Chris King 45 hubs

LegendLust
LegendLust Posts: 1,022
edited December 2012 in Road buying advice
I'm thinking of getting my 50mm carbon tub wheels re-built and upgraded with some Chris King 45's - does anyone on here think they're any good and worth their cost?

Comments

  • They are very good... worth their cost? Not in my view...

    You also need to talk to your builder as not all hubs are suited to high profile rims. Hubs with a wide flange i.e. 57 mm, and a large flange lead to a steep angle... right now I can't remember CK hub flange, but typically quality hubs are quite wide.
    DT Swiss 240 are more suited for this build, if you find the correct drilling.
    Ultimately, you buy reliability and why would you need a set of hubs capable of covering 100,000 miles or more if your carbon wheels never will? It is a case of Novatec 482 being just as good for the job
    left the forum March 2023
  • EKIMIKE
    EKIMIKE Posts: 2,232
    Definitely a luxury item. Same situation with their headsets.

    The only way you can justify the price is by having the funds to buy comfortably.
  • LegendLust
    LegendLust Posts: 1,022
    I do have the money to cover the cost of the hubs. At the moment my carbon wheels are only used for hilly time trials, however I'm intending to do more hillies and Spoco's next season, and also get more use out of the wheels by using them for summer training/riding and trips to the alps. Hence why I fancied upgrading the hubs to something lighter and more robust - the rims are Gigantex so cheap enough to replace onto the hubs when they wear.

    I will speak to the builder about compatibility though - good call Ugo
  • LegendLust wrote:
    I do have the money to cover the cost of the hubs. At the moment my carbon wheels are only used for hilly time trials, however I'm intending to do more hillies and Spoco's next season, and also get more use out of the wheels by using them for summer training/riding and trips to the alps. Hence why I fancied upgrading the hubs to something lighter and more robust - the rims are Gigantex so cheap enough to replace onto the hubs when they wear.

    I will speak to the builder about compatibility though - good call Ugo

    Assuming you can save 100 grams on a set of hubs, which is a lot, there is practically no benefit in doing so. It's stationary weight, you might as well wear a lighter lycra or use a thinner water bottle... or fill it less and refill it more. Get rid of one spare tube, get a lighter pump, get rid of the saddle bag and fit everything in your pockets... just a few ways to achieve the same at virtually no cost.
    If you really really like the idea of super light wheels, CK flange is a bit high at 51 mm... I think DT Swiss and Tune have probably the best geometry for your rims... big bucks of course... otherwise a set of Novatec 291/482 SL will be pretty much the same thing at a fraction of the cost
    left the forum March 2023
  • They are excellent hubs. Freehub engagement is instant, they have a 5 year warranty and they're so solid feeling that I can believe they will last the 5 years no problem.

    If you have the cash and want the best then it's them or Alchemy (although I imagine any warranty issues would take a while from the UK with Alchemy as it's a small business). If you want to go very light weight then Tune or Extralite are probably the main contenders.
  • FatTed
    FatTed Posts: 1,205
    I have them laced to C2 Ardennes, worth the money I doubt it, But then most of my bike is not"worth" the money
    have a look at this
    http://fairwheelbikes.com/cycling-blog/ ... rload.html