Brett 12

I think he is trying to be practical minded. Why buy a new bike and upgrade parts before you even ride it (or while it is still relatively new). It just doesn't really make economic sense.

Chris King Headset is 10% of the purchase price of a very nice bike ($1200-$1800 bike ).....and we are talking about just a headset!!. Cheapest way to buy parts is to get them already bolted to the frame.

You start doing too many of these upgrades and you might as well just bought a better bike.

Dchiefransom

I've noticed that my Lemond, and others with Cane Creek headsets, tend to make a slight "popping" noise when I hit bumps. I haven't noticed this on any other bikes I've ridden.

urban_assault

Yes. All hail the Chris King headset. When I put a CK on my Huffy Amazon the difference blew me away.

pgreene

i plan to get a CK headset ASAP for no other reason than they are a very responsible company, and that, in my world, gets rewarded if possible. yes, i could buy 10 cheap headsets for the price, but those companies, chances are, have ZERO controls in place for not trashing the planet. not to mention the waste factor--it's worth paying extra for something that won't need to be replaced.

it has absolutely nothing to do with being a "poseur". it has to do with influencing behavior through market pressures--reward a company for taking a few extra steps to not only put out an incredible product, but do so in a very responsible way.

Brett 12

I'm not trashing the CK headset bro'. My only point is why get rid of what is already on your bike if it is still working.

To me getting rid of factory headset before it's time is the waste factor.

When the time comes for me to replace my headset, i'll seriously consider getting the CK if it is as good as you all say. But replace a new headset already on bike? That just seems like a waste of resources IMHO.

sydney

And seeing what you can catch with a good troll.

CAAD5AL

You have to admit there's some irony in telling someone to throw away what they have and buy new from a "greener" company! I'm sure that's not what you meant though.

Anyway, to answer the original question of "is it worth it," if you mean that from the logical perspective of performance, etc, you probably already know the answer is "no." Worst case scenario is that the perfectly good one you have now gets a little loose and crunchy down the road, not stranding you certainly, and you decide after living with it for a while you'd rather replace it with a King than rebuild it. But, if you mean worth it for a bunch of emotional reasons, only you know that!

The way I see stuff like this is that most of us know we're not going to get a whole lot more bang for our buck from some of the super chi-chis, but sometimes building a bike is a whole separate hobby from riding it. Without a doubt, I bought the Ti pedals, the carbon post (yesterday) and a bunch of other things not because I wanted to go faster, but because I just like building the bike.

It reminds me a little of guys who tie their own flies for fishing - they'll usually admit it's easier, often cheaper, and just as good to just go buy them, but that's not the point. Just tying the fly is a satisfying pastime in itself.

Lectron

That's good. It's a beautiful rounded shape HS, and when it's time for a new frame,
you'll probably swap it over to the new frame.
The price diff. from an avr. good HS up to a CK is about $50, and what's that at the bottom line?

It's not yet unlegal to spend a little extra on good components.
This is one of the few examples where the increase in price actually gives you
higher quality.

Raiyn

You know I had thought I had seen a pattern
I get them cheap too, but that's a perk.

sydney

Some pople don't have to work for perks.

SAB

I have a chris king on my road bike and a cane creek on my cross bike. Both work well, although the CK is probably a better made part (no plastic seals). BTW, the CK two-nut design is for a THREADED fork steerer where a front cable hanger (for the brake) is desired. If you have a THREADLESS fork steerer the "regular" CK AheadSet will allow you to use a front cable hanger.

slider

Here's my opinion on CK headsets. They are the absolute best. They take quality to an artform. Do you pay a premium for that? Yes. Is it worth it? That depends on your point of view and your wallet. You might as well ask someone who just bought a painting they liked if it was worth it. It is totally subjective. I have a city bike with an old Shimano headset on it. It's the original one from 1986 and it still works. Would I replace it with a CK, no way. I have a few other bikes with CK's in them and they would have nothing else. Above and beyond their functionality and warranty, I like the look and feel of them. First and formost a bike is a tool and any tool that does the job is sufficient. Everything beyond that is craft and art. Some people appreciate the art of a bike and others don't.

