| |
Submitted by
hardmtnbiker
a Cross Country Rider
from Pasadena
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | any technical single track | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | easy to service and precision looks and craftmanship | | Weaknesses: | Aluminum driveshell but can be replaced with steel.Pricy but worth it. | | Similar Products Used: | STX,LX,XT,and XTR. | | Bike Setup: | 5.5" trailbike and old hardtail with 3" fork. | | Bottom Line: | I have 2 sets. The first I bought over 10 years ago as the Bontrager Race-lite wheelset. These where converted to ISO disc and laced up to Mavic 717. The second set is over 4 years old and laced up to 819's. They both preform great and make climbing technical stuff easier and pedaling out of the turn faster. I like the buzz sound too. The thing to remember is to SERVICE them and send to to CK for a overhaul every couple of years. They need to be checked and tightened after hard rides but what doesn't? They roll better when warmed up so climb a little and you should not get backlash. The few parts that have been replaced are the springs,bearing seals and one driveshell. If they developed some type of axle conversion for the front hubs(they have "Fun Bolts" for the rear)then it would improve them for harder riding. I just don't think the old fashion QR skewers where made for 4 to 5.5" travel bikes of today. I have the the steel Salsa QR's but let's face it through axle is a better set up.If you are buying soon I would wait to see what they come out with or seriously consider upgrading your fork and getting a 20mmTA. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wenisman
a Weekend Warrior
from london
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | the last one i rode | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | rbikes | | Strengths: | looks good, instant engagement, nice and light | | Weaknesses: | rattles apart after rocky terrain, these hubs hate mud | | Similar Products Used: | hope, dt swiss, bontrager... | | Bike Setup: | intense 6.6, fox 36 vans forks, hope brakes | | Bottom Line: | the hubs work well... but they certainly are not great. the almost instant engagement is fantastic, they come in very light and build up an extremely strong wheel.
however...
this may have been fixed in later models as mine are 2 years old and im constantly having to retighten the rear hub and the front hub constantly has play coming from it. this is more noticable if i have been doing extremely rocky trails or more downhill style riding. My LBS hasnt been able to fix this either... and its not because they werent tight enough, i bent the allen key they where so tight.
great product, but there are better out there. im currently running some hadleys and industry nine hubs on other bikes and personally both these products are a superior choice. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Gaerte
a Cross Country Rider
from Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Indian Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$499.00 | | Purchased At: | MIke Curiak | | Strengths: | Weight and performance. Can't beat having all those pawls on technical sections. American made and enduring. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Cross Ride | | Bike Setup: | Niner EMD, King Headset, Avid BB7, XT drivetrain, Easton Monkeylight bars, Kenda Nevegals, Maxxis Crossmark, LX Crank, Thompson Seatpost, SDG Ti saddle, REBA fork, DX pedals, Race Face stem, Incredibell for the Horses | | Bottom Line: | Classic, Strong, what I've always coveted. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Patrick Eggers
a Cross Country Rider
from Duluth, Georgia
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Bull Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | SpeedDream Wheels | | Strengths: | Quality, reliability and engagement. Several times a year I ride Bull Mountain, one of IMBA's epic rides in northern Georgia. The first three miles is vertical over continous rocks and roots. The high engagement of the King rear hub makes this climb significantly more efficient and compared to the XT hubs I was previously riding, there is no comparison. I had the hubs laced to Velocity Aeroheat rims, and at 250 lbs, I stress most components to the max and break most drive train components within a few months. I have put around 500 miles on the wheels and hubs and have not had to touch them as they are still dead true. To me that issue alone is worth the price of the King hub. | | Weaknesses: | Haven't found any yet. Those who complain about the 'buzz' and about the chain wrap when pedaling backwards are just whiners. Where I come from we would ask these folks if they would like a little cheese with their whine. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano, DT. | | Bike Setup: | Iron Horse MKIII frame, Cane Creek Double Barrel shock, XTR components, BB7's. | | Bottom Line: | These hubs are amazing. They are exactly what they are advertised to be, a highly engineered piece of quality machinery. If you want the best hub that is rebuildable, with a high level of customer service, you must pay for those attributes. So the price should not be an issue when you want to ride you bike back to the trailhead and not worry about walking it back.
