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Are they really worth the extreme price?
Ofcourse they aren't.
But that's no reason to stop!
They [i]do[/i] last forever.
Is an LV belt worth it? An M&S belt holds your trousers up in the same way just doesn't display a coveted brand logo on your frontage.
Personally...nope! I had one and it was constantly working loose. Replaced with a Hope and that was ultra-reliable (and half the cost).
Got mates who swear by them but I think they are mince.
I am still using one I got by my calculation about 15 years ago. The vast majority of that time it has been in continual use.
It is still running the original bearings and I can only think of one time when I have taken it apart and greased it.
I think as with anything, it does depend on how you install and look after things, but in my case it has very much been fit and forget
Echoing the above. They are fit and forget if you fit them right. Ive bought two 2nd hand.
Wouldn't pay for a new one.
I've had a few, both new and second hand, all have been faultless, if any of my none ck headsets need replacing, that's what they'll be replaced with. Properly fit and forget.
Got 3, all bought 2nd hand, all on original bearings, youngest is 12 years old, still as smooth as the day i got it
Have one on my commuter for 4 years / 12000 miles and counting!
I had one, it was fit and forget - couldn't tell you if it was the bearings or the design. Wasn't the stiffest headset though.
Hope are cheaper and equally robust and stiffer.
FSA Pig is half the price and with a bit of TLC are tough as old boots.
The one in my older road bike is about 12 years old and still like new.
And my older xc hardtail has one that's also just fine
But the one I fitted to my old enduro sx creaked and creaked.
All of those are normal 1 1/8 external cup ones
TBF an FSA orbit or pig will last over a decade with some basic maintenance...
Longevity isn't really much of a selling point when cheaper alternatives last quite a while and headtubes are now various sizes, what's the point of owning a 'headset for life'?
Why not simply admit you paid for the logo and move on...
They last forever but so do all the quality headsets I've installed. The only ones I've had trouble with are cheap manufacturer OEM. Moreover, headsets with cartridge bearings which can be replaced arn't a problem if they do only last a few years
Mines have all creaked like bastards.
Hopes i replaced them with do not.
Ergo I suspect you need the conical washer CK don't believe in.
My king headsets have lasted years, had hope, looked like something from a Christmas cracker and didn't last long in full Cannock and peak district winter grinding paste. Mind you my cane creak/Jeff jones headset has also been bombproof, but was similar cost and quality to king. I can't be doing with creaky, Grindy or generally noisy/crap/tin foil components on my bikes, so I buy what I know works and lasts. To he fair if some cheapo Chinese eBay wongdong headset lasted as well, I'd have that, as I'm not bothered about the brand name, just performance
A CK headset is like a £4k watch. Tells the time no better than a £10 digital casio but looks shiny and comes with an oooh factor. Don't see the point really if you can buy a cheap one that has half decent seals and can take standard size stainless bearings.
But if you want one buy one.
I bought one when I had access to trade pricing. It's very nice, has done thousands of miles over the past 5 years or so with no maintenance and is now on its 3rd frame. I don't think they're particularly better than some cheaper brands though.
It's the later version of course, not the one that was cutting steerers.
£135 for a headset and you have to ask if its worth the money lol
I like them. If the frame will take a King I tend to fit them, wether it's new or 2nd hand. My main bike (different frames) had the same headset for 14yrs. (The Liteville uses ineternal) There's another two bikes that are well over ten years but with lighter use
Last forever and need no looking after.
Are too expensive.
Only you can decide if one outweighs the other for you.
My first one is on 20+ years.
Oh, for long travel single crown forks you need to use one with a proper locking collar (older ones don't have this).
The new collars can be bought on their own if pressing the top part of an older headset into use on a modern bike.
The ones I've had have lasted for ages - The one in my Soda I bought second hand for £40 12 years ago and hasn't been touched since.
As Kelvin says - big SC forks cause problems if you have the old type ones with the O-ring style bearing cover. I had a holiday in Whistler where I was having to retighten my headset every couple of runs.
I've since been able to get Hope kit at mates rate, and at that point its a no brainer - they're 80+% as good for less than 50% of the RRP. Especially now there's so many headtube variations and its unlikely I'll sell a frame without the headset as the new one will almost certainly take a different type.
In the days of 1 1/8 they were worth a premium. Looks, bling and longevity.
Now I have 1 bike with an 1 1/8th headset. The days of King headsets is numbered IMHO.
