Local bike part maker Chris King Precision Components has developed a ringtone for iPhones and is giving 100% of the sale proceeds to the Northwest Trail Alliance, a non-profit off-road trail advocacy organization.
Hubs made by Chris King are known for their unique RingDrive engagement system that consists of 72 tiny, stainless steel teeth that can handle massive amounts of torque and boast instant, positive engagement when you pedal forward. Those teeth also produce a distinct buzzing sound when you freewheel.
King has recorded this “angry bee” sound and turned it into a ringtone. The ringtone is now available for $1.29 in the iTunes store (an Android version is in the works).
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might as well get it- it’s the only Chris King product I can afford.
When you include the longevity of Chris King parts compared to all others, they are actually cheaper. Do the math baby!
A Shimano XT hub would be much cheaper and could last just as long. Certainly not as pretty as CK stuff.
Saint, DX and the DA 7900 Track hubs are the only Shimano hubs that lasted me more than a year. I still have my gen 1 Chris King hubset.
The flange on my front King hub finally blew out last CX season after racing on it since ’96. It was radially laced, which may have voided the warranty…
Shimano hubs that are properly maintained will easily last as long as CK.
The key point is that you have to maintain Shimano hubs, while CK hubs will let you slack on maintenance.
NWT is a great cause with great folks! The C.K. free hub makes the least sexy sound ever to emit from a bicycle wheel! 🙂
the sample on the web site won’t play…
Love that sound!
I recorded a CD and pump it in my high fidelity car audio system on endless repeat. …Get some!
Way to support the local trail advocacy group Mr. King. You ‘da man!
I have CK headsets and they do seem to outlast everything else. Including standards, unfortunately. I have a lovely 1″ CK NoThreadSet (converted from threaded – just wonderful) that will become obsolete before it wears out. With 1 1/8″ now under attack, does it really make sense to drop $120-150 on a 1 1/8″ HS? I’m not so sure anymore.
And I find it hard to justify a $350 hub, period, especially if like me you find the angry bees more annoying than endearing. In my experience Shimano freehubs are more reliable than most, usually lasting MANY years in northwest slop.
Another “do the math” argument against expensive CK products is theft. They’re so reliable that the risk of theft (along with the bike they’re installed on) is certainly higher than the risk of failure. One of the CK headsets I own has been — ahem — out of my possession for several years now. So much for THAT investment.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m glad CK is in Portland, and I’ve bought a number of their products in the past. I am glad there are other people willing to spend the money on them.
Scared into not purchasing something. How very un-American. You sir, have let the terrorists (bike thieves) win. I am heading home now to hermedically seal my house with duct tape and visqueen, so that I may suffocate in my own safety.
I also now am redoubling my effort to get my Chris King gen 1 hubs relaced for the third time because I had no idea that so many people find that sound annoying. Annoying. It’s what I am all about.
Thieves don’t want reliability, they want high-dollar items they can flip for a few bucks. You can tempt a gullible buyer if it’s something he/she has always lusted after– like CK hubs or an ugly rasta-colored headset. Which brings me to my next point: thieves like CK stuff because its gaudy blingy colors make it easy to spot.
I have a set of generation one king hubs circa late 90’s. Very high quality but I can’t stand the noise. If king ever got rid of that infernal racket I’d buy more king hubs. Alas these have been sitting in my basement for the last 2 years as I’d rather ride a less noisy hub at the expense of quality and cache.
Anyone from Chris King reading this?
Ecologically and practically, running CK products is by far the best choice. Yes you can run a very cheap hub/headset for some time and if you wish to argue the point of cheaper/heavier is somehow more utilitarian or cool then hey, that’s one philosophy and a valid one to be sure. But if you take the long-view, like 5+ years, you’ll likely be up financially & ecologically.
CK also brews free coffee at cyclocross races (not mine…yet) which is pretty f***ing cool, giving back to the community and slogging in the cold and wet.
The hubs make noise, not if you’re turning the cranks. Just keep the cranks turning and the whole operations is whisper quite.
The hub noise on a touring bike, you know when you’ve got all day to get to the next camp spot… well, in that case the noise makes you crazy and I’d argue I should relace my old 105 hubs into some new rims for a touring wheelset.