I had the King hubs laced to Velocity Aeroheat rims by Dave at SpeedDream. He did and awesome job. The wheels arrived perfect and have remained tight and true since and trust me when I say that I abuse parts. I have built the MKIII frame up with many high end components and recently my riding partner asked me what has made the most improvement in my riding ability. The answer was easy, the engagement of the King hub has by far made the most difference.
Spend the money, you won't regret it, but if you want the best wheelset, have them built by Dave at SpeedDream. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Till
a Cross Country Rider
from South East, UK
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Easy to maintain with the right tool.
Customer service is second to none. | | Weaknesses: | Had a badly machined driven ring which has 144 teeth instead of 72 so it would not engage properly. | | Similar Products Used: | Hadley DH 108 | | Bike Setup: | Iron Horse Mk.III Expert. | | Bottom Line: | I purchased these hubs and had them built to DT Swiss 4.2D rims and thought they looked the nuts.
First ride and I found it clunked every time the freehub engaged, took it to my local king dealer 30 miles away,after speaking to them on the phone to have the problem looked at only to find they did not have the time when I got there. I had to purchase the Chris King Hub Service Tool for £99.00.I drove home the 30 miles striped the hub to find the driven ring had 144 teeth instead of 72. I then had to drive another 60 miles there and back to purchase a new driven ring for £25.00.
Since this has been fitted the hub has performed flawlessly.
So why have I given this hub 5 Flamin chilis?
I sent an e-mail to Chris King USA letting them know what I had to do in order to ride on a set of there hubs. The very next day I received a reply:
Hello Paul,
My name is Jeff Menand, I am the sales and service manager for Chris King Precision Components.
First of all, thank you for contacting us and please accept our apology for the performance problems resulting from the defective driven ring.
Secondly, you can expect a full refund for your parts and tool cost and inconveinece. These problems are not your cause and therefore not at your expense.
Third, you can expect to be contacted from your LBS in the next two days to resolve the financial part.
Lastly, can you provide me with the serial number on the rear hub shell. This will help us investigate the product dates.
Thank you and we look forward to solving this problem so that you can enjoy riding on your new wheels.
You will not get service like that from any other manufacturer.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | The one I am riding. | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | The Fix | | Strengths: | It is light. | | Weaknesses: | I have to say I am not impressed. I have been riding these for 3 or so years. They are fairly easy to work on but the buzzing is anoying and the freewheeling is very bad. My chain has always sagged just freewheeling. My hubs have also come loose several times. I have cone and race hubs that are 10 years old (serviced maybe one time) that spin better. Engagement is slow because you have to take the chain slack out first. I finally sent them to King. They did a full overhaul for $25 which seems damn reasonable and they were quick. If this fixes the freewheeling I will follow up but again I am not impressed. At this price they should be flawless. Their old hubs were bomb proof, these ISOs are weak. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, XTR, LX, DURA ACE, WTB, many others. | | Bike Setup: | 5.5 XTR Maverick fork. | | Bottom Line: | Bad value. I would get a regular XTR hub before this one. I think I covered it. I have been wrenching bikes for 20 years now. I know what is reasonable. This aint that. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cameron Bell
a Cross Country Rider
from Brighton
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Torn Shirt | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | Re-build | | Strengths: | 5 year warranty
Great looks
Hooks up quick
Easy maintenance | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Cross Max
Shimano XT and XTR | | Bike Setup: | Hairy Gary Bicycles Frame - Hardtail XC
Marozzochi Fork
King Headset, Hubs
Velocity rims
Easton Carbon riser bars | | Bottom Line: | These hubs are awesome. I called Chris King to switch over from Universal rear to an ISO shell. They quoted me the price and labor and sent me an RA number. When I recieved my hub they had also added a heavy duty axle, new bearing and new free hub body. Chris King not only has great equipment they take care of you when your require service as well. Oh yeah, they did it all for the original quoted price!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
VThogtronic
a
from VT
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Everything except cost, if it fits your bike. | | Weaknesses: | High Cost. Got to pay to play. Beware the
QR dropout, mine didn't fit in my frame on
the rear hub, had to press it into the frame
using the skewer, cracked the QR dropout that
screws into the hub, made of aluminum, will not
take any force on it whatsoever, other than what
it was designed to do. Drill out excess 1/16"
material on frame if you encounter the same
problem, as long as your warranty has expired on
your frame. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano disc | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Kona Dawg | | Bottom Line: | Awesome product, very happy, stupid move
to not drill out 1/16" of material keeping
the hub from sitting correctly in frame.
