Mountain Biking - Chris King Headset worth it?

I just got back from a LBS and was told that Chris King Headsets (sealed threadless) are not worth the money ($130). They don't carrry it and offered something similar from FSA ($50). Should I take his word for it. I'm not too familiar with FSA so I ended up walking out with nothing...

Thought I'd ask the experts opinion here.

i have and 2 of my friends have an FSA the pig headset. no problems with them yet. as for chris king, i havent tried those, but $130 does seem a little excesive.

i have and 2 of my friends have an FSA the pig headset. no problems with them yet. as for chris king, i havent tried those, but $130 does seem a little excesive.

... and yet people keep going back. There must be some real advantage to them. Veterans?

Yes.

$130 for a headset that has a 10 year warranty on it, that headset will likely out live your current bike. That $130 is very well worth it.

Kings are Kreaky

I believe that ten years ago Chris Kings were worth the money, they far exceded any other headset made. Now I think that there are a lot of good headsets out there, many just as good for half the price.

I believe that ten years ago Chris Kings were worth the money, they far exceded any other headset made. Now I think that there are a lot of good headsets out there, many just as good for half the price.

I'm not sure if it's worth $130, but my Kris King is 7 yrs old, on it's 2rd bike, and works
perfectly. Never had to do anything at all to it.
Wish I could say yhat for all my MTB parts.
If what your looking for is buy it and forget it, then the King may be worht it to you.

That's worth $130 to me ( although i paid $99 in 2000 ), besides, it's USA made.

And no, I've never tried FSA.

no

http://www.danscomp.com/301046.php

I have used one of these for a long time with no problems on my bmx, and now on my mtb. It is sooo smooth and has a massive race to support the needle bearings.

I've got the FSA headset on one of my bikes. It's only been 2 years, but no problems yet. Knocks on wood.

I got the King headset because of his environmental practices. I also got it cuz when it hits the ground, it sounds like this, "BLING...":D FSA makes nice headsets, too I reckon, hmmmm....

No, it's not. You can get a headset off Nashbar for $25. If it lasts 2.25 years, it's equivalent to a Chris King. It will probably last longer. You can use the money you save on something else. Even if you eventually buy 4 headsets instead of one Chris King, it's still not worth it to buy the Chris King.

They look great, are vurrrrry smoooth (if set up properly,) and have a great warranty. But a lot of other headsets offer that nowadays as well.

For example, these, which I just stumbled across today: http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=188_267&products_id=1723&zenid=08b8d3c5f67be8255f9379d4ed2d03dc. They're German, and apparently quite well-made. Cane Creek models can be really nice, too. 8-year warranties on most of theirs, I think. I'd be lying if I said I'll never buy another King headset, but there's other good options. If you're planning on building a really decent bike, though, I'd say $80 would be a good starting point for headsets.

King headsets are largely a fashion item in today's world as the quality of the competition has increased since the days when King made their reputation.

$40 Cane Creek Ahead set on the mtb is 7 years old with over 9000 miles on it. Still going strong.

I've been using the same CK headset since '99. I've never given it any maintenance, and I really don't even know it exsists most of the time except when I gaze lovingly at it. It cost a small fortune ($100 at the time) and was worth every penny. It also came with a 10-year warranty, and I don't think anyone else backs their headsets like that (though I haven't actually looked into that).

CK = worth it! But you won't be crying if you get an FSA or a Cane Creek, either.

Chris King is worth it! Period. Two of my bikes has Chris King on it and never had a problem.

One of mine has a old FSA and it drives me nuts! No matter how tight I get it, it comes loose after two rides.

I think a couple other brands that are OK are WTB, Cane Creek, and Hope. Hope are also expensive. I have one and its working out pretty good. Cane Creek and WTB cost less but they are ok. Not too bad. I heard the new FSA are ok as well actually.

But if you have the cash, go with King! Its the best you can get out there.

Or maybe you can give IRD a try...I heard that its similar to King but its half the price.

I believe that ten years ago Chris Kings were worth the money, they far exceded any other headset made. Now I think that there are a lot of good headsets out there, many just as good for half the price.

+1 The competition has come a long way to bridge the gap over the years.

Also, people should not kid themselves. The cost of bike parts is a combination of R&D, manufacturing costs, marketing costs, and demand by the consumers. There is always a premium that goes above and beyond the actual "performance" of any given part. That premium is equal to how much they can charge that people will still actually pay. My opinion is that this is especially true for road bike parts & accessories.

Best "bang for the buck" are the few Cane Creek S-2 headsets I bought from Nashbar for about $10 each. Precision fit, replaceable sealed cartridge bearings, not a ton of "bling" but they just work.

http://www.bionicgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/bling.gif

I just got back from a LBS and was told that Chris King Headsets (sealed threadless) are not worth the money ($130). They don't carrry it and offered something similar from FSA ($50). Should I take his word for it. I'm not too familiar with FSA so I ended up walking out with nothing...

