Chris King Dropset™ 1,2 or 3? Which One Will Fit My Bike?

October 12, 2018 2 min read

A few months back Chris King launched their long awaited DropSet 1, their first integrated headset and first headset with a ceramic bearing option. Like most people we were stoked about this new product, but it did have a relatively specific list of compatible frames from Santa Crus, IBIS, Alchemy plus a few others.

So we knew it wouldn't be long before the rest of the DropSet range would be here, offering a MUCH MUCH greater selection of compatible frames and forks. That time is now, and the DropSet 2 and 3 are now available in all 9 standard colors, plus 2 brand new colors for 2019 (Matte Turquiose and Matte Mango).

The DropSet range now comprises 3 products.

DropSet™ 1: IS41/28.6 45/45 degree Upper Bearing, IS52/40 45/45 degree Lower Bearing (fits many Santa Cruz, Yeti, Alchemy, IBIS).

DropSet™ 2: IS42/28.6 45/45 degree Upper Bearing, IS52/40 45/45 degree Lower Bearing (fits OPEN plus many Specialized, Trek, Cervelo and other major road and MTB brands).

DropSet™ 3: IS41/28.6 45/45 degree Upper Bearing, IS52/40 36/45 degree Lower Bearing (fits forks with a 36/45 degree crown race).

How To Work Out Which Size You Need.

1. Consult Your Bike Manufacturers Headset Spec.

Most major bike / frame manufacturers will list the headset spec on the relevant product page on their website, so this is the best place to start and compare the bearing size (ie 42/52) and contact angle (ie 36/45) with each of the DropSet sizes.

2. Remove Your Headset Bearings And Check Their Size.

We were curious this week building up a new staff bike, an OPEN UP to see which of the new DropSets would fit so we just popped out the stock Cane Creek bearings to check the sizes printed on them. You can see in these 2 photo's they have sizes marked on which correlates to the DropSet 2.

Upper Bearing.

Lower Bearing.

3. Consult the Cane Creek Fit Finder.

Cane Creek have put together this very useful Fit Finder app which lists over 17,000 different bike brands and models and their corresponding headset sizes. Just look up your bike, note the bearing size and compare to the DropSet sizes.

4. Contact Us And We Can Help You Find Out.

Shoot us an email, hit us up on Live Chat or phone and we'll be happy to help you figure out which size you need so you can get that integrated headset running sweetly for many years to come...

Related Posts and Information
Chris King DropSet 1

Chris King DropSet 2

Chris King DropSet 3