Chris King MTB Bottom Bracket

3.86/5

(22 Reviews)

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MSRP : $142.50

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Chris King has applied their industry dominating standards to external type crank/bottom bracket systems. Their new External Bottom Bracket delivers King quality in a wide array of colors.

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Reviews 1 - 15 (22 Reviews Total)

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Submitted by MrBaker a All Mountain Rider

Date Reviewed: March 14, 2013

Strengths:    It's a bottom bracket. It's made by Chris King components. Rebuildable with no special tools. It comes in colors.

Weaknesses:    Weak sealing, near constant need for regreasing/cleaning, expensive.

Bottom Line:

Bought a nice new CK bottom bracket to go along with my new bike. Three months down the road it had completely seized up. Chased, faced and blew the house down on install. Rode only a handful of times in those three months, but it was either in the sloppiest of Wet Western Oregon weather (near the Chris King factory none the less) or in really cold, icey Eastern Oregon trails. Rebuilt, but then repeat. Ride in the rain a lot? Don't buy this unless you fancy rebuilding all the time. I now ride 3-5 times per week with most just being a 1.5-2 hour ride. Many of these are on muddy trails (it's okay, we live in Oregon, it's a different game here) and probably have the need to rebuild this thing every 1.5-2 months. I clean my bottom bracket area with a brush after most every ride and never shoot it with the hose. POOR DESIGN.

In the same time I've had the CK, I've also owned a shimano SLX BB on another bike that has likely been ridden more in the first year (and harder as on a SS) and still remains completely viable to this day. From now on, I will likely just buying cheaper BB and getting a custom tool to change the cartridge bearings on them when, and if they ever go out.

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Favorite Trail:   Oregon

Duration Product Used:   1.5 years

Price Paid:    $120.00

Purchased At:   local bike shop

Similar Products Used:   SLX, Forward Components, Phil (square taper), lots of other sq. tpr.

Bike Setup:   1x9 Santa Cruz Heckler, was on SS On One 456 for a minute.

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Submitted by Brent a All Mountain Rider

Date Reviewed: July 9, 2012

Strengths:    None

Weaknesses:    20 rides and none drive side bearing is destroyed.

Bottom Line:

Worst bb I have ever owned. Nothing on a bike should wear out this fast. I have CK hubs and a couple on headsets that have been bombproof. 95$ to have CK replace both bearings? I don't think so. My XTR bb lasted 4x as long. My 35$ fsa has lasted longer. These things are garbage.

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Submitted by Sharon a Downhiller from Israel

Date Reviewed: October 25, 2011

Strengths:    Looks great

Weaknesses:    This is my second set of Chris King BB, the first one started making noises in less than a year despite being serviced and despite the fact that I keep my Foes FXR 2:1 in top shape so I thought it was a case of a bad set so I bought a new one, well guess what, it is now the same way with less than a year on my bike so as much as I love Chris king (I have their hubs and headset on my bike) I would have to say that their BB are just disappointing and I would not recommend them. I just bought a set of the Hope Stainless Steel Bottom Bracket and I do hope that it will provide me with smooth and silent pedaling; something the Chris king just does not provide me any longer.

Bottom Line:

I am very disappointed with this BB, just not up to the Chris King standard and you should look elsewhere for a BB.

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Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $135.00

Purchased At:   aspirevelotech.com

Similar Products Used:   Shimano XTR

Bike Setup:   2011 Foes FXR 2:1, Sram XO, 2011 Fox Talas 36, Curnutt XTD Air, Mavic 825 Disc rims built around Chris King hubs, Chris King Headset, Rase Seatpost, and many other goods, the best money can buy

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Submitted by beatfarmer a Cross Country Rider from Appleton, Maine

Date Reviewed: August 30, 2011

Strengths:    smooth, quiet, easy to install, serviceable, blingy, and made in the USA.

Weaknesses:    they released ceramic bearings the day after this one arrived :/

Bottom Line:

So the XT that was installed when I got my bike a few years ago finally froze up this season. I once spent a bunch of coin for a RaceFace BB and the bearings toasted in a couple of months and the replacements even faster, so I was a little hesitant to spend the money on another expensive BB.

However, King has a reputation, and all the other bearings on the bike are already King so I made the plunge and bought the BB and grease injector as a package from CC.

Installation was a breeze; old Race Face Deus XC cranks fit perfectly though I had to add a spacer to get the bolt to tighten down.

On the first ride on it I was able to climb the same trails I've been riding for a few years now 2 gears harder on the back cassette. Granted the XT was completely toasted on 1 side. Also, the creaks the XT made are gone, just silent spinning.

Happy customer; while I don't like watching my money flow away, I'm happy to trade it for super high grade products made by ethical companies. Thanks Chris King!

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Favorite Trail:   Pitch Pole @ Snow Bowl

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $175.00

Purchased At:   competetive cyclist

Similar Products Used:   Shimano XT

Bike Setup:   old horst 5 spot with lots of goodies.

