Why buy Chris King?
- Thread starter stinkyboy
- Start date
It is by far the smoothest most dependable headset on the market hands down.
there needs to be a kleenex or tampon smiley for posts like these...
I'd prefer to have one part I never have to mess with than a bag full of parts I have to spend time replacing. Time=money.
I'm too cheap to buy CK headsets. All my rides use FSA Pigs. It may only be $20something but they last me fairly long. Plus I figure that most of the time I won't have a bike that I'll have for more than a year or two so I'll just get a new one with the new frame.
As far as headsets I think there is no reason to go with anything but a king. As far as hubs. Well they are good, but they are not far and above other hubs...
When I see older king headsets that close to 10 years old and have been mounted on different xc and dh bikes during that lifetime, I'd say it's worth it.
The one I'm using on my bike is going on 5 years and it's seen 3 different frames...norco vps 2, cove g spot, sc bullit.
vote w/ yr wallet. if you want to support progressive companies who also make extremely high quality products, vote King.
I have 3 CK headsets and love them all. But I just replaced the CK on my dirt jumper for a Cane Creek Tank Hit. I :love: it. Don't say anything bad about that headset till you have held it in your hands and felt the bearings. I'd say its nicer than a King. And half the price.
Goodness, if you have to askstinkyboy said:
well...a negative.
King doesn't make reducer headsets for 1.5 headtubes, forcing me to purchase a Cane creek, but I also like Cane Creek products.
King doesn't make reducer headsets for 1.5 headtubes, forcing me to purchase a Cane creek, but I also like Cane Creek products.
5 years and counting on my king HS. Been used on more bikes than i can count on one hand. For 1 1/8 its the only heasdset to have. NO mess when you swap forks, no retainers, cages, spacers, grease, ECT. Maybe once in a REAL long time you should open it up and relube (instructions on the web for the hub bearings), but so far my HS feels the same as it did on day one. If only they made 1.5" I'd run one on my DH bike as well.
Let people talk smack about how your just a trendoid with un needed bling, They obviously dont realize the truth.
Let people talk smack about how your just a trendoid with un needed bling, They obviously dont realize the truth.
This is also one case where Ebay can pay off. there are so many they go for like 60 bucks or so,,,,stinkyboy said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42317&item=7159354662&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42336&item=7159744220&rd=1
more and more and more.......
http://search.ebay.com/chris-king-headset_W0QQsofocusZbsQQsbrftogZ1QQfromZR10QQsacatZ-1QQcatrefZC6QQsargnZ-1QQsaslcZ2QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsadisZ200QQfposZQ5AIPQ2FPostalQQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQcoactionZcompareQQcopagenumZ1QQcoentrypageZsearch
Best headset out there. 10 year warranty. Had a Cane Creek on my first xc mtb ever and with in 2 years it needed to be replaced. Like Oly said it's simple and easy to move to different frames. No fuss, no mess.stinkyboy said:
Why do you not want to get a King?
I would rock one on my DH bikey in a second if they made a 1.5 reducing
Don't you need a bikey first?The Kadvang said:
I agree. but I'm also the same person who asks who gets every Safeway card/ Grocery Outlet deal that he can get his hands onCOmtbiker12 said:
Well, if you're a single hetereosexual male I only see a few ways you could spend $100 and still sleep with a clear conscience.stinkyboy said:
Beer
Booze
Strip club
Bike parts
I think they are overrated. The FSA PIG PRO, deep cup and Big Balled all work perfect. Who really cares about headset smoothness? I couldnt reall give a ****. 
I run a PIG BIG balled on my Giant DH bike and it has lasted for 2 years. The only reason to buy any king would be because A. They come in Pink or B. You are a fatass who runs into way too many trees and need the steelset.
I dunno, but then again i buy chains and tubes at wall mart.
neaky:
I run a PIG BIG balled on my Giant DH bike and it has lasted for 2 years. The only reason to buy any king would be because A. They come in Pink or B. You are a fatass who runs into way too many trees and need the steelset.
I dunno, but then again i buy chains and tubes at wall mart.
neaky:
Chains and tubes at wal-mart. Your going to make me fly all the way cross the country just so I smack you upside your head, aren't you?mack said:I think they are overrated. The FSA PIG PRO, deep cup and Big Balled all work perfect. Who really cares about headset smoothness? I couldnt reall give a ****.
I run a PIG BIG balled on my Giant DH bike and it has lasted for 2 years. The only reason to buy any king would be because A. They come in Pink or B. You are a fatass who runs into way too many trees and need the steelset.
I dunno, but then again i buy chains and tubes at wall mart.
Personally, I would like a King HS as cartridge bearing head sets are nice. The whole no fuss, no muss argument is very appealing. But for now I will run my FSA Pig Pro HS happily.
Why do you have an avatar with a nasty chewed up finger from a freakoid web link someone posted on here?
Well yeah, the chains are crap, so i can understand that argument. But a tube is a tube, and when i go through so many in DH they are a good deal at 1.50 ea.Ciaran said:
They are the same quality as any other bike shop tube. Well, maybe not those super lightweigh XC tubes.
I am not saying CK headsets are not good. But when the price difference is that great and the quality/performance isn't THAT much better. I would stay with the cheaper option.