$25 to replace. I had a simple problem, w/
a simple solution, if you take the time to
fix it first. Doh! Can't give 5 chili's
w/ out a price drop. $500+ OUCH!! But oh
so smooth. The angry bee is only to make
you pedal faster! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
feral
a Cross Country Rider
from boston, ma
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | plp | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | colorado cycles | | Strengths: | beautifully made, ride great, easy to maintain | | Weaknesses: | if you don't take the time to read about maintaining them you'll have trouble. | | Similar Products Used: | xt, dx, lx, others | | Bike Setup: | 05 blur, fully sram, thomsen, king | | Bottom Line: | i had a set of wheels built up with the iso discs two years ago and have been really pleased with these hubs. they're smooth, the rear has that crazy angry bee sound and the engagement is instantaneous.
if you want a product that will give you zero hassle and are also the type of person who can do the maintenance (or is good about using the lbs for this) these should be the last set of hubs you'll have to get.
these are so much easier to clean out and maintain than any other hub kit i've used. the rear hub internals are a thing of beauty.
the extra coin spent up front will become savings in years 3 and further. i also like the fact that it's a us company. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mate cser
a Downhiller
from budapest
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | very light and strong!!! easy adjustability | | Weaknesses: | nothing | | Bike Setup: | spec p3 manitou sherman saint brakes and crank mtx rims | | Bottom Line: | very good hub!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Carmel, IN
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | BCSP, Laurel -> Pilot Rock, Noble Canyon SD. | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | hammerheadbikes.com | | Strengths: | The design and machining of these hubs is in a class by itself. They're works of art, inside and out. They're both light and indestructable. But what really sets Chris King hubs apart, in my opinion, is the instant engagement. Not having however many degrees of free rotation followed by a clunk as you finally put power to the ground is the difference between right and wrong to me. With the Kings, you push the pedals and the bike goes forward. That's how it should be. | | Weaknesses: | It seems crazy to spend $500 on mountain bike hubs. But once you own them it may seem crazy to bother with anything else. | | Similar Products Used: | XT hubs. | | Bike Setup: | Hammerhead 100x. XTR cranks, Front Der, and cassette. SRAM XO Rear Der, chain and shifters. DT 4.1 rims, Champion spokes, King ISO Disc hubs. Marta SL's. | | Bottom Line: | I rode my XT hubs recently for the first time in over a year, after riding on the Kings for two seasons. The first difference I noticed was how much more aware I was of the XT sound than I normally am of the CK's. Not only is the XT hub louder than the King, but the sound it makes reminds me of the bike I had when I was about 10. The King is noticeably quieter Shimano, and it's sound is, in my opinion, what a hub should sound like. The other thing I noticed about the XT hub is those few extra degrees of rotation before the hub engages. After being used to the virtually instant engagement of the King hub, it now feels weird just how far you have to pedal before you "catch up" to the wheel with the XT. The XT feels loose and clanky by comparison. The bottom line is this. I think the Shimano XT hubs are great. If I'd have never owned the Chris Kings, I would have never noticed the XT drawbacks. But having ridden the Kings for two years, I could never go back to anything else. Chris King hubs are the real deal and everything else is less than that. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
turk
a Weekend Warrior
from mich
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | pisgah | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | quality, precision, sound, rebuildable | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | shimano, white ind, coda | | Bike Setup: | cannondale F4000SL, sweet | | Bottom Line: | this is a piece of functional art. like most nondisposible, quality products, set up, and maintenence are important. follow the maintenence schedule and it will the be the last hub u will have to buy | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Maxim
a Cross Country Rider
from Urawa
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | 72pt | | Weaknesses: | Price
If you tell something they'd like not to hear, chris king won't give you warranty
Customer service
5-year kid level drilling job
bearing
rolling resistance
| | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | All of my bikes were equipped with king hubs and won't in the future
| | Bottom Line: | The one I purchased today was the worst hub.
