Chris King Hubs

[alistair14]

Basicly ..im looking at getting a CK rear hub for my bike ..i was wondering pros/cons, are they worth the money ..should i just stay with FFW?

help would be appricated

Al

[SamKidney]

Basicly ..im looking at getting a CK rear hub for my bike ..i was wondering pros/cons, are they worth the money ..should i just stay with FFW?

help would be appricated

Al

KING!

Although the SL is amazing.

Kings make a lovely noise though

[isitafox]

I'd stay with the FFW setup personally. Although I heard a King for the first time at Bracken Rocks last week (yes I've been living under a rock!) and I've gotta admit they do sound nice.

[Martin Reynolds]

Ive heard alot of good and bad reps about the king hubs.

It seams like people either get a stonker of a hub, or a dog of one.

Id personally stay with FFW, especially if you have an SL.

[dann2707]

Keep the weight central maynnnnnn. Stick with the FFw.

[alistair14]

Keep the weight central maynnnnnn. Stick with the FFw.

im bored of my jeans always being eaten and living in fear that it'll happen again!

i tried one ages back and it felt really smooth and nice ..i was just wondering if id get one ..would i die if IF IF IF it skipped

[Matthew_Gibson]

Had a go on my mates bike with a king, and it felt nice to me at the time, but I have a ACS freewheel! but I would stick to ffw kid. not worth the price new. but if there one kicking about in the classifieds for a good price, go for it. Just keep you FFW set up!

[alistair14]

Had a go on my mates bike with a king, and it felt nice to me at the time, but I have a ACS freewheel! but I would stick to ffw kid. not worth the price new. but if there one kicking about in the classifieds for a good price, go for it. Just keep you FFW set up!

haha i remember my ACS claws, it broke on me and i almost broke my knee

i miiight get it! its going for cheap soo

[ezgonzo]

I've had my ck classic for a couple of months now and its been pretty flawless, has'nt skipped once and feels so smooth, it also sounds awesome,

however it does seem to need a bit of maintenance ever month or so, in regards to cleaning and re-lubing the drive rings due to drag and slightly laboured ingagement, i do quite a bit of mileage on it though, 60+ a week easily sometimes just going from a to b depending on whether i ride it to work or not.

trying to compare a ck with an sl is somewhat like comparing apple's and orange's,

the sl is one of the best if not the best ffw out there @ the moment and is also great value for money and needs little to no maintenance, however imo if your going to compare the two then the ck engages quicker, rolls smoother and has less drag than the sl but @ a cost, it also requires regular maintenance,

hope that helps.

ez.

[alex-trials-boy]

I've had my ck classic for a couple of months now and its been pretty flawless, has'nt skipped once and feels so smooth, it also sounds awesome,

however it does seem to need a bit of maintenance ever month or so, in regards to cleaning and re-lubing the drive rings due to drag and slightly laboured ingagement, i do quite a bit of mileage on it though, 60+ a week easily sometimes just going from a to b depending on whether i ride it to work or not.

trying to compare a ck with an sl is somewhat like comparing apple's and orange's,

the sl is one of the best if not the best ffw out there @ the moment and is also great value for money and needs little to no maintenance, however imo if your going to compare the two then the ck engages quicker, rolls smoother and has less drag than the sl but @ a cost, it also requires regular maintenance,

hope that helps.

ez.

The king has 72 engagments whereas the echo sl has 108.9

My old king was run dry and had realy bad drag

I've been through my fair share and free-hubs and FFW (profile hub, Chris King, Hope pro II, Eno FFW, Echo SL FFW)(£792 total ) and the echo does it all best for me no need to maintain it, NEVER! skipped (11 months old) cheaper @ £60 sounds good, gives a better feel to the bike, keeps the weight in the middle of the bike and if i keeps eating your jeans get skinny's or shorts!! (or go naked )

[ezgonzo]

The king has 72 engagments whereas the echo sl has 108.9

My old king was run dry and had realy bad drag

I've been through my fair share and free-hubs and FFW (profile hub, Chris King, Hope pro II, Eno FFW, Echo SL FFW)(£792 total ) and the echo does it all best for me no need to maintain it, NEVER! skipped (11 months old) cheaper @ £60 sounds good, gives a better feel to the bike, keeps the weight in the middle of the bike and if i keeps eating your jeans get skinny's or shorts!! (or go naked )

i don't doubt your word, however i have an sl and a ck sat in my house and the ck ingages in half the amount of rotation / distance than the sl, also the drag on the sl is enough for the cranks to turn round when pushing the bike, i had an sl on my zhi z3 and that was the same,

i'm not trying to bash the sl cus it is a great product @ a great price, imo and experience the ck that i own out performs my old sl and my bro's sl, however i would also like to add that i would never pay the rrp price for a king over an sl on the basis of the performence difference between them. it just is'nt enough to warrent the £300+ price difference.

[Greetings]

My King is probably about 10 years old now, it works better and better with every year of use. Might have skipped on me in the last 5 years 3-4 times but never under load. However, that's an old King. Get a new one and you'll be in a world of shit. Bearings fall apart, axles break (even HD ones), the RD mechanism keeps skipping. Out of all my mates who have Kings, I have yet to come across a hub which works properly. They all hate them with a passion.