Though Oly does go thru bikes like I change underwear.....
I wonder if that says more about me or Oly? LOL 
You will always find people who are loyal to CK....that is cool....but to say they are worth that much more when another headset maintained and rebuilt will last a long time also.
I am running a FSA Sky Pilot for 3-4 years on my DH bike that hasn't had anything but a fresh shot of grease durring a fork change......so choose your poisen.
CK headsets are good.....but are they worth it? Only you can decide that.
The Steel headset is a different story...if it can save a frame....it is worth it to me.
Though Oly does go thru bikes like I change underwear.....
I wonder if that says more about me or Oly? LOL You will always find people who are loyal to CK....that is cool....but to say they are worth that much more when another headset maintained and rebuilt will last a long time also.
I am running a FSA Sky Pilot for 3-4 years on my DH bike that hasn't had anything but a fresh shot of grease durring a fork change......so choose your poisen.
CK headsets are good.....but are they worth it? Only you can decide that.
The Steel headset is a different story...if it can save a frame....it is worth it to me.
I would recomend it, i havent had mine for long, but i have beaten the sh*t out of it time and time again and it still feels and looks new, on the other hand, i use to have an Aheadset TANK, which was always loose feeling and made weird sounds since the day i got it.
its like buying a wrench at walmart, or a Craftsman one, sure you can get one at walmart for a couple bucks and it will last a short while, or you could buy a craftsman one for around twice the price and have it last a lifetime
its like buying a wrench at walmart, or a Craftsman one, sure you can get one at walmart for a couple bucks and it will last a short while, or you could buy a craftsman one for around twice the price and have it last a lifetime
Yes, but in those 3-4 years how often have you rode your bike?RhinofromWA said:
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I really like mine, but I don't like the way they are going as a company. They don't want people to mail order, but make it a pain in the ass for a shop to even get stuff from Quality. Why do they need credentials for a distributor to sell their stuff? We could care less who the end user is. I am looking at options when I need them in 5 or 10 years. The Hopes look nice. Interloc has a nice looking headset if the bearings aren't crap. I won't buy the perdido or whatever it is for the Jamis. I am using a ZS 2 and it has worked fine for 18 months. I used one on my NRS for 5,500 miles, so they aren't dogs.
I think you mean Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights.H8R said:
Anyway, the King headset was one of those things where a problem instantly became a non-issue. Back in the day headsets were a real pain in the ass. Then the King came out. Problem solved. I was converted the first time I installed one. And there was simply no competition for years. I have never had to rebuild or replace one. I've got one that is more than ten years old and it still feels great. Also, cool people with a commitment to the environment - it's not just a $1 donation, among other things they minimize discharges from anodization and machining, use solar, etc. There was a good article in Bike Mag a while back if you care enough to learn more.
All that and they give out free coffee and pancakes at the Downieville classic.
in 2002 I bought my first mountain bike. It was a rocky mountain fusion with a Ritchy Scuzzy logic headset. Nothing's sealed and you would generally call it a piece of crap. Well, a tree fell on the bike, bent the frame and wheels, snapped the fork, and the headset survived, or so I thought. I tossed it on the next frame and kept riding. This time it was a kona and now I was a 'freerider' I saw that the tree put a little crack in the headset but I couldn't afford a new one so I kept on riding. The headset is still going as of about a week ago when I snagged the same thing from my friend who was replacing it for no reason other than than he had a better one lying around.
What I'm trying to say is that even the crappyest, cheapest headset will work fine. Even with a big old crack and a home made upper raceThe only problem I have ever had with a headset is the FSA's with the needle bearings and them not wanting to stay tight.
I can't justify a king. They're cool and stuff, but my fsa MX is solid as is my orbit extreme. I'm sure they will last for plenty of years and dozens of frames.
What I'm trying to say is that even the crappyest, cheapest headset will work fine. Even with a big old crack and a home made upper raceThe only problem I have ever had with a headset is the FSA's with the needle bearings and them not wanting to stay tight.
I can't justify a king. They're cool and stuff, but my fsa MX is solid as is my orbit extreme. I'm sure they will last for plenty of years and dozens of frames.
i think a fair amount of people buy King headsets simply because they don't know any better. i bought my first King headset and paid damn near $140 to have it installed. young and dumb. the second King i bought, i paid $65 for. my next bike will have King, simply because it's going to be orange. or maybe a Hope if i can get a Hope headset here in the US.
i think FSAs are a damn good deal. if you have problems justifying King headsets, don't fret about buying an FSA. save the money for King or Hadley hubs. something where the money spent will actually make a difference.
i think FSAs are a damn good deal. if you have problems justifying King headsets, don't fret about buying an FSA. save the money for King or Hadley hubs. something where the money spent will actually make a difference.
i believe Perdido is its own standard.loco said:
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It kind of is. They made the same thing as everyone else, but you have to ream the cups deeper. It voids most warranties. Good thinking King. If you didn't like integrated, don't make them.the Inbred said:
I have a King headset that is 7 years old and has been on 6 bikes. Including a DH bike. It's still worth more to me than a bag of FSA headsets.
I have a 5 year old rear hub that has been on 5 bikes and only serviced once.