Chris King Headset service?
- Thread starter clockworkgazz
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Cheers Scant.
My CK headset is now regreased and nice and smooth, there was lots of crud in there but suppose that is not urprizing given it was at the bottom. The top is still super smooth, just goes to show that a lizard skin is a great investment.
My CK headset is now regreased and nice and smooth, there was lots of crud in there but suppose that is not urprizing given it was at the bottom. The top is still super smooth, just goes to show that a lizard skin is a great investment.
Wold Ranger
Old School Grand Master
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Just to throw a spanner in the works
my usual gift! King do a specific headset for long travel forks! Surprised they didn't state this! they have a slightly larger O ring and more importantly much longer insertion tubes. These hold the cups much more rigidly and prevent flexing due to the increased leverage with longer forks. It is this flexing of the bearing race cups thats causes the start of the problems. The insertions are around an inch each.
I have also found that King insertion tubes are on the slack side even from new, compared to others like FSA, Hope and RF which in headtube for headtube are a much tighter press fit into the same tubes than King ones!
Furthermore the profile of the King headset is wrong (altho I am a fan) as with Alloy and Carbon headtubes, the rounded profile does not seat fully against the faces and leaves a gap for dirt to get in. They should be broader and flatter and then would seat much better.
The design is really aimed at thinner steel and Ti headtubes!.
Just to throw a spanner in the works
my usual gift! King do a specific headset for long travel forks! Surprised they didn't state this! they have a slightly larger O ring and more importantly much longer insertion tubes. These hold the cups much more rigidly and prevent flexing due to the increased leverage with longer forks. It is this flexing of the bearing race cups thats causes the start of the problems. The insertions are around an inch each.I have also found that King insertion tubes are on the slack side even from new, compared to others like FSA, Hope and RF which in headtube for headtube are a much tighter press fit into the same tubes than King ones!
Furthermore the profile of the King headset is wrong (altho I am a fan) as with Alloy and Carbon headtubes, the rounded profile does not seat fully against the faces and leaves a gap for dirt to get in. They should be broader and flatter and then would seat much better.
The design is really aimed at thinner steel and Ti headtubes!.
stevet1":1zmw713v said:
sorry, didnt see this till now. i've just started running one on my freeride bike so i'll let you know. certainly with the wedge section & standard O-ring section (like king use) the forks are held in place super firm. first built it up, put the stem etc in place to work out how much steerer I had to cut off, then remove the forks; well getting the forks loose was significantly harder.. which is probs a good sign re the steerer not moving in the headset.
i thought the cups that had longer sections were steel :?
too lazy to check their site
and if your going to use a steel headset , might as well use a fsa pig
lo and behold my king is loose , again :evil: steel rigid forks too :roll: might knock it out and throw it across the garden , biggest waste of money ive ever spent on a bike ( that could be a new thread ) but all my pigs are tight
scant keep us updated on the hope , be nice to buy british but im weary of the oring system :?
too lazy to check their site
and if your going to use a steel headset , might as well use a fsa pig
lo and behold my king is loose , again :evil: steel rigid forks too :roll: might knock it out and throw it across the garden , biggest waste of money ive ever spent on a bike ( that could be a new thread
) but all my pigs are tight scant keep us updated on the hope , be nice to buy british but im weary of the oring system :?
perry":2z57r9pr said:i thought the cups that had longer sections were steel :?
too lazy to check their site
and if your going to use a steel headset , might as well use a fsa pig
lo and behold my king is loose , again :evil: steel rigid forks too :roll: might knock it out and throw it across the garden , biggest waste of money ive ever spent on a bike ( that could be a new thread
scant keep us updated on the hope , be nice to buy british but im weary of the oring system :?
no probs, will do.. & if you're gonna chuck the king... chuck it my way
Wold Ranger
Old School Grand Master
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King
I'm beginning to wonder if misfitting is the problem here? I've run Kings on dozens of bikes over many many years and never once had a problem :? U do face the headtube before fitting them don't you? As per the detailed instructions? This could be part of the answer.
Other points: The tension applied to the bearings needs to be a little bit higher and maintained (checked before each ride).
Using a lot of spacers can be a problem also, I never use more than 2x5mm and prefer 1.
No top tension cap should come loose if all is fitted properly and then tensioned with a good quality stem (I prefer Thomson).
The longer headsets may be a bit heavier, but if your running Long travel a few extra grammes won't matter in exchange for a tighter ride.
Pig headsets have a shocking reputation for not lasting, Kings remember have a 10 year guarantee that is ALWAYS honoured.
I have run a few Hopes and found these a bit Flexy, but if you torque up the tension, they then bind tightly.
I'm beginning to wonder if misfitting is the problem here? I've run Kings on dozens of bikes over many many years and never once had a problem :? U do face the headtube before fitting them don't you? As per the detailed instructions? This could be part of the answer.
Other points: The tension applied to the bearings needs to be a little bit higher and maintained (checked before each ride).
Using a lot of spacers can be a problem also, I never use more than 2x5mm and prefer 1.
No top tension cap should come loose if all is fitted properly and then tensioned with a good quality stem (I prefer Thomson).
The longer headsets may be a bit heavier, but if your running Long travel a few extra grammes won't matter in exchange for a tighter ride.
Pig headsets have a shocking reputation for not lasting, Kings remember have a 10 year guarantee that is ALWAYS honoured.
I have run a few Hopes and found these a bit Flexy, but if you torque up the tension, they then bind tightly.
as mentioned earlier, its undersize fork steerers that strictly speaking are the problem. the king headset cant cope with the undersize steerer in the same way cane creek, hope etc can. its also more of a problem on longer travel forks, 140mm & above due to the increased leverage