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Submitted by drMP a Racer from Idaho

Date Reviewed: June 7, 2011

Strengths:    Bling. Matches my headset and hubs :-)

Weaknesses:    Creaks! Not very user serviceable...

Bottom Line:

My old Shimano BB failed, so I spent the $ on a green King BB. Super sexy. I didn't want creaks or issues, so to be on the safe side, i had the shop chase and face my frame. New bracket went in like expected, slapped on cranks rode. After a few weeks of riding, a creak develops. I swapped the cranks (New XTRs for my old Race Face) and still creaked. Put in *new* pedals (they were old anyways)- still creaks. At this point I had the LBS remove, clean, and put BB back in place. Still creaks. Removed bottom bracket and put in an old 'spare' (and cheap) set. No creaks. Put ALL of my original stuff back on (old pedals, old cranks, old spare bottom bracket) and no noise. So now I have about $250 invested in what should have been the best bottom bracket, just to go back to a boring bracket.

I'm not sure why it creaks, but damnit, it creaked and I'm not down with that. Another item of bling for my kid's bikes...

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $110.00

Purchased At:   LBS in PDX

Similar Products Used:   Race Face, Shimano, etc etc etc....

Bike Setup:   29er Single Speed, sliding dropout (NOT EBB)

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Submitted by SIR9 Rider a Racer from Winston Salem

Date Reviewed: April 26, 2011

Strengths:    Beautiful.. Probably bulletproof. Smooth

Weaknesses:    Tries to be too much.. SRam Shimano.. FSA etc Use this shim and this washer and this sleeve etc.

Bottom Line:

Squeak Click Squeak Click Squeak Click Hmmm??? Shim Shim Spacer Spacer Shim Spacer sleeve Spring washer Shim sleeve.. Follow drawing, Squeak Click Squeak click.. Shop was super but combination of an EBB and a do it all for everyone bottom bracket leaves a lot of room for imagination.. Discard parts B. C. and E if running a Shimano crank.. Insert parts A.C. D and F if running a Tru Vativ crank.. I got Truvativ.. Going back to a Tru Vativ BB and Truvativ crank.. Sorry Chris You are outta here..

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Favorite Trail:   Of Course

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $135.00

Purchased At:   Cycletherapy

Similar Products Used:   FSA Sram truvativ..

Bike Setup:   Niner SIR 9 Single speed No Shimano. Reba, Avid Juicy sevens.. Shifters.. Ohh wait there are none.. Had ya goin' didn't I? Custom tubeless wheels.. 22 pounds.

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Submitted by Lowjack a Racer from Northern, IL, USA

Date Reviewed: September 15, 2010

Strengths:    It's Chris King....

Weaknesses:    It doesn't make you faster or more handsome.

Bottom Line:

Good looks, great company with matching track record, user serviceable, and cheaper than a few others even with the extra grease injection tool. It is the best bottom bracket made yet not the most expensive, doesn't get better than that.

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Favorite Trail:   Palos, Saw Kee Wee, LBL (KY)

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $128.00

Purchased At:   One of them on-line

Similar Products Used:   Sram, ShimaNO, Hope

Bike Setup:   Moots YBB, Sram, Hadley, Stans NoTubes, and other great stuff.

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Submitted by OOverboard a Cross Country Rider from water valley alberta canada

Date Reviewed: August 28, 2010

Strengths:    Looks only.

Weaknesses:    Serviceability

Bottom Line:

During my first grease purge the rubber "washer" came out with the grease. Schematics do not depict this washer but written instructions allude to it. Very dissapointed that what is supposed to be a shortcut to greasing / replacing BB ends up being the same as before - pull it apart and fix it. Poor design of grease seal. Note that I did use th CK grease tool too.
BB looks great and overall manufacture seems top notch, but I don't look forward to pulling it apart every time it starts to creak - that was the intent of the quick grease tool was it not - to eliminate that time ?

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Favorite Trail:   Powderface

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $120.00

Purchased At:   universal cycles

Similar Products Used:   Race face, shimano

Bike Setup:   Blur LTc xc build

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Submitted by jon6fountain a Weekend Warrior from Georgia

Date Reviewed: March 30, 2010

Strengths: Butter Smooth, You can service it,... did I mention you can service it!!

Bottom Line:

You don't buy this BB to make your faster, or help you gain that extra watt of power, No, you buy it because you appreciate fine craftsmanship, and attention to detail, which seems to be evaporating in the biking world. You buy this BB b/c you can service it, and ride for years on it long after others are in the trash bin. You buy this BB because you take pride in wrenching on your own rig on the weekends. You buy this BB b/c you love to ride, and don't want any bike component to stand in the way of you and your favorite single track. So, the bottom line is, is it worth $130 bucks, that is for your to decide... for me it was two times over:)

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Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $128.00

Similar Products Used:   Sram Ceramic Black box, Shimano XTR, XT... Truvativ Team, Race Face... I've ridden pretty much every BB out there.

