why did you part with CK R45 hubs?

[scpknees]

interested in buying a set but see so many for sale, makes me curious why people are parting with them.

thanks for any feedback

[msl819]

I am sure others have their reasons but I love my King stuff. I would bet one of the reasons is a move from 10 to 11 speed.

[velomonkey]

Campy stuff spins better, is way easier to work on and doesn't have a custom lock ring - also the break in period sucks. In short, they aint easy, but the sound is real nice.

[FlashUNC]

The sound is what I imagine the beginning of The End, when the Old Gods open the portal to our world and sing the song that ends existence from their untold numbers of oily, pitch black mouths on a face that inspires madness in every human mind.

And the lock ring thing is annoying.

If Campy made hubs in various drillings, there'd be no reason to use King hubs if you ride Campy.

Had my R45s for three months, sold 'em.

[velomonkey]

If Campy made hubs in various drillings, there'd be no reason to use King hubs if you ride Campy.

Speak the Truth!!!!!!

[kgreene10]

I still have mine and they have been fine, but I can't perceive the benefits while riding compared to the ubiquitous DT Swiss 240s. It cost me a mint to upgrade my CK R45 11sp whereas the DT Swiss was much simpler and cheaper.

[mgm777]

As the venerable Old Spuds once told me in his shop re: CK hubs..."a $100 solution to a $20 problem."

[oldpotatoe]

interested in buying a set but see so many for sale, makes me curious why people are parting with them.

thanks for any feedback

Proprietary tool and innards(bearings), very complicated for something as simple as a bike hub. Expensive, big $ to convert. DT, shimano, Velocity, WI, Campagnolo better all around, imho. They do come in colors.ooooo

[berserk87]

Glad to hear folks don't like 'em because that leaves more for me.

I have had great luck with them. Had one set for 15 years before finally having them serviced by a shop, and the only thing I did (myself) in between was lube the freehub once.

I just bought a used set on this forum with the R45 hubs and don't recall anything about a custom lockring. Mine have a Shimano freehub and it seems to be working just fine.

[old fat man]

I loved 'em on the mtb due to the rapid engagement, durability and the fun sound, but on the road, I've never seen a point. The only road hubs I've ever had problems with were Eastons (no surprise) and no name lightweight hubs from Asia. Oh, and the Kings aren't even that light compared to similarly high quality offerings from WI and DT Swiss.

It's seems that they hold their value pretty well, so if people aren't jazzed about them, it's not too hard to get 3/4 of your money back.

Glad to hear folks don't like 'em because that leaves more for me.

I have had great luck with them. Had one set for 15 years before finally having them serviced by a shop, and the only thing I did (myself) in between was lube the freehub once.

I just bought a used set on this forum with the R45 hubs and don't recall anything about a custom lockring. Mine have a Shimano freehub and it seems to be working just fine.

[chiasticon]

i love the rapid engagement, sound and durability. haven't had 'em for 15 years or anything but i've got at least 15k on a set so far. rock solid. own a few more because i love 'em. the proprietary tools thing is annoying but being a lover of tools and tinkering, i don't mind it. and besides, mine went through hell and back before needing a full service.

people selling 'em for cheap? fine by me. :cool:

[blessthismess]

I recently had a set of R45's built up and admittedly hadn't heard of any "break-in" period until now. So how long is the process and what does it entail?

Thanks guys

[ptourkin]

Proprietary tool and innards(bearings), very complicated for something as simple as a bike hub. Expensive, big $ to convert. DT, shimano, Velocity, WI, Campagnolo better all around, imho. They do come in colors.ooooo

Sadly this.

My wheel builder would much rather use DT but I had to have pewter (which of course turned purplish) matchy matchy. 17k in, the rear has required fairly major service with proprietary stuff twice. I weight 60kg and am not that rough on wheels. If only DT came in anodized colors...

[berserk87]

i love the rapid engagement, sound and durability. haven't had 'em for 15 years or anything but i've got at least 15k on a set so far. rock solid. own a few more because i love 'em. the proprietary tools thing is annoying but being a lover of tools and tinkering, i don't mind it. and besides, mine went through hell and back before needing a full service.

people selling 'em for cheap? fine by me. :cool:

I like that I don't have to do anything to these hubs but ride them.

I don't care about the weight factor on them - I weigh 194lbs and could stand to lose 5 to 10 off of my carcass. I love the durability, and they are light enough. I am a notorious wheel-wrecker and my King stuff has proven that it can really take a punch.

