Could we all just talk about how chris king headsets suck. if you can't understand why. don't post please

Author	Message

bigtard

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 0:50

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they do suck, except the bearings. they're great. but its not all about bearings
the top race fits around the steerer tube loosely. nothing actually grabs the steerer tube, unless you count the o-ring (joke). leads to creaking and a small amount of play. in the long run it can also damage the steerer leading to a stress riser, and possibly a steerer breakage.

lets not just get mad at me and try to defend your expensive headset purchase ok. if you don't know what i mean, this post isn't for you

veet-88

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:00	Quote
They don't suck their design is just inferior for the DH application. Ryan

hardcorebiz

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:01	Quote
Just buy a Cane Creek, they invented the damn thing. 110s are pretty nice - I have one of those.

iggz

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:02	Quote
CK is fine for XC. It ends there.

veet-88

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:04	Quote
Exactly as I stated inferior design for DH use. no pressure ring allows play resulting in creaking but bad keep em on the little bikes. Ryan

iggz

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:04	Quote
I've run one with a compression washer for a day and it was nice... solved the problems but then I had to give the frame back lol

rffr

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:44

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For those that hate king headsets, well, obviously the issue is ONLY with the TOP bearing race. Since the bottom steelset is flawless, just get a new upper headset. Issue solved. You still have the insanely smooth characteristics but without the play of the upper king headset.

And btw, they aren't expensive at all if you look in the fact other bearings will last half as long. It's a buy once in the frames lifetime ordeal. Heck they can even go longer. Late 90's and counting on my xc bike. What does that tell you. No other headset would have lasted that long.

So, pig or cane creek upper, king lower. Exactly what I run on my bmx race bike. All issues done.

iggz

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:46	Quote
Orrrr you can just run a compression race for the upper cup.....

rffr

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:48

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iggz wrote:

Orrrr you can just run a compression race for the upper cup.....

unless it's made by king I wouldn't use it. They are not campy spec 45 degree races. Think it's like 43. something.

I just put a pair of shiv's on my bmx race bike with the built in lower race and it was almost identical but not quite. Either way, if you really want it to be legit and not explode bearings you will need an exact copy of the degree of the king race to not having the physical race work like a compression ring. Something I am worried about on my bmx bike.

iggz

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:49	Quote
Not really... CC compression rings are super soft... grooved in nicely.

rffr

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 1:53

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iggz wrote:

Not really...

CC compression rings are super soft... grooved in nicely.

don't think you got what I was saying. There is not a angle on the king upper race. A compression ring takes an angle to compress. Either you have to dremel the upper race out allowing for a compression ring to properly fit in, or your just ghetto rigging it with no true compression (it will act like a wedge instead of acting like a compression ring which puts outward force on something evenly).

A compression ring will take an upper race made for the ring. Sure you probably can do it without but at the speeds we see on dh, is it really something you wanna dick with?

hardcorebiz wrote:

Just buy a Cane Creek, they invented the damn thing.

110s are pretty nice - I have one of those.

and no, cane creek didn't invent headsets if that is what you are talking about... or the rubber compression ring king uses, or a wedge compression ring. C/C didn't invent anything.

I also checked the c/c compression ring. Wouldn't really say that is what i was thinking about when thinking compression ring. I admit fault on my part on that one.

iggz

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 2:00	Quote
Yeah... I don't think you understood was I was saying... It works fine, it does as intended, it fixes CK shitty top race issue.

rffr

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 3:35

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iggz wrote:

Yeah... I don't think you understood was I was saying...

It works fine, it does as intended, it fixes CK shitty top race issue.

its just a new type of compression ring I have never ever seen or heard of before. Generally 99% of compression rings are cone shaped. Thus different.

Anyways I might actually see if the local shop has one. I'm sick of my top Headset creaking on my steelset and really, am just too lazy to dig out my extra pig upper which is more than lost in my garage.

bigtard

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 9:57

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all of these solutions, i'm sure most of you could admit are a little ridiculous. if the design isn't suitable for dh, then why is the same flaw acceptable to xc. sure its less of a problem, but its still a problem

is buying an expensive headset and then rationalizing its still good if you guys are gonna go and replace half of it a real solution. why don't you just use the whole headset you've already bought to fix the expensive one you also bought

using the plastic washer is also a ridiculous stop gap (literally)

no matter what type of riding nobody needs the extra bearing life of a king in the lower cup. lets be honest, blowing up bearings isn't exactly a common issue

using an fsa top race compression ring does work, but once again why?
I had to because someone ran a deep cup ck in a demo and it would have been a nightmare to get out.

why doesn't chris king just wise up and make a good headset?

wouldn't that be the real solution?

yes, yes it would be

iggz

Posted: Nov 29, 2009 at 10:09	Quote
Obviously that is never going to happen as CK thinks they are immortally superior to all companies.