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Why buy Chris King?

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,660
1,237
Nilbog
scurban said:
Well, I work 50 sometimes 60 hour weeks, I am doing just fine financially, and I still don't think Chris kings are worth the money.

I press my own headsets, lace my own wheels, and wouldn't think of having some kid down at the shop touch my bike.


Then again richest people are always the cheapest.

I'm not rich yet, but I will be by the time I'm 30.

King's just aren't worth the money.
funny, I put a king in my chameleon last night, took me about 8 min, but i worked at a shop for 6 years ;)
 
J

JRB

Guest
dh girlie said:
Darn tootin! Show deals ROCKED! AND I got tonnnnns of free stuff to! Stem, saddles, shifters, tires, you name it...all kinnnnnnds of stuff!
Speaking of hookers. :think:
 

stinkyboy

Plastic Santa
Jan 6, 2005
15,187
1
¡Phoenix!
Was at the LBS for "lunch" and while waiting, I'm leafing through some T-shirts which were all 15-20 bucks until I get to the horrible brown one with a screen printed CK logo which was sitting at 35 bucks. Anyone justify that?
 

riderx

Monkey
Aug 14, 2001
704
0
Fredrock
stinkyboy said:
Was at the LBS for "lunch" and while waiting, I'm leafing through some T-shirts which were all 15-20 bucks until I get to the horrible brown one with a screen printed CK logo which was sitting at 35 bucks. Anyone justify that?
Only if they last 10 years without having to be washed!

Sounds like your LBS is overcharging, T-shirts are $18 -$23 (depending on the style) on the King site. But I still wouldn't pay them to advertise their product...
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
65
behind the viewfinder
stinkyboy said:
Was at the LBS for "lunch" and while waiting, I'm leafing through some T-shirts which were all 15-20 bucks until I get to the horrible brown one with a screen printed CK logo which was sitting at 35 bucks. Anyone justify that?
last i checked, this thread was about headsets and not clothing.

then again, people can choose to buy a generic $10-15 t shirt, or a $75 armani t shirt. can they justify it?
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,735
1,819
chez moi
stinkyboy said:
Was at the LBS for "lunch" and while waiting, I'm leafing through some T-shirts which were all 15-20 bucks until I get to the horrible brown one with a screen printed CK logo which was sitting at 35 bucks. Anyone justify that?
But you didn't bother to feel how smooth the bearings were, did you? It also won't need any maintenance. And did you know it'll retain 75% of its thrift-store value, and it was produced with rare blends of organic cotton from Stevie Nicks' garden?

And no one has EVER ovalized a Chris King T-shirt.

MD
 

punkassean

Turbo Monkey
Feb 3, 2002
4,561
0
SC, CA
It just wouldn't be the :monkey: if we didn't simultaneously have a "Bender's a Hack" and a "King is overpriced/rated" thread going on a billion pages each at all times. :D

King Rawks!

Bender is cool but not the end-all-be-all.

That is all I have to say, goodbybe. :cool:
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,735
1,819
chez moi
punkassean said:
It just wouldn't be the :monkey: if we didn't simultaneously have a "Bender's a Hack" and a "King is overpriced/rated" thread going on a billion pages each at all times. :D

King Rawks!

Bender is cool but not the end-all-be-all.

That is all I have to say, goodbybe. :cool:
There's hope/hayes brewing in the um, "freeride" forum at the moment, too. I finally found a place I'm happy to stay out of!

MD
 

scurban

Turbo Monkey
Jul 11, 2004
1,052
0
SC
riderx said:
But you think a $69 Ti spindle is?

yes, it took 1 pound off my bike, and in my most recent quest to improve my DJ rig, I dropped it from 36lbs to 30. The spindle was the finishing touch.

Beyond that, I just like playing devils advocate in my favorite destination for on line bike nerds.

Whats really funny is how you got so worked up over my posts.

Its alright riderx...... Kings RULE :thumb:

Go get one in pink
 

Spunger

Git yer dumb questions here
Feb 19, 2003
2,257
0
805
Headset wise I own both a FSA Pig DH PRO headset (the sealed one, not the loose ball bearing $20 one) and a King. I've never had a issue or problem with either besides the King is atleast 7-8 years old.

I paid I wanna say $100 back in the day for the King and $40 for the FSA headset. Both are built tuff, smooth, I don't really notice any difference besides King's have stayed unchanged for a long time. Headsets though are pretty simple, there's not really alot to go wrong with any brand short of cheap bearings.

As far as HUBS go, King's are way outta my price range. Yeah it's cool that you can get Mango or Peweter as colors but I don't want to spend $400 on a rear hub. I know for the DH guys (like myself) 12mm is the way to go, and now frames are all off sized (150mm/160mm rear spacing) so that kills King hubs right there. DT Swiss/Hope/Hadley are the few that make hubs to fit that are of the higher than normal quality. I'd buy one of them before a King anyday.