I've raced and trained on the King hubs, at temps from 0F to 103F. I have ridden them in snow & ice, mud, rain, and dust. I've got them on my road and MTB.

All of the horror stories about proprietary stuff have had zero impact on me in the real world. I have had them in a shop once - ever -and that was because I felt I should probably have them checked out because it had never been done. If this were an annual thing, it might become tiresome. But it's not.

Quick engagement is good, too.

So for guys to say that they are not as good as (some other brand), I hear you, but I reply that it depends on what you are looking for out of a hub. I've had Shimano DA hubs, Campy Record hubs, WI, and Phil Wood. The only hubs that I would trade for my Kings might be Phil Wood hubs, emphasis on might. In fact, I am still kicking myself for selling my Phil Wood setup, but that's another story.

[bcroslin]

Proprietary tool and innards(bearings), very complicated for something as simple as a bike hub. Expensive, big $ to convert. DT, shimano, Velocity, WI, Campagnolo better all around, imho. They do come in colors.ooooo

Almost verbatim to what my buddy the wheel builder said when I asked him if I should buy CK hubs or White Industries. I went with WI.

[eBAUMANN]

CK r45 - very well made, colors, ring drive seems like it introduces a lot of friction into the mix, good service, american made.

WI t11 - all of the above, minus the ring drive comment, slightly easier conversion process compared to king

DT 240s - all of the above, easiest/cheapest to convert to anything, dead simple to work on, comparatively cheap and plentiful on used market

DT has slowly won me over for the above reasons.

But still...CK has them pretty colors!

[oldpotatoe]

CK r45 - very well made, colors, ring drive seems like it introduces a lot of friction into the mix, good service, american made.

WI t11 - all of the above, minus the ring drive comment, slightly easier conversion process compared to king

DT 240s - all of the above, easiest/cheapest to convert to anything, dead simple to work on, comparatively cheap and plentiful on used market

DT has slowly won me over for the above reasons.

But still...CK has them pretty colors!

DT350, 6800, Record, of course.

[b021c]

I have a few sets that I like for their color but that's it. I'm always needing to tighten the rear hub so that's been a bummer otherwise they've run great. I have them serviced yearly using the CK grease & I'm totally unaware of any lockring. That said, I'm really digging my I9 Torch hubs and will probably build more CX Tubbies on them instead of CK.

[oldfatslow]

I am rebuilding a set of wheels built with Chris King classic hubs (32 spokes) laced to Open Pro rims. I got some new Pacenti rims which are sweet. My local wheelbuilder asked of the hubs on my old wheelset "when did you last have these serviced?" I told him I've never serviced them. I've ridden them in the pot holed, chip seal, bull ···· roads along with some dirt roads in Texas and have at least 15,000 miles on them. The front was still as smooth as butter. The rear was clean too except the seal behind the freehub body had come loose. They are bullet proof and the buzz noise annoys the guys riding the super light Trek Emonda's. It's usually the last thing they hear before I start pedaling them off my heavy, bullet proof, wheels.

[saab2000]

I hate the noise of Chris King hubs and it's the main reason I won't consider them. They are the unmuffled Harley-Davidsons of the cycling world. In other words, obnoxious.

If it weren't for the noise I would strongly consider them. And don't tell me I should just pedal more. Going downhill at 45-50 MPH involves coasting and the noise of those things isn't welcome.

[T.J.]

Saab , I have a set of the R45 and to me the noise level is 50% less than my old classics

[joep2517]

CK r45 - very well made, colors, ring drive seems like it introduces a lot of friction into the mix, good service, american made.

WI t11 - all of the above, minus the ring drive comment, slightly easier conversion process compared to king

DT 240s - all of the above, easiest/cheapest to convert to anything, dead simple to work on, comparatively cheap and plentiful on used market

DT has slowly won me over for the above reasons.

But still...CK has them pretty colors!

DT350, 6800, Record, of course.

Well this answers the question "if not R45s - what?"

But can you convert an R45 from Shimano to Campy and vice versa?

[djg21]

The only thing I didn't like was the noise when soft-pedaling. They make it hard to be stealth. I now use a King front hub with a powertap G3 on the back end. Don't know what I'll do on my next bike, on which I'll use a crank or pedal-based power meter.

[Likes2ridefar]

10s to 11s was about the price of many wheels. Rear is finicky. Pretty colors and the classics sound neat otherwise, $$$$

Dt240s are my choice.

