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 fashionable bikes – and now the traditional 1 1/8″ NoThreadSet is again for a really restricted time in ti too. All Chris King headsets are “constructed to final a lifetime, totally 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 it is a headset that I legit purchased greater than 20 years in the past. It’s been pressed into a minimum of 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 a minimum of twelve completely different international locations with this headset. And I’ve serviced the bearings in all probability 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 an enormous duty to the tons of of 1000’s of nice bikes on the market which might be nonetheless rolling and nonetheless giving individuals 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 unbiased 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 experience, making it “impervious to the unwell results of load spikes from giant 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 as we speak.
Its laser-etched graphics are ever-so-slightly completely different. However what’s sort of superb 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 a very good outdated traditional 1.125″ threadless headset.
Again to my 20+ 12 months outdated headset that’s been pressed into and extracted from a number of bikes over these many years – then pressed again in with its symmetrical cups the other way up, honoring outdated bike store rat traditions…
My Chris King Titanium NoThreadSet is now in an equally outdated 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 acquired the titanium headset improve. It raced cross, raced gravel, and completed a number of worldwide border crossing excursions loaded with varied luggage 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. However it’s again as extra of an off-road gravel touring bike once more as of late. 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 possibly 3) full tear-down companies in its lifetime, up to now. Bearings opened up, cleaned, regreased, and reassembled. Even the one time that it regarded like I had waited too lengthy, a very good 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 fantastic thing about the 1 1/18″ threadless commonplace nonetheless is that it’s truly a typical commonplace. Innumerable bikes have handed by my workshop up to now 20 years that might match this NoThreadSet. Regardless that 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 offered 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 many years of service left in it. I’m positive for those who decide one up now, it would in all probability outlast no matter bike you press it into as we speak.
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 includes a matte ti end, an identical ti cap & titanium bolt. When you’ve got a pleasant bike that you just love, which inserts a traditional press-in threadless headset, it’s best to contemplate 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 could possibly be many years earlier than Chris King will get round to machining blocks of titanium into headsets to suit your traditional bike once more. However relaxation assured, this one will nonetheless be spinning for a few years to return.
