SHOP VISIT: Chris King Precision Components (Bike Component Heaven!)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 21 июн 2017
- Love videos like this? Become a microfunder of the channel! www.pathlesspedaled.com/subscribe-monthly/ In this video we get a tour of the Chris King factory in Portland Oregon from Jay Sycip. Jay walks us through the production process of the components as well as the Cielo bikes. If you are a fan of Chris King components and want to see how they are made, you won't want to miss this video.
Camera Gear used in description below
Main Camera: amzn.to/2lVTCg0
B-Roll Camera: amzn.to/2lVPWe3
Most used lenses:
amzn.to/2l1V3Kg
amzn.to/2mB88GN
amzn.to/2m0Pmw9
Shotgun Mic: amzn.to/2leQ4kK
Travel / Vlogging Camera: amzn.to/2mB0e07
Ride Camera: amzn.to/2mAYnbM
Interview Mic: amzn.to/2l1K044
Wireless Receiver and Transmitter: amzn.to/2mAXvUK
Tripod: amzn.to/2mBidUk
Monopod: amzn.to/2lKOquK
Gimbal: amzn.to/2mBeshH
After watching some other tours of shops or factories I am now realizing how good the audio is on this video. You can tell when he raises his voice that the background must be louder, but the background itself is so faint and his voice is still clear. I usually take this for granted. Nice work!
I've been to Chris King for 13 years and I'm still working.
Thank you guys from Chris King
You know my buddy Cameron!
They offer tours for the general public by appointment once a week!!! That is totally awesomely nuts! That's Bucket List worthy right there.
I wonder if they still do this
@@PedalMore I had forgotten about this! i should see if i can find out I'd love to make a plan to go have a tour
My son raced BMX. I still have his last bike which he won two different state championships on in 2002 and 2003. He had Chris King Hubs and a Chris King Headset with titanium axels, spokes, nipples, and custom titanium lugs. I still have that bike and it is in mint condition. The Hubs and Headset are as good as new. Incredible stuff they make.
It's a real shame they stopped making the bmx hubs
@@MrFuchew I could not agree more. I have been offered quite a bit of money for them but I will not part with them as the bike is going to my grandson when he is big enough to ride it.
Tyler (at the beginning of the video) gave me one of the best customer service experiences I've ever had. He found an NOS 1" headset that matched the one that broke on my 20 year old frame.
Awesome! Good to hear!
I bought a brand new blue 1 inch headset for my Look 10 years ago. I was very grateful to get it, as they are very rare.
I have a 1 1/8 Chris King headset that’s 25 years old and has been on no less that 15 different bikes! They are the best!
It's good to see that they try to manufacture everything in house, as they are able to control the quality at all stages of production!
Their meticulous attention to precision, constantly measuring, checking and verifying ensures that their products are of the highest quality.
Excellent video, great presentation and videography and the interviewee was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and clearly proud of their production processes and products.
Man! Now I really miss my Chris King wheel set! Had them for 12 years!
This is like a Star Trek fan visiting the Enterprise. Well done, and thanks!
Adore my CK bb and headset - best bike parts I ever bought. Great video - thanks for sharing it.
Shout out to CK and to Jay, good to see him repping is brother in Santa Rosa too!! Great company and good people.
Thanks for the tour of a great facility. @8:40 smart design of the table for ball bearing assembly: a groove/gutter cut into the surface, around the border.
To see the setup of the shop was one thing but the staff have a pretty sweet area. It means as much to me as the product, that the staff are treated well.
The headset arrives on Tuesday and I am stoked.
I have had a Chris King hub for over 17 years, the one colour I miss the most is the Mango!
I have headsets from 80s, 90s and 2002. All in fine shape still in use. I have hubs from 94, just started to break in!! Also have hubs from 2002, working great. My 1st 1” headset has been on 3 road frames and a mtn frame. Now on a vintage Stumpy that I still ride. The fact that they make their own bearings is most impressive. I dont know any other who does that. Maybe Royce??