Plus with their recent price hikes to make a 20mm front hub cost $179 that's a little steep for a nothing fancy or special front hub. You could damm near get a Hadley or Hope Bulb front hub and the rim of your choice for that price.

King does make sick products though.......just a little on the pricey side for most. Their headsets are legendary though.
 

riderx

Monkey
Aug 14, 2001
704
0
Fredrock
scurban said:
Whats really funny is how you got so worked up over my posts.

Its alright riderx...... Kings RULE :thumb:

Go get one in pink
I'm not worked up. A little healthy debate is good. Anybody who gets worked up from posted on the internet needs a few beers and maybe some meds. :eek:

If I needed a new headset maybe I'd buy a pink one. But I'm a function over fasion kind of guy and no new headsets are needed.

I'll state for the record that I don't think King hubs are worth the money and I'd never buy them unless I scored some smoking deal on a pair of used ones.
 
J

JRB

Guest
riderx said:
I'll state for the record that I don't think King hubs are worth the money and I'd never buy them unless I scored some smoking deal on a pair of used ones.
:stupid: or they were an even more smoking deal on new ones. I mostly don't want to spend that much and then worry about adjustment during break in. I do like the headsets though. I like Cane Creek S2s also. They are worry free on the road bikes.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
20,050
8,769
Nowhere Man!
dh girlie said:
batting your eyelashes in a male dominated industry is all it takes...maybe pout a little when saying...
I'm sure they were looking at your eyelashes and your pout prolly turned them to putty...... Or could it have been the tight little top, cleavage enhancing pushup bra, the oh so tight in all the right places hip huggers with just enough space between them to show off that arty back tat and pierced belly button. Or maybe the drink that you were holding non-challantly while it was almost spilling it's contents which you noted slyly about it's dwindling contents........ Nah... it was the pout....
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Because people are sheep.

The desire for a "perfect" headset is an illusion, perceived by a misguided and deceived consumer.

Most sealed bearing headsets are created equally...Kings were just the first around. Now, everything is as good as King...they're going to have to come out with something better...what that is is hard to say.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,735
1,819
chez moi
blue said:
Because people are sheep.

The desire for a "perfect" headset is an illusion, perceived by a misguided and deceived consumer.
You forgot your html tags with that pronouncement...[melodrama] and [/melodrama].

MD
 

BadFastard

Monkey
Jan 29, 2002
121
0
Belgium
Ridemonkey said:
Your time isnt worth money? Mine is. As an independent contractor I charge 50 an hour and I'm fricken busy so I don't have time for any extra ****. Shall I calculate how much money CK saves me over the years?
so this post has cost you how much?


That said: Why King? Why XTR when LX does the job perfectly allright too? Or is there a difference after all? I know it takes me 3 LX derailers before I've issues with an XTR. More or less the same reasoning behind the king.
I've Two kings, one in a DH bike, one in a enduro bike. With none of these I had issues, whereas i did have issues with FSA and other makes before in all these years of riding.
But then again, If i'd be buying an extra bike, I don't think I'd buy a king again. All the arguments stated above are fully true, but still it's too expensive. I think i'll buy a FSA and a Cane creek to keep as a trailside spare in the toolbox.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,988
22,026
Sleazattle
narlus said:
can be randomly applied to any post...why are you picking on this one? :devil:

Indieboy likes CK stuff but only when attached to a bike with no suspension, traditional geometry, no disk brakes, and a rider with no camelback.

Btw, what is the deal with Indie's new haircut he was supposed to get?
 

indieboy

Want fries with that?
Jan 4, 2002
1,806
1
atlanta
Westy said:
Indieboy likes CK stuff but only when attached to a bike with no suspension, traditional geometry, no disk brakes, and a rider with no camelback.

Btw, what is the deal with Indie's new haircut he was supposed to get?
i'm running disc brakes now actually and rather enjoy them. and camelbacks are fine for long mtn bike rides but i'm good at swindling ppl into feeding me at races. :)

as for the haircut, they are giving me pity since i was hit by a car training 3 weeks ago. they keep talking **** about it, so we'll see. i don't think they are going to stick to their game so i will probably end up with a buzzed/shaved head.......

narlus. i choose this thread purely b/c it fit excellently in it. i'm sick of hearing ppl blab that dont' frickin ride their bikes. both the numbskulls who are praising their kings and the one's who are praising their busted ass, broken headsets (ie the ritchey headset comment). i mean really, c'mon you're not fooling some of the ppl in here who are experienced riders and/or mechanics. i hate it when ppl bring me their bikes and they start telling me "oh my headset works fine" and the damned thing is in scambles....

