Chris King Hub Preloading:

Chris king hubs use an in house manufactured angular contact bearing and correct adjustment of the preloaders is essential to maintain longevity of the hubs. We adjust preloaders in the workshop as we build the wheel: as spoke tension increases it becomes necessary to take up the slack caused by stress on the hub, but we cannot replicate the stresses and wearing in associated with proper riding under the load of a 75Kg rider.

After a few rides you may start to notice play develop in the front or rear wheel which needs to be taken up with the preload adjusters. Tools required for this are 5mm Allen key x2, and 2.5mm Allen key x1. Good quality tools with accurate tolerances are essential.

Chris King R45 Front Hub:

You’ll notice that one end cap on the front hub has a collar with notches cut into it. Take one 5mm allen key and insert it into the end without a notched collar. You will use this allen key to hold the end cap and axle stationary while you make your adjustment. Then take the other 5mm allen key and insert into the side with the notched collar. Twist this allen key anti-clockwise to undo the end cap by about one full turn. Remove the allen key. Now you will be able to rotate the notched collar in a clockwise direction with your fingers (while holding the allen key in the other side steady to stop the axle rotating): this will take up the play in the axle. You don’t need to do it any more than finger tight, there is no need for excessive pressure or tools. Then put your allen key back in and turn clockwise to lock off the end cap and secure your adjustment. Once the wheel is back in the bike with the QR skewer done up as normal, feel the wheel for any further play, and if it still exists, make a further adjustment to the notched collar by rotating another 1/16th turn clockwise.

Chris King R45 Rear Hub:

Insert a 5mm allen key into the drive side end cap of the R45 hub and hold it steady. This allen key is again used to hold the axle stationary while you make your adjustment. You will notice that there is a silver alloy collar on the non-drive side of the wheel with a small 2.5mm allen bolt. Undo this bolt a few turns to fully loosen this collar, and remove your 2.5mm allen key. Next to the bolt is a small hole drilled into the collar. Insert your 2.5mm allen key into this hole, so that it can then be used as a lever to rotate the collar clockwise (while holding the axle steady with your 5mm allen key in the drive side). Again this does not need to be excessively tightened, just enough to remove play. Remove your 2.5mm allen key from the hole and use it to tighten the 2.5mm allen bolt on the collar to secure your adjustment. As with the front wheel, reinstall the rear into the bike, and check for play once the QR is tightened. Make another small incremental adjustment if play still exists.

Hub Servicing:

As with any precision engineered component, Chris King hubs benefit from periodic servicing to preserve the life of the components. This may be as often as every 10-12 months under hard riding conditions, but it will ensure that your hubs go on for as long as you expect them to. It is not recommended that riders undertake major servicing of their hubs with basic tools, as there are numerous parts which must be carefully stripped and reassembled in precise order to maintain a perfectly functioning hub. We standardise our servicing cost with the UK importer for Chris King and in most cases insist that it is good practise to replace the full seal and snap ring kit for front and rear hubs. A full hub service costs £71.95 + seals and snap ring kits at £8 per hub. We use a combination of Chris King “Ring Drive Lube”, the correct weight oils, and a grease appropriate to UK conditions riding when re-assembling the bearings after a full clean using an ultrasonic bath if needed.