Final winter, Chris King Precision Parts introduced again a glimpse of their uncommon, costly, however primarily lifetime titanium headsets with some built-in DropSet choices to suit trendy bikes – and now the basic 1 1/8″ NoThreadSet is again for a really restricted time in ti too. All Chris King headsets are “constructed to final a lifetime, absolutely serviceable, and backed by [their] lifetime built-to-last guarantee“, however these titanium variations take it to the subsequent degree.
Chris King Titanium 1 1/8″ NoThreadSet in restricted manufacturing
Half a 12 months in the past, after I wrote in regards to the King Titanium DropSet, I primarily turned it right into a assessment of my very own 1 1/8″ Chris King Titanium NoThreadSet. That’s as a result of this can be a headset that I legit purchased greater than twenty years in the past. It’s been pressed into at the very least two cyclocross bikes, a titanium XC softail, and an aluminum full-suspension path mountain bike alongside the way in which. I’ve ridden bikes on two continents and in at the very least twelve completely different international locations with this headset. And I’ve serviced the bearings most likely simply twice.
It was extra of an ode to the King Ti headset on the time, since you couldn’t actually purchase that very same headset I used to be using on the time. However now you truly can once more!
“Regardless of the onward march of applied sciences and new requirements, the NoThreadSet stays certainly one of our largest sellers, and we made it in titanium for a very long time. So, we additionally really feel a large duty to the a whole lot of 1000’s of nice bikes on the market which are nonetheless rolling and nonetheless giving folks pleasure.”
– Jay Sycip, Chris King Design Supervisor
The important thing to the long-running success of King headsets is a mixture of precision machining, high-quality in-house bearing manufacturing, and the patented GripLock bearing cap. GripLock is its impartial preload of the headset’s loosely dropped-in sealed bearings individually of the way it clamps in opposition to your steerer tube, in order that the bearings keep preloaded as you trip, making it “impervious to the sick results of load spikes from massive hits and heavy braking“. The result’s “smoother steering, fewer changes, no creaking, and a longer-lasting headset” additional justification for purchasing certainly one of these costly beauties!
My lifetime Chris King Titanium 1 1/8″ NoThreadSet headset
The King Ti headset I’m truly reviewing from this level on isn’t precisely the brand new one you should purchase at the moment.
Its laser-etched graphics are ever-so-slightly completely different. However what’s sort of wonderful is that aside from how Chris King etched those self same logos into it, nothing else has modified. In a time the place we grimace with every new commonplace, there actually nonetheless are tons of bikes on the market that also match previous basic 1.125″ threadless headset.
Again to my 20+ 12 months previous headset that’s been pressed into and extracted from a number of bikes over these a long time – then pressed again in with its symmetrical cups the other way up, honoring previous bike store rat traditions…
My Chris King Titanium NoThreadSet is now in an equally previous Soma Double Cross cyclocross bike that began life with a restricted version Fairly & Robust pink King headset for breast most cancers consciousness round 2002, I believe. That authentic pink headset btw, continues to be in service too, now pressed right into a Moots YBB. The Soma was since lower into items to have some S&S couplers brazed-in, turning it right into a globetrotting, cantilever-braked, all-terrain all-rounder – final repainted round 2015 when it obtained the titanium headset improve. It raced cross, raced gravel, and completed just a few worldwide border crossing excursions loaded with numerous baggage within the meantime.
Right here it was on high of the Madonna del Ghisallo for its road-style biking pilgrimage – testing pre-production variations of Vittoria’s first-ever Graphene-infused Corsa tubular tires. But it surely’s again as extra of an off-road gravel touring bike once more today. Actually solely getting ridden a few instances a 12 months, between all the trendy gravel bikes I now check.
Our Longest-Time period Product Evaluation
The headset was in two completely different mountain bikes earlier than this. First, the full-sus Kona Kikapu DeLuxe as a short-travel path bike again within the day, then in a ti Moots MOOT-X YBB 29er cross-country softail. It additionally spent a while in a customized lugged metal Clark Customized Cycles XMY♡ cyclocross race bike, too.
And the headset nonetheless spins as easily as when it was new. Having realistically solely 2 (or perhaps 3) full tear-down providers in its lifetime, to this point. Bearings opened up, cleaned, regreased, and reassembled. Even the one time that it regarded like I had waited too lengthy, soak in degreaser… and it was as shiny as new a few days later.
There’s loads of lifetimes left in each these titanium cups and the precision stainless-steel Chris King bearings inside.
The great thing about the 1 1/18″ threadless commonplace nonetheless is that it’s truly a typical commonplace. Innumerable bikes have handed via my workshop up to now twenty years that would match this NoThreadSet. Although tapered steerers have taken over for essentially the most half, I’m positive there’ll nonetheless be frames to suit this headset.
I didn’t decide up a Ti DropSet earlier than they bought out over the winter. But when King machines a Ti Inset to suit my carbon Festka, I’ll snap a type of proper up. I don’t want to purchase certainly one of these new Chris King Titanium NoThreadSets as a result of frankly, the one I’ve nonetheless has a long time of service left in it. I’m positive in case you decide one up now, it would most likely outlast no matter bike you press it into at the moment.
Chris King Titanium NoThreadSet headsets – Pricing, choices & availability
The brand new Chris King Titanium 1 1/8″ NoThreadSet is available in only one mannequin. That’s all you want. It sells for $475 and encompasses a matte ti end, an identical ti cap & titanium bolt. When you’ve got a pleasant bike that you just love, which inserts a basic press-in threadless headset, it is best to think about giving it a King Ti improve.
However act quick, Chris King doesn’t say simply how restricted these are, however they promote out each time. It might be a long time earlier than Chris King will get round to machining blocks of titanium into headsets to suit your basic bike once more. However relaxation assured, this one will nonetheless be spinning for a few years to come back.
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