Being a machinist and a bike freak , I appreciated these components as soon as I saw them. I had to have them!!
Lite Roadie They do make their own balls! CK makes the best bearing components on earth. Save a little longer for that headset. Its worth the wait!
I used to machine and install bearings on aircraft and spacecraft. Ive built surgical devices. Thats what Chris King did before bike parts. Everything is made the best it can be, no compromises. Thats why they cost what they do.
Every other manufacturer pretends and puts in off the shelf, throwaway, often cheap chinese bearings. Nobody else has a driver on their hubs that can withstand 800 lbs of torque.
My bearings on all my 7 CK hubs and 3 headsets are ALL original. Well over 100000 miles on this stuff.
Ive had one headset since the ‘80s! I saw a CK hub disassembled and I bought it on the spot!
Lite Roadie Chris King is all about making the absolute best components. Cost is obviously a lesser consideration. You can only do this by having control over your suppliers and source of materials. Ive never heard or experienced any issues with CK components other than from the people who neglect them. Which is actually pretty hard to do. CK doesnt always embrace newer and unproven standards. Much of what you may hear online may be from incompetent users with an axe to grind and who assemble or use things improperly. Many new frames(even high end) with drop in bearings have interfaces with improper tolerances. Particularly Creakenfail ( Cannondale) had seriously dangerous headset problems on some of their race bikes.
I wrench in a shop now in my semi retirement.
Im pretty much a retro grouch. I stick to old school, tried and true designs, proven over decades of use. Steel is real!! The type of riding and remote places I ride to demand absolute reliability. Otherwise, Im walking and or starving.
I worked in the Aerospace, military and medical fields. I have very high standards where my safety and reliability are concerned. Light weight always takes a back seat. Im rough with my bikes. Even my ‘road bikes’ see lots of dirt.
I work on lots of new ‘high tech’ stuff. Its frequently, poorly and cheaply designed and manufactured with compromise. Its all about that bottom line!
If you want a robust headset at more affordable prices, consider a roller bearing headset. These bearings support heavy loads better having larger contact points. I just put one on my new bike packer/ touring bike. The jury’s still out on this particular IRD unit. Ive gotten great service out of the old French Stronglight headsets in the past.
I keep driving into the channel and I find more and more cool videos. Amazing!
Very nice. Chris King has always been a cut above the rest. Hopefully they always will be.
Great company! I had their headsets installed on two custom bikes in 1982. The headsets both recently failed, and the company replaced them under warranty at no charge!
They replaced a 30 year old part? amazing, Nobody does that
I knew Chris back in Santa Barbara; his standards and techniques are insanely good. (Lol, I've got three headsets, and no, I never let them go!)
Best shop visit video yet!
Great video, I still have my headset in my 1995 Litespeed Ocoee, still buttery smooth.
I got a blue King headset on my Look road bike and red disc hubs on my mountain bike. I love there products. I've encouraged other cyclists to by Chris King as well. Thanks.
Great interview and tour. I have been agonizing over wether to spend that much for a BB but I think it's worth it and I really like the sustainability approach. Enough with throwing away parts.
I paid about
💰225.00🍁 (this included tax) for a 7075 aluminum Blue (Navy Bold) Chris King headset back in 2011. It still looks Great on the Copper on my Trek frame all these years later. I'd definitely buy another King headset🤘🤘. The 3/2.5 Titanium headset they manufactured would have been cool and would look Great🤘🤘😊
awesome tour love this component company
I remember seeing a photo article of Chris King and Cielo this year, but seeing the workspace in motion turned out smaller than I expected. Seeing the number of machines, the number of shelves, yet still they have the time to make their own bearings (balls?). Somewhere closer in size to Hope Tech's mega factory than Hope's old dungeon.
I had other plans for the headset for my Fuji build, but I think this changed my mind. I actually was looking at CK components to begin with but I bought a Ritchey Carbon fork and thought I would stay with that brand.
Chris King is the KING.🤴🏼🤴🏼🤴🏼
Great tour vid! Pretty sure my question got in there. Woot!
