If you've ever used anything made by Chris King Precision Components, you know that the parts that come out of the factory in Portland, Oregon, are in a category of their own in terms of durability. The serviceable sealed cartridge bearings that King machines and builds in house are some of the few modern bicycle bearings that actually get better with age, and which can be expected to keep spinning smoothly decade after decade. This sort of construction can tend to be underappreciated in a world where standards that change constantly make parts that actually last seem less important, but the fact is that most of us use bikes we enjoy for a whole lot longer than most magazines and websites might suggest, so parts that last still really matter.
For decades Chris King has been an industry-leader in using and re-using biodegradable machining oils, and recycling metal shavings created in the production of the parts that bear his name. His company sources materials from domestic mills, and takes the long-term environmental impact of each aspect of their products into account. This means that the hubs, headset, or bottom bracket that has been rotating smoothly for years on your bike came from a factory that created as little waste as possible in producing it, and recycled every bit of waste that it could.
Now Chris King is taking his commitment to making parts that last to a new level by upgrading the standard warranty to lifetime. In most cases this really won't change much for us as riders because it's so rare that anything goes wrong with anything made by Chris King, but it reinforces King's commitment to keeping the parts that come out of his factory running over the long term, and it certainly doesn't hurt us as riders to know that the parts we're using will be supported if anything doeshappen to them.
Chris King put out a video and a blog post to talk about this update, so check it out here for more information. Whenever we get a glimpse into what's actually going on in King's factory, we are reminded of how much of a relative bargain King parts really are. They're a big investment, but one that you can actually trust to stay with you over the long haul.
