For anyone even remotely knowledgable about boutique high end bicycle parts the name Chris King is synonymous with cutting edge design and legendary reliability, Chris King has led the way for the last four decades.

Many were introduced to Chris King with the debut of their incredible headset. I can personally attest to the impressive lifespan of a CK headset as my Merlin has one and that bike left the Merlin factory in 1993. Still going strong!

Though CK offers numerous lovely components I'd like to concentrate here on there impressive line of hubs. As a wheel builder ones reputation stands or falls on reliability. Therefore I tend to gravitate to using components that have proven themselves time and again. It may be said that you are only as good as your last wheel set, so high quality is always at the forefront of my wheel designs.

Companies like CK hold themselves to extraordinarily high standards and that makes my job easier. Lets look at what they are up to these days. My current fave is the R45. This hub could find itself on several different wheel types. An obvious choice for the roadie who wants a hub that will perform at the top end and keep on going for many many seasons. With a centerlock disc option the R45 could easily be found on a gravel grinder machine for those who choose a less travelled path. Those same set of wheels could do double duty on your cyclocross bike easily. The R45 uses the CK patented Ring Drive that offers 45 points of engagement for virtually drag free operation. Chris King makes their sealed bearings in house to maintain tight quality control. The R45 comes with a confidence boosting 5 year warranty. A ceramic bearing upgrade is yours for the asking. What about axle options? CK offers all the current popular axle configurations. The alloy freehub is compatible with either Campagnolo or Shimano/SRAM gears.

I will be carrying all the necessary CK special tools to enable rebuilding your hubs when the time comes.

Colours. CK has a enviable choice of different colours to keep things interesting. Black, silver, red, pink, pewter, navy blue, mango, turquoise, green and gold. Now and then there are limited edition hubsets that are done in unique colours.

The Chris King R45 rear disc hub in the limited edition colour of Sour Apple.

Chris King also has hubs that are suitable for several other cycling disciplines. Tandem riders, BMXers, cycle tourists, single speed junkies and triathletes have been taken care of. I suggest that you take a look at their comprehensive website for additional details on those other options.

Chris King has some specialist tools for their R45 hubs. These are required to perform a complete overhaul.

Cognoscenti Cycles is very proud to be carrying the entire Chris King line of hubs! If proven design and bomb proof reliability are high on your list of priorities then a CK hub is a no brainer. With a long list of interesting rim options, there are many ways we could go in building up some very cool CK wheels. Lets chat and come up with something utterly killer.

Corey Mihailiuk