Chris King bearings

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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HaakonJohansen
Posts: 284
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 4:58 pm

by HaakonJohansen

Hi there. Not really sure this is the right place for this discussion, but I'm in the market for some new hubs, and just curious about the topic I'm going to discuss here. Although CK is the topic of discussion here, these are not the hubs I'll end up buying (off topic, but it stands between Extralite, Carbon-Ti and Tune). The reason I'm curious about them is because they are so expensive, and WAY heavier than anything else in the same price range. People always seem to praise them for the high end craftsmanship and engineering etc. etc. and that everything is made in house, even their bearings. I have no reason to doubt the quality of these hubs, and I guess they really are beautifully engineered pieces to admire, but to me it doesn't seem like they're being admired for the reasons I think they should. Everything seems kind of safe and old school about them. It's like the CK is the Rolls Royce (although not British), while the Extralite is the Ferrari. Rolls Royce is never meant to really move fast, and by God and Queen forbid it too change much! It's the old good stuff, that's ment to be good, but not stribing to atcheive anything more.

The Ferrari on the other hand is developed by very loud passionate Italians, that wants their's cars to go faster, lighter, do whatever's necessary. This means skipping making they're own bearings, and order directly from SKF which should be better then what CK makes, and at a very much lover price. I'm sorry to put it like this, but making bearings I house makes no sense to me when there should be way better bearings available from SKF for a smaller price. Am I completely wrong?

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LeDuke
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:39 am
Location: Front Range, CO

by LeDuke

I don't understand the appeal of CK hubs. Look at the innards of a DT 240/350/180 vs. a CK.

I can break down a DT hub by hand in about a minute, with no tools other than a screwdriver and a rubber mallet, removing all but the drive-side hub shell bearing. Re-installation takes about the same.

Why is this important? It means that, in a pinch, you could find the (very common) bearings in a hardware store. Or, alternately, use something like a safety pin to remove the bearing seal and re-grease the existing bearings.

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11.4
Posts: 1095
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 4:33 am

by 11.4

CK doesn't have a ball bearing plant in house. That's a massive proposition. What they do is contract with a high end bearing manufacturer to build to their specs, which are higher than what a lot of hubs out there are using. It's not as much the bearings as making the sealed sets -- high precision, reliable seals, a design that doesn't flex or change tolerances, and so on. Their sealed units are serviceable and even very old CK models have replacement parts available.

CK used to be the standout hub when most -- including Campy and Shimano -- were nothing like they are today. Today hubs in general are a personal preference and there are several ultra reliable brands -- Dura Ace and Campy Record, for example -- and some that are such good quality for the money -- White, DT, and so on. None of them will fail you and days of exploding hubs are pretty much something of the past. So some people love how CK hubs can be cleaned -- until you have to replace bearings it only takes two Allen keys -- and their rapid engagement, while others don't like the old CK Classic hubs which were quite noisy and still bias people against newer and much quieter models. They do have good spoking geometry, though few hubs are really bad these days. That's the real issue. A pair of 6800 Ultegra hubs are better than old high end hubs and will perform as well as anything else you can buy. So anything you spend more than that is just for small gains, whether they are DTs or CKs. I like them all. I ride several though I have to say my CKs are among my favorites. It doesn't have to be an argument -- I like red M&Ms and you like green ones but they all taste and crunch the same.

HaakonJohansen
Posts: 284
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 4:58 pm

by HaakonJohansen

Thanks for the answers guys. That explains quite a bit, 11.4. Still though, isn't it more cost effective ordering some really high quality standard bearings, and build the hubs around those? Also, why are they as heavy as they are? Do they use more bearings than a lot of the super light hubs out there? I'm just curious.

11.4
Posts: 1095
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 4:33 am

by 11.4

Brands like Tune have had intermittent problems with both hub shells and bearing shells that are built too light and flex, stretch, or loosen and squeak or move under the load of spoke tension. Also CK bearings are designed to be serviceable with removable seals. And using larger bearing ball diameters, annular bearings, needle bearings in the free hub, and larger bearing shells make for more reliability. CK is not a weight weenie hub and probably never will be. But you never hear of a worn out CK hub or a recommendation against using them in wet, mud, whatever. You may not need what a hub like a CK offers, but for those who have durability issues with other brands in the conditions in which they ride, CK is an important option.

As for building around a high quality standard bearing set, they do use standard high spec bearings. It's the shell that they spec. And they have several specific needs in mind. Phil Wood goes with standard industry dimensions but ends up with weight issues because of the design limitations in using those bearing assemblies.

scant
Posts: 270
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 2:05 pm
Location: S.Wales UK

by scant

I've been using chris king hubs since 1998 & 11.4 is correct. They used to be the best, but now there are several other, lighter weight, as reliable & cheaper alternatives. Its true if you look after C.K they can last a long time, my current ISOs are over 10years old on original bearings; but based on the high RRP cost they're simply not worth the money anymore.

I've been using DT240s & Absolute Black for over 18months now & actually prefer both over C.K. Both of these brands roll faster, C.K still has a fair amount of drag, even if you run the hubs on high vicosity grease, compared to the low viscosity, thick grease C.K comes with as stock. DT & A.Black are both properly offroad useable too.

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TheRookie
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Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:23 pm
Location: Midlands, United Kingdom

by TheRookie

High viscosity grease is thick, low is 'thin', higher viscosity grease increases drag, you seem a bit confused!
Impoverished weight weenie wanna-be!
Budget 26" HT build viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110956

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