Digging his concern for backwards compatibility. Using everything to the fullest
very informative, nice to see most of the work done in-house.... american products with american work.
This is black-belt level bike pr0n...love how the warehousing is in egg crates. Awesome! Gotta love the commitment to recycling...
Using the egg crates in machine shops is a pretty standard practice.
This has to be one of the best companies in America.
Great video. Thanks for posting.
My oldest Chris King headset that I'd bought in the early 90's still runs like on the first day. It's an 1 1/8 inch no logo threaded headset from 1992 in turquiose.
ganimed1976 I bought my. This King headset new in 2005 and had it installed in a Trek Liquid frame with a straight 1 1/8” headtube. I never finished the build due to not having a fork, now I’m kinda screwed since 90% of the forks on the market are tapered. I’m not trashing my Chris King headset before I even get to use the damn thing.
Buy a time correct used 2005 Fox Talas or Rock Shox Psylo C or Tora Fork on ebay. Retro bikes are cool ;)
ganimed1976 I would HARDLY call my 2005 Liquid a “retro” bike. It has all the makings of a current bike. Hydro formed top tube. 4 link suspension, 150 mm of rear travel, etc. The only thing it doesn’t have is the Tapered head tube. A bike from 1999......THATS retro. Even my 2002 Trek Fuel SLR is every bit as modern as a 2018 bike. Everywhere I go with it I get compliments on it. Just no tapered head tube. Yeah I probably will start looking for as new of a fork as I can. I’m holding out for a 2012/2013 when there were more straight steerer tube forks offered. Anything older and it’s a good chance I’ll have to rebuild it.
Joe Rico Bike technology changes so fast that it is retro. Sorry to tell you. Planned obsolescence is a real thing. So is the throw it away and get a new one attitude. I hate that.
Ill keep buying ‘retro’ used and NOS stuff just so I can keep using my CK stuff. They dont wear out, not even the bearings unlike everything else! I plan on giving them to my grandchildren.
I really wanted to see how the bearings races where machined/ground. But really cool seeing kitamura’s and harbor freight tumblers being used!
Mr cris king can suport our bikerclub here in the phillippines.
I have at least 4 chris king headsets in my workbench at any given time. no joke. I am so stoked to be riding these hubs in 2019!
They make good stuff. Testing out one of their wheelsets at the moment.
CK makes the best components on earth. Im a 30 year retired machinist. Ive built and installed bearings on aircraft, spacecraft, medical devices and defense hardware and lots more. CK bearings are of similar quality. Think of your dentists drill!
I bought my 1st headset on reputation. 35 years later its still working perfect. I bought my 1st hubset when I saw it disassembled. I bought it right then, on the spot. 25 years later its smoother than new. Still on original bearings. Over 100000 miles on these hubs. I lost track! I will give them to my grandchildren!
Wonderfully American Made 🇺🇸😎👍🏽
Awesome info & video
I love Chris King and I know their bearings are the best you can get but I thought they would be more like the Hope factory in the UK as in super clean and clinical , loads of machines etc. It's not that I expected. Fair play to them though. They are the best you can get
Jay!!!!!!! Rocking it!
holy crap thats Jay Sycip.
I love Chris King! I have a blue King headset on my LOOK and a red disc King hubset I built with a set of Mavic 717's on my mountain bike. Thanks.
''Chris' first mill'' - look s like a capston lathe to me!!
Awesome video! :D
awesome video, just visited their site, no more Cielo bicycles!
also appreciate his candid comments on how industry's planned obsolescence benefits CK business model. Refreshing that someone "sort of" in the industry acknowledges this practice. I also recognize that CK does not contribute to this strategy, which is why I love them
SF represent!
Chris King Precision Components should start up their twiiter account again 🤘🤘
Nice job!
+Tony M thanks!
So here's the thing. I also play guitar. It blows my mind that guitars are still being made by the Millions every year. Where do they all go?? Folks, the world is Huge.
additinal to Chris King visit, would be a visit by Tune too
top company great vid!!!