Thought I'd ask the experts opinion here.

FSA Pig is a worthy competitor. I don't think king sets are worth it, I think a lot of the money goes to the bling factor. They are made well, but personally, I haven't destroyed a pig headset, so whats that make king....overkill. I cant afford to pay for overkill.

Chris King is worth it! Period. Two of my bikes has Chris King on it and never had a problem.
.

All 5 bikes in my house have fsa pigs. One has had the same headset and bearings for 6 or 7 years now. I have hucked it, jumped it, downhilled with it, and then of course standard xc. Never a problem.

Oh and I am 6'5 270ish and ride like a hack.

Hope is cool.

Hope!

Pray?

Pray?

hahhaahah, damn you're fast!

hahhaahah, damn you're fast!

On a roll :)....just started my actual vacation and I am a posting machine...hahaha

On a roll :)....just started my actual vacation and I am a posting machine...hahaha

good, set some of these threads straight! (like the brake ones)

good, set some of these threads straight! (like the brake ones)

I am avoiding those. Once I gave up my admin stripes I avoid dealing with tonnes of crap, I get enough dumbasses at work. I feel bad for beginners coming here sometimes, the misinformation spewed is very misleading.

As someone earlier wrote, these days the premium for Chris King is more for the fashion aspect of it. The quality of headsets is high amongst many manufacturers at half the price if not less. You are getting a nice piece of hardware although there have been people who have complained of creaking CK headsets.

FWIW, I did buy a CK headset but pretty much treated myself to it because it came in pink for Breast Cancer awareness. I didn't need one but got it and the matching hubs later on in pink.

Thanks for the comments guys. I think I will just go with a CK and cough up the bucks. Can't go wrong with it's reliability and "Bling Bling" factor even though it is a bit overkill. Now the hard part... What color?

when does one know when a headset needs replacement? (seriously, i have no idea. is there a noticeable difference in something that i should be aware of?)

when does one know when a headset needs replacement? (seriously, i have no idea. is there a noticeable difference in something that i should be aware of?)

you'll know when the time comes, grasshopper.

http://www.bionicgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/bling.gif

Did you just dishonor Slick Rick with photoshop facial hair? Did you just dishonor Slick Rick?!

If I ever meet you in person, I think you and I will need to fight.

One King set that's going on seven years, and in it's third frame. One King on my crosser going on four years, and it's third frame. No problems with either one.

A Cane Creek Solos on one bike, and a Cane Creek something or other/IRD Technoglide on another. Not as old as the Kings, but they are working just as well.

I'll probably stick with Cane Creek for any other future headset needs. Does the job for me, at less cost. Easy install, nice bearings.

King headsets owned: 3

King headsets remaining: 1 (the 11 year old one, oddly enough)

King headsets killed: 2 (both on bikes with 150+mm of fork travel)

King headsets I will buy in the future: 0 (even if they do donate 1 whole dollar to breast cancer research)

Mmmkay...so the moral of the story is: you need a downhill headset if you're doing downhill riding...

I submit that the above post should be stricken from the record and be barred from the OP's consideration of headsets.

Mmmkay...so the moral of the story is: you need a downhill headset if you're doing downhill riding...

There's such a thing as a dh headset?

Mmmkay...so the moral of the story is: you need a downhill headset if you're doing downhill riding...

I submit that the above post should be stricken from the record and be barred from the OP's consideration of headsets.

Since

I don't own a downhill bike

and

Neither of those headsets were installed on a downhill bike

therefore

I must declare that you don't know what you're talking about.

Mmmkay...so the moral of the story is: you need a downhill headset if you're doing downhill riding...

I submit that the above post should be stricken from the record and be barred from the OP's consideration of headsets.

Chris King is advertised as one of the most durable headsets ever made. It just isn't. Its just a headset that comes in pretty colours.

I really wish my ass could talk too.

I really wish my ass could talk too.


:roflmao::roflmao:

What Mountain Bike? have just given King's nothreadset best performance headset award. That said, I've never had any experience with them and I would go with the other's advice to buy something way cheaper which is probably nearly just as good.

(both on bikes with 150+mm of fork travel)

I just had a moment. I thought to myself, "Have I gone too far?" "Have I actually said something too rash to pass on BF? Even Maelstrom's giving me a hard time. Will I be forced to eat my words?"

