Chris King hub advice

hello

i did utfs but didnt find anything relevant so hope someone can help.

im looking at getting some wheels built for my road bike initially going with chris king hubs. i spoke to my wheelbuilder who said ck hubs werent very good as he had had 5 seperate incidents where the hub had broken and in spite of the warranty ck blamed the wheel builder and over tensioning of the spokes as the reason for the failure.
he said get phil wood hubs they are bulletproof but getting road hubs is pretty tought without buying em direct from phil wood in the usa which means getting done over by hmrc

soooo

does anyone on here have ck r45 hubs and are they any good? if not should i just stick with good old shimano dura ace

thanks

Subscribed.

I'll be following this thread with interest as I'm planning on a new set of road wheels built around CK's.

What did you have planned for the rest of the build? And what will the wheels be used for?

I've got CK hubs on my 29er and they are fine. I've had Phil Wood on my fixed for years too, and they were also fine (now sold).

Fine as in... exquisite, rather than fine as in OK. Both are mechanical masterpieces for slightly different reasons.

If you have any doubts about CK then speak to the guys down at Brixton Cycles about them. They sell Phil Wood, but I believe that they're used to servicing Chris King too and can obtain them if you want them... so they will be a good place to get impartial views on both. Perhaps ask hillbilly on here as he works there as a mechanic and can let you know.

And I'd hate to imply it... but perhaps your wheel builder is over tensioning? I've not heard of anyone having problems with CK before and such an incident rate is certainly eyebrow raising IMHO.

lol@ spotter and malaysian fakes ;)

lol..
the wheel builder is harry rowland and by all accounts he is fantastic!
velocio do you have the r45 or the classic? will defo have a chat with brixton about this

ttm these are my "best" wheels so think 28 front 32 rear with mavic open pro and laser spokes if possible but this is my first pair of custom wheels and harry was talking about different options for about an hour. after 5 minutes my eyes had glazed over and i was drooling slightly.

Yeah, I doubt Harry would overtension.

Definitely speak to hillbilly and gauge his view on it.

And I had the classic on a pair of road wheels about 3 years ago before I destroyed the rims. On the Cielo are the ISO Singlespeed hubs.

I've had no problem with either.

lol..
the wheel builder is harry rowland and by all accounts he is fantastic!
velocio do you have the r45 or the classic? will defo have a chat with brixton about this

ttm these are my "best" wheels so think 28 front 32 rear with mavic open pro and laser spokes if possible but this is my first pair of custom wheels and harry was talking about different options for about an hour. after 5 minutes my eyes had glazed over and i was drooling slightly.

odd, this is the exact wheel-build i was considering. reckon you could let me know what brixton say?

i have ck hubs on my 29er and my road bike

despite the wheels having been built by an idiot (me) they are holding up just fine, and they have also been ridden by a complete idiot (see previous)

I have R45 hubs on my race bike.

they sound like

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz abzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

If you like that sort of thing.

The R45 does not make that sound, it's a much softer buzz.

much softer bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzz abzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz much softer

^ Sounds the same to me ^

Fairwheel bikes released a video comparing the sound of different freehubs. Google it if you're interested

I've ordered some R45's laced to Hed Ardennes with CX-Rays. It's gonna be an expensive mistake if it all falls apart.

lol..
the wheel builder is harry rowland and by all accounts he is fantastic!
velocio do you have the r45 or the classic? will defo have a chat with brixton about this

ttm these are my "best" wheels so think 28 front 32 rear with mavic open pro and laser spokes if possible but this is my first pair of custom wheels and harry was talking about different options for about an hour. after 5 minutes my eyes had glazed over and i was drooling slightly.

This is almost certainly what I'm looking at too. I'll be interested to hear what BC say.

Fairwheel bikes released a video comparing the sound of different freehubs. Google it if you're interested

Ah shit you're right.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsDM-ktYLsc"]Found
teh vid[/ame]

28/32 is loads of spokes. I went 20/24

I am of course messing around. CK's are hub porn for sure.

Purple MJ had some really nice wheels with new pink chris kings they were teh sex.

BC had nothing major to report regarding CK, a few minor issues with play but no flange problems like harry.
however i think harrys problems were only to do with the classic hub not the r45 its just that he "has lost faith with the brand"
ah decisions decisions...

Sounds like the bias of one individual then. Even if it is an individual of note anecdotes do not reflect a wider quality or lackof in any products.

If you still find yourself on the fence now, you could get another unbiased opinion from Strada. http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/

They use CK, Phil Wood, Tune, etc... and some crazy Powertap stuff. Again, nice to have another opinion.

I realise that Harry is an authority, but every person I know in cycling has biases. Some because the products are bad, some because the service is bad, some because the prices and some sales agent is bad... and some because it was just a bad day that you happen to ask and the guy on the end of the phone he just stopped talking to was a jackass.

Without lots of external evidence to justify not using CK. I would probably make my own mind up and go with CK.

It's your bike after all.

You're the one who is going to ride it and live with it.

And if you always wanted some, then you'll only kick yourself later if that's not what you're riding. If you're like me at all, this means that you'll be gliding along on some other hubs, just to have someone pass you on the R45s, and when you ask how they are and hear they're fine... you'll wonder why you didn't listen to yourself more.

So ask Strada too.

Incidentally, Strada offered to build some wheels for LFGSS at the Bespoked Bristol show. The guys there were cool, and should anyone want to go down and see wheels built in front of them and get an education into wheelbuilding, there is a standing offer on the table. They may well give such a person a hell of a discount too on the building and perhaps the parts... especially if you take photos, post photos, rave about them afterwards, etc. Obviously you wouldn't be compelled to rave, they just want to let people know what they offer... this includes track wheels as well as road ones. That's open to anyone who will do a good job at telling the rest of the world (via LFGSS) about Strada, the services they offer, etc.

Anyone interested in that should PM me and let me know.

thanks david...
sagelike advice as always
looking at strada now

I would probably make my own mind up and go with CK.

Made me smile.

response from strada

Hi Splutter

Thanks for taking time to get in touch with us. I would suggest the A23 wheelset for you - it is light, stiff and super comfy on longer rides. They are £891.00 with the superb Chris King R45 hubs (ceramic bearings +£100) built with bladed Sapim CX Ray spokes and A23 rims in black, silver or white.

http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/shop/velocity-a23-wheelset/

They have just been awarded Editors Choice in C+ magazine against Mavic Kysrium Elites which is great news and we have plenty of riders reviews on our blog too:

http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/category/clients-wheels-photos-reports/[/COLOR]
http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/shop/chris-king-r45-road-hubs/

We have just taken the first delivery of the H Plus Son Archetype rim. This is slightly deeper section rim at 25mm but the same 23mm wide as the A23. It is a modern looking design and the same high build quality as other rims from H Plus Son. Add £22 to any quote for a build using the Archetype. We will have a pair for testing available as well which you are welcome to try.

http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/shop/h-plus-son-archetype/
Every wheelset is hand built to match your specific requirements. Delivery is 1-2 weeks subject to parts availability, payment by card or BACs, quote valid for 30 days. Strada free true for life policy included. Delivery via TNT with live client tracking worldwide.

If you have any questions or want to chat wheels do get in touch with us.

Kind regards,

Jonathan