(king SS rear hub)
Spoke hole drilling was worse than the chinese hub.
I mailed king and they rejected my mail address.
I've paid $400 and got the botch.
I complaint Ms Adrian Knapp about bearing price before and sounds like she put my address to black list.
You can try my e-mail address vengo_subito@hotmail.com and
chris king rejects it and other fake email pass.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rick
a Weekend Warrior
from Danbury, CT USA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | All of 'em | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$560.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Express | | Strengths: | Phenomenal Attention to detail. Incredible build quality. Awsome finish. Angry bee sound. | | Weaknesses: | Tight bearings out of the box. | | Similar Products Used: | Ringle, Shimano, Mavic | | Bike Setup: | 06 Epic Comp, CK Red ISO Hubs, CK Headset, DT DB Spokes, Mavic 317 Rims, XTR Der's, XT Hyd. Discs, SRAM Chain, SRAM Red Cassette, XT Cranks, FSA Bash Ring, Time ATAC Pedals, Hope Stem, Scott AT2-LF bars, Thompson Elite SP, WTB T-Railed Seat. | | Bottom Line: | I built these up myself, with DT DB spokes and alloy nipples. The spokes were a little noisy until they settled in and I went through two rounds of re-truing/tightening over about 5 hard rides. They were VERY tight out of the box, and had me a bit worried at first. Adusted the bearings twice over 6 months of hard use, which was really easily done with two 5mm allen keys, and they are rolling smoother and smoother as time goes on. The "Angry Bee Sound" is unique and a lot of fun, but not something you'd be able to sneak up on anybody with. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Milford
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Poto | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Very Reliable. I had read all the positive reviews and they have lived up to all the hype. | | Weaknesses: | Frequent adjustability. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano,Real,Cannondale
Shimano, Real, Cannondale
| | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Scalpel 3000. Mavic 813 disc rims laced to 32 hole Chris King disc hub. | | Bottom Line: | I am clydesdale (225)lbs and I had wrecked and gone through about 3 different sets of hubs and wheels. I don't do much in terms of drops. Michigan has alot of rock gardens, roots, log jumps, but nothing outrageous. I had because of cost gone with lighter, cheaper, smaller (28 hole) rims in the past and always ended up taco'ing or destroying the setup even though I ride in less demanding environment.
I decided to spend the money on the King hubs and bite the bullet. I have rode almost three hard years on my king hub (rear only)King does not make a setup for the lefty or I would own it. I have done yearly adjustments and service for cleaning and relubrication and it has performed flawlessly. I saw another posting that said complainers of the frequent maintenance would also complain about changing the oil in their car as well. I believe if you bike, you should also invest in the time and knowledge to service certain aspects of your bike. You owe it to yourself and your bike. If your willing to do that and spend a little time and discipline to perform the maintenance at least 1 time a year, the manual says 6 months, then I feel they are more than worth the money. I also believe on my conversations Direct with the King company have been great, helpful and I am surprised that some previous posters have had problems with them honoring defective product. All in all a great product from my side of things. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a
from Phoenix AZ
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | The hub is bombproof. I weigh 230 with gear and I've dropped 6 feet to flat concrete on my rigid trials bike many times on this hub. Never a single problem.
