The King Secures His Throne With Several New Innovations

Chris King has long been known for their innovative design and unparalleled commitment to quality. Now they have raised the bar with a wide variety of new innovations and changes to their well-known line up. The Chris King headset is perhaps the most widely known of any of their products, but this year they have decided to shy away from the bold graphics that they are recognized for, and opt for something a little more subtle. The new design is called Sotto Voce; in Italian this literally translates to “under voice”. What it means is a very light graphic that creates a smoother feel to the look of the headset. However if you are a lover of the classic bold Chris King logo, do not despair, black will still be offered in the original white lettering or the new Sotto Voce design. Yet with these and other changes the unmatched 10 year warranty on their headsets remains.

Another new change to the look of their headsets, hubs and bottom brackets, is the introduction of a new color…brown. That is on top of their large color line-up already, which maxes out at 10, but depends on which component you are looking at. But I just gave the next point away; the new Chris King bottom bracket. It is designed to work with Shimano-compatible external bottom brackets. Besides offering 24 ball bearings per side and a user serviceable design, it comes with a 5 year warranty and a lot of pretty colors.

The hubs are also seeing a new addition this year, thru-axles. For front hubs Chris King now offers 15mm thru axle hubs with ISO 20mm hub shells or and standard ISO hub shells. And of course they have rear thru axle hubs. They come in 135 x 10mm and 135 x 12mm ISO flavors. All of the Chris King hubs offer a 5 year warranty, a variety of color options (of course), user-serviceable bearings, 72 engagement points compared to the normal 24 (on rear hubs), and the ability to adjust hub bearing preload with the wheel still on the bike!

King has expanded their stainless steel cog line to include 21, 22 and 23 teeth versions for more options for single speeders and fixies.

Chris King has long been shaping the leading edge of the industry, and with the coming year’s new line-up, I think it is safe to say they are holding that position. In a world where fine print is everywhere and even your coffee cup has to have a warning label on it, there is a company that is building a product the right way, and backing what they do with the best warranty around. This commitment to the industry is not only evident in their product but in their involvement with organizations like Wheels for Life, their contributions to the Pretty and Strong foundation for combating breast cancer, and commuter incentive programs for their employees, that generously rewards those who make a positive impact on our environment. The King secures his throne!

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