If you can get hold of a 2nd hand King (preferably pre ~2006) which has had many years of use on an XC bike then you might be in for a treat. Or else try to find one which has been used on a trials bike and has proven to be reliable. Otherwise forget it. I wouldn't swap my hub for 5 new ones, that's how bad they are now.

[Matthew_Gibson]

My King is probably about 10 years old now, it works better and better with every year of use. Might have skipped on me in the last 5 years 3-4 times but never under load. However, that's an old King. Get a new one and you'll be in a world of shit. Bearings fall apart, axles break (even HD ones), the RD mechanism keeps skipping. Out of all my mates who have Kings, I have yet to come across a hub which works properly. They all hate them with a passion.

If you can get hold of a 2nd hand King (preferably pre ~2006) which has had many years of use on an XC bike then you might be in for a treat. Or else try to find one which has been used on a trials bike and has proven to be reliable. Otherwise forget it. I wouldn't swap my hub for 5 new ones, that's how bad they are now.

You've had that king on every bike you've owed haven't you. or did you have something different on your Gu and Monty mods?! I seem to remember a pink king on EVERY new bike you had!

[Sam Moss]

Here is where i got my king from http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=AVT&Category_Code=CKBMXR32

It only took a few days to get deliverd and its the cheapest place i could find selling that hub.

mine is really great and i love it!

[kaarel]

I'm a freewheel fan-boy my self but somebody said that ffw is lighter, no it is not... i don't remember exactly but you could check your self if you don't believe

Edit: Ok i checked it and they are really close, both FFW and king full system weights about 400g..

Edited September 27, 2011 by kaarel

[N.Wood]

My King was pretty horrible for trials, and I run a SL now and wouldn't run anything else.

I'm a freewheel fan-boy my self but somebody said that ffw is lighter, no it is not... i don't remember exactly but you could check your self if you don't believe

Edit: Ok i checked it and they are really close, both FFW and king full system weights about 400g..

Its not lighter it just moves the weight into the centre of the bike rather than hanging out backs.

[J.KYDD]

I used to run a King and really did love it, never skipped a beat

Made the move to FFW (using an Echo SL) for various reasons and despite the fact its better in almost every way, I still miss my king a little.

[craigjames]

I used to run a King and really did love it, never skipped a beat

Made the move to FFW (using an Echo SL) for various reasons and despite the fact its better in almost every way, I still miss my king a little.

It's the lovely buzzing sound they make. I've made the same switch as Josh and personalyl apart from the noise i prefer the balance having a FFW has of shifting the weight more central. Cheaper to sort/ replace if it goes wrong too.

[Luke Dunstan]

I used to run a King and really did love it, never skipped a beat

Made the move to FFW (using an Echo SL) for various reasons and despite the fact its better in almost every way, I still miss my king a little.

Even though a FFW maybe better on paper, I still prefer using a King. I'd never change back.

[alistair14]

My King is probably about 10 years old now, it works better and better with every year of use. Might have skipped on me in the last 5 years 3-4 times but never under load. However, that's an old King. Get a new one and you'll be in a world of shit. Bearings fall apart, axles break (even HD ones), the RD mechanism keeps skipping. Out of all my mates who have Kings, I have yet to come across a hub which works properly. They all hate them with a passion.

If you can get hold of a 2nd hand King (preferably pre ~2006) which has had many years of use on an XC bike then you might be in for a treat. Or else try to find one which has been used on a trials bike and has proven to be reliable. Otherwise forget it. I wouldn't swap my hub for 5 new ones, that's how bad they are now.

hey man, cheers for the reply!!

Im gunna be getting one hopefully soon, that has been used for trials, its pre -2006 i think! so i know its nice and strong, been used a lot as well

So i shouldnt get a new one? noted thanks! haha

Im bored of my jeans gettin chewed, snapped pawls and springs, id love a king, they feel right smooth

cheers for the replies fellas...its helped ^_^ ^_^

[craigjames]

hey man, cheers for the reply!!

Im gunna be getting one hopefully soon, that has been used for trials, its pre -2006 i think! so i know its nice and strong, been used a lot as well

So i shouldnt get a new one? noted thanks! haha

Im bored of my jeans gettin chewed, snapped pawls and springs, id love a king, they feel right smooth

cheers for the replies fellas...its helped ^_^ ^_^

Hate to say it, but skinnies? Shorts? Ridden with trackies and had no issues. Hate to say it but anything that goes wrong with a FFW will cost a hell of a lot less than with a King. Get an Echo SL wear some shorts and all will be well with the world.

[alistair14]

Hate to say it, but skinnies? Shorts? Ridden with trackies and had no issues. Hate to say it but anything that goes wrong with a FFW will cost a hell of a lot less than with a King. Get an Echo SL wear some shorts and all will be well with the world.

i have shorts and skinnies, im just used to wearing big baggie jeans and i never think to change them :L

[Greetings]

You've had that king on every bike you've owed haven't you. or did you have something different on your Gu and Monty mods?! I seem to remember a pink king on EVERY new bike you had!

The mod hub was a BMX disc hub custom assembled by Aspirevelotech. The one I'm running now was originally silver and I got it 2nd hand. Checked its age before changing shells and it turned out that the production date was between 2001 and 2003, don't remember exactly. The Ring Drive spline on the drive shell is visibly worn by now but that doesn't interfere with performance at all.