The engagement can't be beat. If it's important to you, this is the only way to go. | | Weaknesses: | It's over $400! Seriously! That's way, way out of proportion. Yes it's a good hub, but this is ridiculous.
The pinch bolt that holds the axle onto the hub on the through-axle seems very soft and is difficult to reach. I had to bend an allen wrench, which I now have to carry whenever I'm riding.
Requires frequent maintenance, in my experience. But it's a joy to take it apart and see how it works. Follow the instructions.
The "love-it-or-hate-it" King buzz. I wouldn't use this thing on an XC bike, I think it would shatter my peace of mind, but I don't mind it in the city. | | Bike Setup: | Planet X Zebdi built beefy for urban trials | | Bottom Line: | The hub I'm reviewing has the stronger engagement spring, steel drive shell, and bolt-on axle. The spring probably makes it noisier, but I want it to engage quickly more than I want it to be quiet.
If you want to spend half your mortgage on a hub, and but never have to buy another hub again, and if you value performance over silence, this is the way to go. It really is very high quality. They just charge too much for it.
That being said, given what I use it for, I don't believe there's anything better on the market.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cmdrpiffle
a Cross Country Rider
from santa cruz ca.
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | tractor... | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Universal Cycles | | Strengths: | Marketing hype | | Weaknesses: | Customer service | | Similar Products Used: | most all | | Bottom Line: | I purchased a rear hub new in Sept. 05. Attempting to do the initial routine perscribed lube, I attempted to crack the hub with the 2 5mm hex wrenches. I couldn't budge the thing. As the internals are aluminum, I purchased new wrenches so as not to gall out the axle. The hub still wouldn't crack. I applied a solvent and let sit for a few days. Attempting again, I succeded in rounding out one inside of the axle. Not wanting mar the outside finish, I contacted Chris King by e-mail. They offered to replace the axle for labor and parts, and shipping. Not wanting to spend $200.00 additional to have them 'fix' a 4 week old hub, I opted out. Their explanation that some hubs will seize was interesting, but not helpful. Especially frustrating was when they suggested I purchase a cone adjustment tool to help with the removal. No thanks.
I recently rented a hydraulic wrench to grasp the ends, to break the seize. It wouldn't budge. I could easily have snapped the axle with the power wrench, but didn't want to risk damaging the shell. The seize on a new hub was stronger than the actual aluminum axle. (and most folks have them coming loose as the main problem!)
No worries, I can saw the axle off past the threads and remove it without damaging the rest of the hub.
My concern is the lack of service. It's 5 year guarantee was worthless to myself and their company.
Otherwise, I just rode it for the last 5 months (albiet not being able to lube it) it was getting louder and obviously needed service. The tremendous drag described by others was always an issue. Backpedaling would often wrap the chain up due to the drag.
I'm well aware that I got 'one of the few bad ones', but it sucks that I paid full price for mediocre performance, and got a whopping 5 months out of it.
Trumping your 5 year guarantee and customer service was a moot point when you will not back it up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vince
a Cross Country Rider
from SacTown
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | various e-tailers | | Strengths: | Ease of set up, maintaining, & durability. | | Weaknesses: | None - All I can say is read the directions and all the documentation King provides its users | | Similar Products Used: | Cane Creek Cronos, King Classics, BMX, Road, & Disco Tech (Universal) | | Bike Setup: | XC & All Mountain | | Bottom Line: | If every user followed the King suggested break in and maintainace instructions half of all the complaints on this website, well, wouldn't be listed.
Now with that said, we don't live in a perfect world.....their is something called manufacturing tolerances. So the occasional "bad part" will somehow get into the user population but that King is so confident they offer a 5 year warranty.