[cv1966]

Almost verbatim to what my buddy the wheel builder said when I asked him if I should buy CK hubs or White Industries. I went with WI.

+1 on WI. I have 3 wheel sets with WI hubs, both H2 and T11. No problems ever with the hubs. I love the look and sound of CK but from the past experience of those I ride with it doesn't seem worth it.

[dpk501]

I ride to enjoy my surroundings, things I'd miss in a car.

Too much noise from CK to fully immerse myself in the moment.

[eBAUMANN]

But can you convert an R45 from Shimano to Campy and vice versa?

Yes but you have to re-dish the wheel...which can be a pain in the ass depending on the location of the nipples and how your tires are attached to said wheel...

[notoriousdjw]

My R45s have been great as well as a set of ISO disc single speed hubs for the mountain bike. Noise on the R45 is much less than my Hope Pros on the cross bike or the king ISOs. Also my Reynolds hubs are louder but those and the hopes replace the bell on the local bike paths. I just coast for a bit to let pedestrians know I'm coming by.

I agree that fancy hubs like kings aren't necessary as aren't most things discussed on the paceline. Also, 240s are awfully expensive for what is essentially an ugly hub ;).

[beeatnik]

I hate the noise of Chris King hubs and it's the main reason I won't consider them. They are the unmuffled Harley-Davidsons of the cycling world. In other words, obnoxious.

If it weren't for the noise I would strongly consider them. And don't tell me I should just pedal more. Going downhill at 45-50 MPH involves coasting and the noise of those things isn't welcome.

ya, they're not that loud. if the noise is that much of an issue then why even ride a road bike (trucks, cars, people, building cooling systems, wind...)

oh, I keep my r45s cos they build up into a solid wheel and I can drop 1500 wattz on them and not destroy them like my Tune hubz (tru story).

[AngryScientist]

i own a set of all of the big named hubs.

DT swiss wins in every category but aesthetics. for the price of their hubs new, i wish they would offer a polished, or anodized version. otherwise the DT hubs are perfect. multiple drillings, dead simple maintenance, reliable as hell.

if you need a hub to look good too, WI are the best.

[thwart]

ya, they're not that loud. if the noise is that much of an issue then why even ride a road bike (trucks, cars, people, building cooling systems, wind...)

Beeatnik, I like your style, but it's way too urban to understand what Saab is talking about.

Come on out to the hilly, driftless area of SW Wisconsin and do a peaceful, quiet rural ride.

Then you'll get it.

[Likes2ridefar]

i own a set of all of the big named hubs.

DT swiss wins in every category but aesthetics. for the price of their hubs new, i wish they would offer a polished, or anodized version. otherwise the DT hubs are perfect. multiple drillings, dead simple maintenance, reliable as hell.

if you need a hub to look good too, WI are the best.

the straight pull hubs are a little better looking. but not much.

[marciero]

What about cartridge bearings of CK vs race/cone/balls? This is one thing I like about the shimano stuff, though I am sure I can't tell the difference in the ride.

[oldpotatoe]

What about cartridge bearings of CK vs race/cone/balls? This is one thing I like about the shimano stuff, though I am sure I can't tell the difference in the ride.

Ball bearing hubs are more expensive to produce..rather than just a shelf for a cart bearing.

CK cart bearings, some(all?) are proprietary-read expensive, not normally carried by even a good LBS. Other cart bearing hubs use pretty standard bearing sizes.

Cart bearing hubs 'can' be more sluggish than cup and ball, mostly for the rubber seals in there. Cup and ball have 'seals' too but some are labyrinth types, like shimano, not just a draggy rubber seal.

I prefer cup and ball also, except on my wet weather Moots, which has Phil hubs and BB...

[Wakatel_Luum]

Other than the pretty colours I've seen no reason to buy a set over my Campagnolo, DT or Hope hubs which have all been hassle free over the years...

Maybe CK in the future...

[joep2517]

Yes but you have to re-dish the wheel...which can be a pain in the ass depending on the location of the nipples and how your tires are attached to said wheel...

Thanks Eric.

[velomonkey]

Have had a set of King R45s for 2 years now and had a set of 240s for 5 years. (Have also had other like campy and mavic).

Yes, the King hubs do engage quickly - the DT hubs engage immediately. As other have said you can also work on the DT hubs real easy, as in, not a single tool required for regular maintenance.

I appreciate my King hubs, but they are a total showpiece.

[fuzzalow]

As with any cycling gear, use what you have and it depends what you've got. For me, Campagnolo only and 28h Record is mostly what I have.