i could rant all day about this. the fsa pigs are nice headsets, CC makes some nice stuff as well, but if you want something that is mic'ed and machined down to pure precision that is above ANY industry standards, INCLUDING the machining industries then go with the King. ask the postal (discovery) mechanics why king headsets are on every team issued bike, ask any small frame manufacture why king headsets leave on their bikes, ask any shop in the country why their own personal bikes have king headsets on them. the answer is simple, they are the best. those guys take a **** load of pride into their product and making sure the headsets are with in their own set tolerances; tolerances that are insane. ask any machinist what they set as their tolerances then go read up on kings website where their's are set. it's worth the little bit of extra money and this is coming from a broke ass, starving college student.

please roll out the comments and babbling nonsense, i can't wait to read it when i get home.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,988
22,026
Sleazattle
indieboy said:
as for the haircut, they are giving me pity since i was hit by a car training 3 weeks ago. they keep talking **** about it, so we'll see. i don't think they are going to stick to their game so i will probably end up with a buzzed/shaved head.......
Sorry to hear you got hit, hopefully not hurt. Were you at least able to deliver a frame pump beat down?
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
indieboy said:
i'm running disc brakes now actually and rather enjoy them. and camelbacks are fine for long mtn bike rides but i'm good at swindling ppl into feeding me at races. :)

as for the haircut, they are giving me pity since i was hit by a car training 3 weeks ago. they keep talking **** about it, so we'll see. i don't think they are going to stick to their game so i will probably end up with a buzzed/shaved head.......

narlus. i choose this thread purely b/c it fit excellently in it. i'm sick of hearing ppl blab that dont' frickin ride their bikes. both the numbskulls who are praising their kings and the one's who are praising their busted ass, broken headsets (ie the ritchey headset comment). i mean really, c'mon you're not fooling some of the ppl in here who are experienced riders and/or mechanics. i hate it when ppl bring me their bikes and they start telling me "oh my headset works fine" and the damned thing is in scambles....

i could rant all day about this. the fsa pigs are nice headsets, CC makes some nice stuff as well, but if you want something that is mic'ed and machined down to pure precision that is above ANY industry standards, INCLUDING the machining industries then go with the King. ask the postal (discovery) mechanics why king headsets are on every team issued bike, ask any small frame manufacture why king headsets leave on their bikes, ask any shop in the country why their own personal bikes have king headsets on them. the answer is simple, they are the best. those guys take a **** load of pride into their product and making sure the headsets are with in their own set tolerances; tolerances that are insane. ask any machinist what they set as their tolerances then go read up on kings website where their's are set. it's worth the little bit of extra money and this is coming from a broke ass, starving college student.

please roll out the comments and babbling nonsense, i can't wait to read it when i get home.
The fact that King's are kickass, uber-qwahl-uh-tee headsets has already been stated (and most anyone will acknowledge this), but the point of this thread is something along the lines of "do we need something that special?". Why should I spend $100 on a headset for a bike that I'll keep for maybe a year or two (A lot of people on this board fall into the same category)? Who gives a damn if it will last longer than Ron Jeremy if it outlives how long I keep the bike? Am I not better off just spending $40 on a Cane Creek or FSA sealed headset that will more likely than not last as long as the frame will? There are a few cases where I could justify buying a King (IE, steelset, or I bought a bike I wanted to keep forever), but aside from that, paying double or even triple what I normally would for a headset for bling/cool factor just isn't worth it.

I've never had a headset blow up on me, and I really can't tell the difference in smoothness between a Cane Creek S-2 and a Chris King. I honestly think the "smoothness" is something psychological...like a 12 year old carrying a lucky rabbit's foot to a soccer game...
 

stinkyboy

Plastic Santa
Jan 6, 2005
15,187
1
¡Phoenix!
blue said:
The fact that King's are kickass, uber-qwahl-uh-tee headsets has already been stated (and most anyone will acknowledge this), but the point of this thread is something along the lines of "do we need something that special?". Why should I spend $100 on a headset for a bike that I'll keep for maybe a year or two (A lot of people on this board fall into the same category)? Who gives a damn if it will last longer than Ron Jeremy if it outlives how long I keep the bike? Am I not better off just spending $40 on a Cane Creek or FSA sealed headset that will more likely than not last as long as the frame will? There are a few cases where I could justify buying a King (IE, steelset, or I bought a bike I wanted to keep forever), but aside from that, paying double or even triple what I normally would for a headset for bling/cool factor just isn't worth it.

I've never had a headset blow up on me, and I really can't tell the difference in smoothness between a Cane Creek S-2 and a Chris King. I honestly think the "smoothness" is something psychological...like a 12 year old carrying a lucky rabbit's foot to a soccer game...
Well said.