I would like to see other manufactures stand by their products like King. Shimano doesn't they will tell you to pound sand. Mavic doesn't their drive mechanism will break twice a year. Their is a lot of product hype in the bike industry but very little real product development. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken
a Cross Country Rider
from Bath
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything that keeps me moving | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$408.00 | | Purchased At: | Saucon Valley Bikes | | Strengths: | Reliability, Ring Drive, Strength, Engaugement
This is the Heavy Duty version with the Fun Bolts. | | Weaknesses: | Cost | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing, this is the only one I have not broken yet. | | Bike Setup: | Various moderately prices components that I have found to not break. | | Bottom Line: | Best hub I have ever owned. This is a follow up to my spring review of a day old hub.
Is there some drag when they are new? Yes, but it was not excessive. Let me put it this way, not enough to have my wheel not spin from the wind when it is on my rack behind the car. After 10 to 20 hours I didn't notice any back pedal chain drag.
Did the bearing loosen like CK said they would? Yes they did. Once I figured how to adjust it (the manual is a little fuzzy on the HD axel version) I can do it in about two, literally two minutes and that is while it is still on the bike. I only had to adjust them 3 times in about 750 miles.
The noise? Unfortunately mine are fairly quite and I believe that is because of the Stainless drive shell asorbing the noise. Everyone else I ride with that has them sing that sweet song.
Bottom line? I have been riding these hubs for 6 months and the freehub mech. has not givin me any trouble yet. I would go through a Shimano XT, LX, Deore, about every two weeks. The Hope lasted me about two months but I was consciously getting off in climbing technical sections to go easy on the hub.
They are expensive, but considering I have spent hundreds of dollars on hubs that left me without a freehub 5 miles from the nearest trailhead, the value is still 5 chillies.
Ken. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brandon White
a Downhiller
from Reno
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Flume | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great look, design, how easy they are to maintain, great killer bee soun... | | Weaknesses: | Rear hub bearings tend to come loose. | | Similar Products Used: | Stout hubs | | Bike Setup: | 03 Bullit, Chris king disc hubs/321, 02 Hayes hydro disc, 5th element rear shock, Marzocchi 03 DJ II, XT/ Raceface drivetrain... | | Bottom Line: | I read some reviewers complaining about the drag and how the bearings tend to come loose. I thought if funny how one reviewer had to buy the special hub tool from Chris King so he could tighten them. If he had read all the maintenance can be done with two 5mm allen wrenches. I dont mind having to do small pre ride maintenance and it is fairly rare the I have to tighten them at all. I would bet that the complain that they have to change the oil in there car every 3000 miles too.
The drag does happen very very rarely, and is mostly credited to my shifting style. Over all these hubs are worth every penny I paid. The killer bee sound is awesome and unique and strikes up good conversations "Dude why do your wheels buzz?" | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from PA
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Reliable. Instant engagement. Great customer service. Servicable. Built to last. Lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | Cost.. but you get what you pay for.
Losening rear "QR bolts"... grease and torque a bit more than spec. Still loosening... wrap threads with teflon plumber's tape before threading. Still loosening... clean threads with thread prep then use blue Lock-tite. Still loosening... you must be doing something wrong! The thru axel bolt on "upgrade" solves this problem with a lock on clamp. | | Similar Products Used: | Many. | | Bike Setup: | Many | | Bottom Line: | Reposting after another year of use. I've got 3 set's of these hubs. Since my last review my experience with CK has only improved. The hubs continue to remain to be reliable, fairly easy to maintain, and extremely functional. Dealing with this company has been great. Every time I call CK I get an experienced person to speak to. Just last week I ordered a rear thru axel with fun bolts to change out the QR and "beef up" the rear end on one of my bikes. King's thur axel and fun bolt set up is very nice. Clean, strong. Much better than a QR setup; Even for a XC bike. The instant engagement with the rear hub is very noticeable if you ride technical terrain. I'll stick with King. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pascal C.