4 minute REI "how to ride MTB" preroll. Watched the whole thing. Good fit :)
+Ted Timmons ha. I watched that too :)
Believe in the King!
I bought a 7075 aluminum Chris King Headset back in 2011 (with tax, it was about
💰225.00🍁. ) I'd buy another since it's been on my Trek for this many years👍👍 The 3/2.5 Titanium headsets he was manufacturing looked really cool🤘🤘. But at almost $400.00 American, It would have been almost $500.00 🍁🙆♂️
Interesting to watch this film straight after the Hope factory tour video, I have not used CK parts as I am a Hope fan but the manufacturing technology and systems here look old fashioned in comparison, that does not mean that they are of a lesser quality component but perhaps a smaller operation with less money to invest.
Chris King headsets .. currently on fifteen of my bikes .. what more can I say.
Keith Andrews Why not hubs? Youd never need to replace your hubs again. EVER!
Why the fuck you got 15 bikes
@@LightYagamiVSL thats the real question here
That was awesome!!!
Love that you asked about fat bike hubs #fatbikesneedangrybeestoo #front150 #rear177197
I still have the first Chris King headset I ever bought. It was black and 1 1/8th threaded. I was floored when they sold a simple conversion kit to make it threadless. It proudly resides on my Surly Big Dummy to this day(4th or 5th bike it has been installed on)
Too bad CK stopped fabricating bikes. Cool video.
We want Chris King fat bike hubs!!!
How do you get a job as a design manager when you don't know the difference between a turret lathe and a milling machine?
Feels like the general market is into light colors.
That's at least a billion bucks worth of inventory at CK prices :)
like his diplomatic answer to when fat bike hubs will be made - what he really wished he could say was "dude, never, why invest and introduce a product line destined to end with that silly fad of clown bikes?"
Does anyone know if Chris still owns the company?
This is what a real engineering company is supposed to look like.
I just don’t understand why Chris king won’t machine boost axles to replace standard axles on there original hubs.
They say they are making their products interchangeable so axles can be changed but after messaging them they have no plan to make boost axles for the standard hubs out there, so what’s going to happen to all the hubs now most of the frames and forks are going boost????????
Hey R M, We have boost axles available for ISO SD front hub conversion and for rear hubs the hub has to be spaced in both directions, from the driveshell and the disc flower so it is not possible to swap just the axle. Luckily we can swap all of the hub internals to a new hubshell and you will have a true boost hub, no adapters necessary.
So sad, 2 months later they stopped Cielo :(
Is there a Chris King headset for my 2018 Marin Muirwoods 29er?
CK better make track hubs before they make fat bike hubs! Come on! Its so simple. They'd be so freakin' sweet! I'd buy them!
7:00 The sound of Half-Life
I like the vid. I like their products, but wish they would make some without the "CHRIS KING" all over. I don't like adverts all over my bike!
They offer "Sotto Voce" (soft voice) headsets that are anodized after laser so that the laser mark is the same color and far more subtle.
i love my chris king aheadset....but the fsa orbit xl quarter price knows the same performance.so let's say this for the truth.
Looks like a chicken egg farm. Haha
i dunno..the bottom bracket service is sketchy...getting the gasket in slip ring back in...and the tool to fit the BB shell skips off with any pressure and scratches the anodizing. Overrated.
Hahaha! Bikey McBikeface.....
+Carlos Benjamin glad you caught that reference :)
what free stuff did you get from this paid promotion video ??
Nothing. We don’t do paid promotions. You must be confusing us with GCN.
My wife is sending message to u, can helf him to biult here mtb bike 26rs.she is my wife who send u a message. I am here husband mr Ronaldo rodas. Can u helf to support our mtb biker club.
Refurbish the mill for display, mill, mill, mill!
would've liked more footage of the parts... less interview.
David Pulsipher yeah. Edited this down from an hour long tour and didn't have much time for broll afterwards.