Bike Setup:   Bianchi WUSS Single Speed, Chris King Single Speed Wheels, Fox Fork, Chris King Headset, Thomson Stem and Post, Avid Elixir Mag CR Brakeset, Truvativ SS Crankset

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Submitted by rlock a Weekend Warrior from Kanata, Ontario, Canada

Date Reviewed: March 19, 2010

Strengths:    Typical CK quality
Easy re-packing (if you buy the CK tool)

Weaknesses:    None so far

Bottom Line:

I got tired of re-building lesser bottom brackets after riding in wet, muddy conditions so I thought I would try the new Chris King product, having been impressed with their headsets for a long time. So far I have only installed the new BB and will give a follow-up review after some riding. My one bit of advice is to check for play in the cranks after installation and if any is found, remove the cranks and insert one of the spindle shims on the drive side. This is what CK advised to me (and this is not covered in the install guide supplied, nor is it indicated online).

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $130.00

Purchased At:   Cambria

Similar Products Used:   Shimano internal, Shimano XT external, RaceFace X-type, Truvativ Howitzer XR, Enduro ceramic

Bike Setup:   Specialized Enduro Pro 2006 with Shimano SLX cranks

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Submitted by mazspeed a Cross Country Rider from Campbell Ca

Date Reviewed: February 2, 2010

Strengths:    It looks great and it's smooth and it's serviceable. Other than that, it's just another way to spend money

Weaknesses:    $50 dollar service tool

Bottom Line:

It's a great little add-on to a bike. It's smooth and serviceable. Other than that it's pretty cool. But it's not going to ride like an extra gear or give you so much less resistance that you can go longer and faster like the 2 morons said below. Complete BS. But it is a nice product.

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $120.00

Purchased At:   Trailhead

Similar Products Used:   XTR

Bike Setup:   2005 s-works epic with a bunch of expensive parts that don't make me go faster, just feel smoother.

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Submitted by Morals a Cross Country Rider from Round Rock, TX

Date Reviewed: January 16, 2010

Strengths:    Smooth as silk, solid as a rock, Blingtastic

Weaknesses:    Price maybe, but I don't feel like long-term it's an issue since it's serviceable. Compared to ceramic bearing BBs, the thing is a steal, but that's kinda comparing apples to oranges.

Bottom Line:

Thing is great. I bought the installation tool and it still marred the finish slightly, but it's really only visible if you get right up on it, and even then it's slight. Still kinda let down that I spent the extra dough on the tool to avoid what ended up happening.

Otherwise, installation was easy and it looks ridiculously good on the bike. Spins ultra smooth and feels solid as a rock.

I was attracted to the fact that it's serviceable. I'm hoping to keep it and my bike for life.

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Favorite Trail:   Cameron Park - Waco, TX

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $129.00

Purchased At:   Performance Bicycle

Similar Products Used:   XT, World Class Ti

Bike Setup:   Moots YBB with wheels and stuff

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Submitted by Morealice a Cross Country Rider from Round Rock, TX

Date Reviewed: January 16, 2010

Strengths:    The thing looks sick, smooth and buttery, solid as a rock.

Weaknesses:    I'm going with none.

Bottom Line:

Bottom Line is that this thing is player. I got it because it's serviceable, but it's also blingtastic. So far so good. Now if King would only make brake levers, bar ends, seat post clamps, etc I'd be set.

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Favorite Trail:   Cameron Park's Many

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $129.00

Purchased At:   Performance Bicycle

Similar Products Used:   XT BB, World Class Ti

Bike Setup:   Moots YBB - King Stuff, Fox Fork, CrossMax, blah blah

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Submitted by super a Cross Country Rider from st louis, mo

Date Reviewed: January 6, 2010

Strengths:    Smooth, light and just all around quality

Weaknesses:    none

Bottom Line:

if you need to replace your BB, by a king and do it once. Someone said they didn't like having to buy the $50 tool... well buying the tool and being able to make this BB last a lifetime is well worth it.

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Favorite Trail:   lots of them

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $120.00

Similar Products Used:   many BB's from race face to shimano

Bike Setup:   salsa dos niner, race face crank

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Submitted by managedenemy a Weekend Warrior from Prosper,Tx

Date Reviewed: December 10, 2009

Strengths:    Will make you pedal inputs count!!!

Weaknesses:    none; the guy that had bad luck should get another one and service it as needed.

Bottom Line:

The chris king BB is just the ticket; great great BB!!!

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $129.00

Purchased At:   Performance Bike

Similar Products Used:   SLX Bottom Bracket

Bike Setup:   2009 Mongoose Teocali Super; Which is a solid MTB!!

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Chris King MTB Bottom Bracket

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