a
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Canada | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Strengths: | good engagement, weight, strength. Very good customer service. | | Weaknesses: | Free wheel drags a bit. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, Aerospoke | | Bike Setup: | I have a Chris King on my Megamo trials bike and my Ellsworth joker downhill bike. | | Bottom Line: | I have two ISO disk rear hubs and they both work awesome. They are both three years old and have needed rebuilding once by Chris King. THey are the best hubs on the market for trials. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dialed In
a Racer
from Laguna Niguel
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Jedi, Schultz Creek, Lost Burrito, Telonix, Stair Steps, Old Car | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Adrenaline | | Strengths: | This review is only for the rear hub. I will pst a seperate review for the front hub: Light, strong freehub, quick engagement. | | Weaknesses: | Hub absolutely will not stay tight - See below. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, XTR, Hadley, Cannondale, DT/Hugi, Ringle | | Bike Setup: | Gemini, DHX 5.0, Vanilla 36, Hadley/Mavic 36x4, XTR, Hope Mono6Ti's, Diabolus, King Headset, Thompson Post, SDG Saddle... Upgraded the King hubs to Hadley's - Yippee, no more adjusting every 2 rides! | | Bottom Line: | Hub absolutely will not stay tight. Not even lock tight keeps the lame adjusting nut from backing off. Hell, I even tried green sleeve locker on the stupid thing and it came loose in 50 miles! The first few times that it came loose I had a King "authorized service center" tighten it because I didn't have the special tool required to work on this garbage but then I figured that the shop must be incompetent so I forked over the cash for the tool from King and now I get to tighten it myself after every couple of rides... so much fun. Is it possible that I am incompetent too? Of course that is possible but the problem in this instance is that the bearing preload adjusting nut design is just plain stupid. King did a good job of making the assembly simple in order to keep it light and strong but they overlooked keeping it functional. If King sould just add a 5 gram aluminum lock nut on the outside for a double lock the hub would be almost perfect. To make it completely perfect you would need to put a titanium freehub body on it like Hadley did so your cogs don't dig into the body and become a nightmare to remove. If King built hubs like Hadley can you imagine how overpriced it they would be? Save yourself the money and the frustration and just buy the Hadley's from day 1.
Who should buy these hubs: Anyone that finds them at a garage sale for $100 - then just use the front hub and put the rear up on ebay. Also anyone that want's to upgrade your Wally Mart bike. Did I mention that mine is going up on ebay?
Who should not buy these hubs: Anyone that rides hard and doesn't want to spend 20 minutes tightening their hub every couple of rides; anyone that takes their cogset off frequently to clean and doesn't want to use a chain whip to break the small cogs free from their newly gouged aluminum home; anyone that doesn't like to spend more to get less; pretty much anyone that doesn't fall into the category of "Who should buy these hubs" shown above.
Oh, for the record, I'm not writing this review because I am bitter that this hub is junk... It is my own fault that I didn't research this hub more thoroughly before I bought it. I have since run into many people on the trail that are either having or have had similar problems with this hub. Just thought you all should know! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter
a Cross Country Rider
from North Van, BC
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Espresso/Crippler | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Dizzy | | Strengths: | Front hub is as smooth as silk.
Prevented me from having too much extra money in the bank.
Good excuse to visit the lads at the LBS every 3 months | | Weaknesses: | Free hub drag. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, XT, Formula, Dura Ace | | Bike Setup: | '05 RM ETSX-70 | | Bottom Line: | Same comments as Scott from Oregon. Beautifully finished product but what's with the rear free hub drag? Instant engagement is irrelevant if your chain bunches-up due to the drag. Three rebuilds since February.
Sure hope the thing "breaks-in" soon (is there a retrofit kit to make salt-and-pepper shakers?)
Five flaming turds for the front end - two for the rear.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Central Oregon
Date Re |
|
$ 519.00