Bonus point for the Ron Jeremy reference!
 
indieboy said:
.....but if you want something that is mic'ed and machined down to pure precision that is above ANY industry standards, INCLUDING the machining industries then go with the King. ask the postal (discovery) mechanics why king headsets are on every team issued bike...
Irrelevant, especially when headsets oftentimes get installed with a hammer and 2x4. And though CK headset might be machined to the finest of tolerances, in most cases headtubes are not, even when faced/reamed by an experienced mechanic. Weakest link. Headsets aren't going on fighter jets or the space space shuttle (..errr...perhaps that's a bad example...) but, rather, machines that are far less precise and demanding. Sure, that CK's cups might be machined to within 0.000000000001mm is great from a purely manufacturing standpoint, but in reality, it doesn't mean jack in the real world, where tolerances run closer to "well, it fits, doesn't it?; what the hell are you complaining about?".

I've owned a couple CK's; never had a problem. I own three Pig Pro's now, and none have ever made me wish, "...hmmm, wish I had spent 3x the $$$ for a King". They're smooth, strong, and need nothing more than a cleaning and a light coating of grease when I change fork oil (and they probably don't really need that, but it's habit).
 

indieboy

Want fries with that?
Jan 4, 2002
1,806
1
atlanta
Westy said:
Sorry to hear you got hit, hopefully not hurt. Were you at least able to deliver a frame pump beat down?
i'm cool. i was doing vo2 max testing like a week later. and to be completely honest, i wasn't that pissed. it happened and well there wasn't much i could do and the lady was insanely scared and called the cops and an ambulance without blinking. no real need to bust her in the face or anything stupid ya know? wasn't going to resolve anything. i just laid on the ground thinking my left leg was broken and my season was over. so now i'm purely on my cx bike for training and going out to local group rides and trying to ride away off the front but well lack of gearing and being on my cx tires prevents me getting off as far as i'd like.
 

indieboy

Want fries with that?
Jan 4, 2002
1,806
1
atlanta
SprungShoulders said:
Irrelevant, especially when headsets oftentimes get installed with a hammer and 2x4. And though CK headset might be machined to the finest of tolerances, in most cases headtubes are not, even when faced/reamed by an experienced mechanic. Weakest link. Headsets aren't going on fighter jets or the space space shuttle (..errr...perhaps that's a bad example...) but, rather, machines that are far less precise and demanding. Sure, that CK's cups might be machined to within 0.000000000001mm is great from a purely manufacturing standpoint, but in reality, it doesn't mean jack in the real world, where tolerances run closer to "well, it fits, doesn't it?; what the hell are you complaining about?".

I've owned a couple CK's; never had a problem. I own three Pig Pro's now, and none have ever made me wish, "...hmmm, wish I had spent 3x the $$$ for a King". They're smooth, strong, and need nothing more than a cleaning and a light coating of grease when I change fork oil (and they probably don't really need that, but it's habit).
putting in a headset with 2x4s and a hammer is pretty ****ing stupid. heyyyyyyy let me **** my frame up b/c i didn't want to use the proper tool to do something right the first time. hell even making your own headset press out of parts from home depot or lowes isn't that hard and it sure as hell bets mangling your frame b/c you're boards slipped as you hammered away.

i'm not saying the pigs aren't nice headsets, i sell them quite a lot actually. but i've seen more of those go in the trash than i've seen kings
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
indieboy said:
putting in a headset with 2x4s and a hammer is pretty ****ing stupid. heyyyyyyy let me **** my frame up b/c i didn't want to use the proper tool to do something right the first time. hell even making your own headset press out of parts from home depot or lowes isn't that hard and it sure as hell bets mangling your frame b/c you're boards slipped as you hammered away.

i'm not saying the pigs aren't nice headsets, i sell them quite a lot actually. but i've seen more of those go in the trash than i've seen kings
Did his entire post go right over your head?
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,660
1,237
Nilbog
Ridemonkey said:
Your time isnt worth money? Mine is. As an independent contractor I charge 50 an hour and I'm fricken busy so I don't have time for any extra ****. Shall I calculate how much money CK saves me over the years?

RM are you a web designer?
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,660
1,237
Nilbog
MikeD said:
It's only $69 for a Ti spindle? I thought they were a lot more than that, actually.

Oh, and a serious note on a King...it costs $100 and regardless of age, you can sell it for $50 EASY, $60-70 if you're willing to wait. Compared with a $20-50 headset that you can't really re-sell, you can get several frames' worth of riding with no maintenance at only a $50 max. cost to you in the end. Not too shabby. But if you don't have $100 up front, well, then the cheap ones work really well, too.

MD
well put, this is an ebay auction of mine from the other day:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7158384023&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MESO:IT&rd=1

Talk about holding value, it was used! went for more than retail...I bought a black one :)