Actually, no. I noticed on another one of your posts that you ride at Wisp. That ain't your weekend singletrack. What I can't get around is the fact that not only did you ride a $110 headset on a long-travel mountain (downhill, if you rode it at Wisp,) bike, despite the availability of vastly better options, but you also saw that one of those headsets failed for the purpose, then bought another, only to watch it fail yet again. That's crazy stuff. You couldn't give up the colors, could you? Me neither.

There is such thing as a downhill headset (http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=113062&cat=200&brand=91) (sarcasm, Smashy?) and though Chris King doesn't explicitly state it anywhere on their site, phrases like "longer travel mountain bikes apply substantial loads to the front ends of mountain bikes," or "this warranty does not cover damage or failure resulting from misuse, abuse, alteration, neglect, normal and reasonable wear and tear, crash or impact...etc., etc.," should be the tip off that something a little more purpose-specific might be in order. Their SteelSet is just the same headset, but with longer headtube skirts; the problem as I see it is in the bearings, or as some people suggest, in the fixing system. They came out with a new design for Interbike, which eliminates the star-fangled nut and apparently makes the system more rigid.

Come on, fellas. The headsets have had the same design for something like 30 years now. They're wonderful headsets, but leave them to the shorter-travel stuff. Chris King won't tell you you can't use them with long-travel forks, but it doesn't take a mechanic to know that you'll be asking for trouble if you do.

I just had a moment. I thought to myself, "Have I gone too far?" "Have I actually said something too rash to pass on BF? Even Maelstrom's giving me a hard time. Will I be forced to eat my words?"

I hope you're hungry.


I noticed on another one of your posts that you ride at Wisp.

I have never ridden at Wisp, nor have I claimed to.


What I can't get around is the fact that not only did you ride a $110 headset on a long-travel mountain (downhill, if you rode it at Wisp,) bike, despite the availability of vastly better options, but you also saw that one of those headsets failed for the purpose, then bought another, only to watch it fail yet again. That's crazy stuff.

It seems crazy because you don't know what you're talking about. The Kings that failed on me were purchased within a week of each other and installed on two different bikes (one of which has never seen a lift or a shuttle).



You couldn't give up the colors, could you? Me neither.

All three Kings I've owned were silver - hardly a rarity in the headset world.



Come on, fellas. The headsets have had the same design for something like 30 years now. They're wonderful headsets, but leave them to the shorter-travel stuff. Chris King won't tell you you can't use them with long-travel forks, but it doesn't take a mechanic to know that you'll be asking for trouble if you do.

If the manufacturer doesn't bother to state there may be problems with their headsets when paired with long travel forks (I might add that 150mm is far from long travel), how the hell is anyone supposed to know this, especially when confused fanboys request such implications to be "stricken from the record?"

Your reading comprehension sucks nearly as much as your logic.

At 140 mm, my king is creaking, I just choose to ignore it.

Where the heck is Wisp?

Where the heck is Wisp?

Wisp is an area ski resort that lets mountain bikers have fun in the summer.

http://www.skiwisp.com/

Wisp is an area ski resort that lets mountain bikers have fun in the summer.

http://www.skiwisp.com/

Ahhhhhhhhh, thank you very much.

I've been using the same CK headset since '99. I've never given it any maintenance, and I really don't even know it exsists most of the time except when I gaze lovingly at it.It cost a small fortune ($100 at the time) and was worth every penny. It also came with a 10-year warranty, and I don't think anyone else backs their headsets like that (though I haven't actually looked into that).

CK = worth it! But you won't be crying if you get an FSA or a Cane Creek, either.

The heart of the issue.

Quite. Gastro, you've long since blown your load on this one. Your experience absolutely proves to us that King headsets aren't good for bikes with 150mm+ of travel, and we thank you for that. But those among us who choose parts according to purpose, and realize that some purposes demand differently built parts, know that King's (albeit wide) range of appropriate use does have a beginning and end.

Use a properly-installed King headset for road riding, cyclocoss, XC, or even all-mountain riding, and you will, in all likelihood, become one of many people who use them as such on this forum and like them very much.

I hope you didn't misinterpret my post.

It really is all about the bling and that's it. Some people will pay a premium for it. Clearly, if it can't handle a 150mm fork - it's not living up to its reputation as the toughest, most advanced headset available.

That's like saying Ferrari's are the best, as long as you don't push them over 150mph; while simultaneously diminishing a Skyline R32 that's a fraction of the the cost but can handle the abuse. What a stupid position to take.

That's like saying Ferrari's are the best, as long as you don't push them over 150mph; while simultaneously diminishing a Skyline R32 that's a fraction of the the cost but can handle the abuse. What a stupid position to take.

While I don't disagree with your assesment of ck headsets.. this is a terrible analogy.

10 or 15 years ago, ck offered a much better headset than pretty much anyone, which may have inspired other companies to step up. Today, they probably aren't any better than many headsets half the price.