Chris King or Hugi?

[manitouman84]

So whats the verdict, I want to build a nice wheelset, do I get chris king hubs or do I get hugi hubs? Also, does anyone know about serviceability on these? I heard the hugi's are a pain to service, and in cases you have to ship them away to have them fixed, is that true? Are chris kings easy to service..? Tell me what you think guys, or gals... if youre out there.

[martini]

I agree with Tom, the way King runs his business makes me want to support him soley for that reason, price be damned. They've built a super nice eco-efficent building in cali, they recycle as much of thier materials as possible in house, and they totally support the cycling communtiy as a whole.

[Kingbozo]

Originally posted by martini
I agree with Tom, the way King runs his business makes me want to support him soley for that reason, price be damned. They've built a super nice eco-efficent building in cali, they recycle as much of thier materials as possible in house, and they totally support the cycling communtiy as a whole.

And from what I have read, King's products are absolutely bombproof, last forever type of stuff.

[GearDaddy]

I've got Bontrager Race-lite wheels with Chris King hubs, and have been extremely satisfied. Yes, the Chris King hubs are bombproof and easy to service. They have this really easy-to-use adjustment on the cones to eliminate any "play" in the hub, and they keep out any dirt and grime really well.

Also, I have become very accustomed to the "Grrrrr" sound that they make, instead of the usual "tick-tick-tick" of other hubs. :)

[BrightYellow]

King products all the way. The components and philosophy can not be beat! I have a CK headset and am extremely happy...

http://www.chrisking.com/company/comp_index.html

[SilverAthlon]

The quality of chris king is totally unparalleled. They manufacture in house, out of 2 buildings in cali. IMHO they are probably the most elite of any parts mfg. i can think of. Their excellent parts are a direct result of low tolerances, and highly trained, 30+ years experience mill workers. Bombproof and all, they still manage to put quite a bit of style, and come in several anodized colors.

As for adjustments, you can get special tool(s) (they do look as nice as the the rest of their equipment) and you will pay some good ching for them. Hubs are serviceable with 2 5mm hex wrenches, so you home mechanics are not locked into buying new tools. Instructions on how and what to do are generally included with the hubs. On the other hand, you can always count on your local shop to take care of it for around $10-15...

[KleinCrazy]

I remember hearing from someone in the industry that there are many frame builders and manufacturers out there that use King Headsets to check the tolerances of their Head tubes!!!!!

When you are using another companies product to check your own work, it says something about King Quality.


L8er

[SilverAthlon]

Off their website:
"Our headsets are fine precision instruments with tolerances as tight as ± .0001 inch. "

:banana:

[nigel]

Anything King will outlive the entire bike!!!

[manitouman84]

Any hugi users out there?

Im pretty much sold on Chris Kings, but I wanted to here experiences with the hubs, so I feel better when I dump almost 400 on a set up hubs. Its nice to know they are easy to work on too, im totally a home mechanic fiend.

I did read the article in Bike about the company, I agree, I believe they are totally worthy of the money for the company itself. Now if only every company could take after chris king. I liked the bit about how when employees bike to work they get store credit to the company cafe, neat idea to save both the environment and get people on their bikes :cool: .

[nigel]

I've worked on both. They are both great to work on :) I would have to say that best buy for the money would be the Hugi 240's, lighter than Kings and cheaper. They are both serviceable by pretty much anyone and require little work. Just make sure the wheels are built correctly and either hub set will give you lots of joy. I just wish silent freewhubs were in style :)

[qheuie]

i agree with everyone about King. they have bombproff stuff. i used to think "why spend that much on some components" but after trying them and reading that article in Bike, they are on the top of the list anytime i need new parts.

[Hardtailforever]

In addition to being indestructable and reasonably light, Kings are way pretty. You can get them in every colour of the rainbow, and they're all done with a beautiful ano job. They're so nice to look at that I thought about shelling out the $60 for the king shakers (rejected front hub shells made into salt and pepper shakers). They're sweet.

[Crash]

Originally posted by Hardtailforever
They're so nice to look at that I thought about shelling out the $60 for the king shakers (rejected front hub shells made into salt and pepper shakers). They're sweet.

The shakers would be sweet, but what you really need is a pair of these.

Thanks Don!!!!