I've used CK hubs in the distant past which for a Campy user meant running 9-speed Shimano cassettes with 10-speed Campy shifters stop-adjusted to only sweep through 9 cogs. CKs are pretty but still no hub is prettier than a Campagnolo silver Record hub.

Ultimately, CKs were more hassle and noise than they were worth.

[velomonkey]

CKs are pretty but still no hub is prettier than a Campagnolo silver Record hub.


Word!!! Get a set of silver record hubs laced to ambrosio built by elder spud - can't wait.

[lil_champ]

I love my King R45's, but I switched my road bike to 11spd and I can't decide what to do with them. I don't really want to pay for the conversion, but I don't know if there is a market for 10spd R45's at this point.

[Hermes_Alex]

What about cartridge bearings of CK vs race/cone/balls? This is one thing I like about the shimano stuff, though I am sure I can't tell the difference in the ride.

Traditionally what cup-and-cone bearings had going for them was, in high quality examples, improved bearing life. The system allows for more even spread of load through the bearing than otherwise, which pays dividends for bearing life and smoothness (though bearing drag is an extremely small piece of the puzzle).

Enduro recently came out with angular-contact cartridge bearings that replicate the load system of a cup and cone bearing, which does kind of wipe out the old edge that Shimano/Campy had.

[R3awak3n]

I love my CKs but really do not like the sound, I still have em, its the purple hubs which only came in 28h and I prefer 32h so I have just been ridding my records also laced to archtypes.

http://www.pedalroom.com/p/spooky-havocstaff-13331_4.jpg

I mean how can you not love them?

[AngryScientist]

I love my CKs but really do not like the sound, I still have em, its the purple hubs which only came in 28h and I prefer 32h so I have just been ridding my records also laced to archtypes.

http://www.pedalroom.com/p/spooky-havocstaff-13331_4.jpg

I mean how can you not love them?

trade ya for a 32h record hubb'd wheelset...

[R3awak3n]

I just don't need another wheelset right now, I have been thinking about selling these but still not sure I want to so for now I am going to keep them. I also have been thinking about trying some carbon wheel which then I would replace these with but not convinced I will like braking on carbon amongst other things.

This thread made me want to put them back and ride them this weekend and I might do that.

[AngryScientist]

yea, i was only half kidding too. the rear rim is shot on my record wheelset and i'm now motivated to rebuild them to some nice rims.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oyigj3LGb8Y/Va7w4Q3iqKI/AAAAAAAACMc/MTThDYEJk8s/s900/P1080531x.png

[Joachim]

Trade? LOL. First set with Corima 32mm tubulars rims. Here are climbing wheels with 28h front and rear. 1280g.

Second is a purple future set with Pacenti SL23 v2.

And third is matching purple CK headset (and yes, there is a purple BB too).

[R3awak3n]

yea, i was only half kidding too. the rear rim is shot on my record wheelset and i'm now motivated to rebuild them to some nice rims.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oyigj3LGb8Y/Va7w4Q3iqKI/AAAAAAAACMc/MTThDYEJk8s/s900/P1080531x.png


:) You jut can't beat the campy stuff, its just real nice and the silver hubs are even nicer. I also love the campy sound, its loud and obnoxious but its nice, the king stuff is so whiney.

[-dustin]

I'm selling mine simply because I know someone else will appreciate them more than I do.

And because I don't want to buy the hub tool.

And because I needed disc hubs.

I considered buying the tool and hubshells, but then went back to my original reason.

[Tex Willer]

Ck r45 hubs have been working fine for me, quick engagement, easy to service. Campy hubs are bullet proof, just a little boring and only 32 holes. Changing bearings on DTs are a PIA, you have to be ultra strong and require special tool. WI are nice too, another fine alternative is Royce hubs

[R3awak3n]

tune hubs are also nice and come in a variety of colors.

[parallelfish]

Traditionally what cup-and-cone bearings had going for them was, in high quality examples, improved bearing life. The system allows for more even spread of load through the bearing than otherwise, which pays dividends for bearing life and smoothness (though bearing drag is an extremely small piece of the puzzle).

Enduro recently came out with angular-contact cartridge bearings that replicate the load system of a cup and cone bearing, which does kind of wipe out the old edge that Shimano/Campy had.

Chris King bearings are angular contact as well.

[CAAD]

King stuff just works. BUT after owning DT240s on my bontrager wheels im a DT fan now. Bearings seem to be bomb proof and servicing is snap. Plus its nice having a quiet freehub.