsets more than any other headset.
I lost respect for CK when they did the pink headset sale. They donated $1 for every pink headset sold to the fight against breast cancer. How many pink headsets do you think they sold? 100, 200? I bet in the last 3-4 years Ive donated more to fight breast cancer than CK.
I lost respect for CK when they did the pink headset sale. They donated $1 for every pink headset sold to the fight against breast cancer. How many pink headsets do you think they sold? 100, 200? I bet in the last 3-4 years Ive donated more to fight breast cancer than CK.