Thanks for the input everybody. I've been hovering, now pressed the King button!
jruk - Member
A CK headset is like a £4k watch. Tells the time no better than a £10 digital casio but looks shiny and comes with an oooh factor. Don't see the point really if you can buy a cheap one that has half decent seals and can take standard size stainless bearings.
In every aspect - utter tosh.
trail_rat - MemberMines have all creaked like bastards.
Dodgy joists?
I've only ever had one, other bikes have all had head tubes which I can't/couldn't one to suit so have used Cane Creek (with no issues).
The one I had needed the bottom race to be stripped and cleaned after around 2 years as it was as rough as heck. Quick blast in a sonic bath for a while and it was as good as new. Sold the bike a short while afterwards, sure the HS will out last the frame.
Spoke to CK importer at the time who said it needed to be lubed with oil rather than grease, they advised that Winter chain oil is as good as anything.
Never had a problem with any headset that cost over £20. Beyond that point I suspect youre investing in the fit for your frame & that "buttery smooth" feeling on the workstand that you don't notice on the trail (be honest).
Hope bottom bracket over an OEM, now that difference I can feel - especially year-old Hope vs year-old OEM.
Mrs Wachowchow bought me a Chris King headset for my birthday this year. £135 on a headset that does not resemble any of the headsets in any of the 6 bikes we have in the shed.
It does mean that I have £135 to spend on stuff! I could replace all 6 headsets for that money but they would not feel like a CK headset.
I have an older Kona PhD with Project II steel forks. I fitted a £20 headset in that to get it on the road. After being used to Hope, CK and higher end FSA, the £20 jobby feel awful. It doesn't take the one that I have to send back though.
They're good but they're not as good as they like to think they are.
Had both HS and BB. HS was a bit of a pain - bottom bracket has been okay apart from one incident that got sorted under warranty and took ages.
I wouldn't put anyone off buying one.
Given that they work on such tight tolerances, its well worth getting a bike shop to ream and face your headtube before installing it. If you do that, you should never have to touch it again.
Just like an expensive watch. They aren't any better than the cheap ones but if you fancy some bling and have the cash to spend, it's a nice thing to have.
on and on - Member
Just like an expensive watch. They aren't any better than the cheap ones but if you fancy some bling and have the cash to spend, it's a nice thing to have.
Again, I have to disagree. When a cheap Seiko is damaged/fails to keep time, it's binned and replaced as they cannot be easily repaired. When (if) an Omega does this, it will be repaired. Also, as an owner of both cheap (Fossil) and expensive (Omega) watches, the screen on my Fossil was scratched within weeks and cracked within a year. Cost to repair - more than the watch I kept it going for a while, but it now fails to keep time. My Omega is 11 years old and whilst the bezel and strap show signs of wear, it's mechanically perfect and the screen is scratch free. It also loses only a few tens of seconds per month compared to minutes on the Fossil.
Similarly - CK bearings last a lifetime with proper maintenance and proper fitting. My oldest CK product is 13 years old, my oldest BB 4 years, my oldest headset 9 years. Even if they should die/become damaged. CK will repair them for you. I've never had to use this service, but it's there.
Hubs are serviced every 6 months and it take an hour with basic tools, BB every year with a specific (£30) tool. and takes 10 mins. Headsets - original 1.125 - never, the newer ones with the larger cups, i inspect every 12 months. So far, one re grease using Ring Lube at 18 months (now 3 years old).
Don't think I've ever paid more than £55 for a mint 2nd hand one - all have been utterly reliable* and blingtastic.
New (to me ) bike has a Hope fitted. I like their pick'n'mix approach, but I do find their machining a bit...chunky.
*one did cut into a steerer.
I wouldn't get one. They were an OK bauble in the days of 100mm forks and 1 1/8 steerers when their idiotic o-ring work around wasn't much of an issue. As soon as forks got longer the weakness was exposed in many scored steerers, and for a company that sold itself on its engineering excellence the "user blaming" was extensive and relentless, and made all the more galling when the patent ran out on the conical spacer and they changed the design overnight.
If it's something perty you want, buy a Hope
They are worth it. I ask the question, who has ever worn one out?
Mine is on a Tallboy that has done rather more work than most bikes and its been greased every couple of years whether it needed it or not. I would not ask for any other make on a new bike. I'm not sponsored by CK.
Wasn't the stiffest headset though.
Eh? so the riding surface, tyre pressures, hub bearings, spoke tension, fork qr/bolt through (whatever) fork bushings, stem & bars were all ok, but you managed to narrow down your bike's lack of front end stiffness to your CK headset. Really? I mean... really?