People come into the shop with bikes that rattle and have this and that taped and zip tied to them. Are those bikes sufficient for the act of pedaling down the road? Sure, but I prefer bikes that have a simplicity, a quality and an aesthetic appeal and those bikes are what CK headsets are for.

-s

roadbuzz

Dude! If you're trying to pimp your ride, at least get something that'll be noticed! Otherwise that $120+installation will do more good somewhere else.

ultra-g

Well, I guess in a way I am pimping my ride. Why not, Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

I just called the bike shop today again and they're holding the Red White and Blue Chris King headset for me, getting it installed Friday morning and doing a training ride with the 5 Borough Bike Club on my new pimped out LeMond on Saturday morning.

Well, it's Pimped out for me. I'm still saving up money to have diamond studs embedded on the top and down tubes.

squeegy200

I thought the same thing. I purchased a look-alike FSA Orbit for my mountain bike several years back and got a smoking deal from Supergo. $26! Then the bearings became gritty after a year so I replaced it with another FSA Orbit for another smokin deal of $26. After my fourth FSA orbit, I realized that I had already exceeded to cost of a Chris King headset. I've since replaced all the headsets on all of my bikes with CKs. Not a single one has been replaced since.

Here is a testament to the quality of CKthat no other component manufacturer can make. Go to your local bike shop and ask the mechanic if he has ever repaired or replaced a CK product. Here in Los Angeles, I've yet to encounter one mechanic who has said YES.

OneTinSloth

i forgot to mention that chris king makes every effort to be environmentally responsible, and in my book, that's totally awesome. i think that, combined with the quality of workmanship alone justifies the price. but if i consider everything else on my bike, and think about how much difference performance-wise a super nice headset will make, i can't justify it.

if there was a way to make an affordable bike where all or most of the components came from companies who were environmentally responsible, i'd do my best to build it up.

i'm not a hater, it's just hard to justify spending that much on a headset, when the benefits are pretty minimal...and i also have 6 bikes, and it'd be too hard for me to decide which bike would get the king.

CPcyclist

I have a silver 2-nut in my garage (got the wrong one needed the gripnut) sell for 135+shipping

roadbuzz

Well, enjoy it! From now on, you can move headset worries and maintenance way down the bike maintenance priority list.

Trev Doyle

Ok, ultra Q is asking if it's worth it to upgrade. IMO yes. A quality headset is not a waste of money. And because it says Chris KING on it may warrant poser points to some, but that would depend on what crowd you roll with. The bikes I have CK headsets on were well over $5000 & $6000 CAN. So why the heck would I go and put a Peice of crap on it? Does it make me a poser? No. Since I do ride a lot, and IMO am pretty fast. Should Ultra Q put one on? I'd say if he has the money FOR SURE, it is not money wasted. Since when are quality parts for posers? Or are posers different than poseurs? Trev

Prelude92

nice points of view in this thread. i'm fairly convinced that i will pursue a CK headset. i plan on keeping my bike as LOONG as i can.

sbxx1985 

Thanks for letting us know.

hammond9705

You bumped a 6 year old thread to let us know you were getting a new HS?

runningDoc

I was in the same boat wanting to buy a new chris king for my older 1" steerer Trek 5200.

Eventually I swapped out the old fork with a hard to find (for cheap) 1" steerer easton EC 90 SL all carbon fork

The old one was a cane creek C-2 and over 10yrs old. I was going to buy a chris king 1", but saw there might be problems with its O-ring (reports of it scoring/scratching steerers) and the narrow diameter carbon steerer. I ended up going with a Cane Creek 100 Classic. It supposedly has new features that avoid these problems (just like the new Cane Creek 110 series).

I found it for only $74.99 at https://aebike.com/. I emailed them and asked it they could give me free shipping (they have free shipping for $75 and above) and they shipped it for free.

I'm sure I would have been just as happy with spending the (at least $50 more) money on a Chris King. Especially since they have such high resale/eBay value (bike snob!).

but i'm happy with the newer technology at a less expensive price point.

Homebrew01

I love 6 year old information.

Phantoj

Well, the OP's sig says, "I changed my user name!" Maybe Prelude92 is the original poster, and he's just very indecisive...?