Filling in the Gaps in Chris King's Line Part 2: The Rest of the Hubs

Last week we discussed the range of options that can replace Chris King's line of singlespeed hubs (read the post here, if you didn't catch it before).  This week, we'll look at the rest of the hub options that can fill-in where Chris King no longer has offerings.

In addition to those singlespeed hubs that Chris King is no longer producing, the company also stopped producing 135 and 142mm mountain bike hubs as well as their 135 and 142mm ISO 6-bolt disc R45 hubs.  While many road riders will be very happy with Chris King's R45D Centerlock hubs, some just prefer ISO 6-bolt disc mounting.  In this post we'll take a look at what your options are now, if the hub you need is no longer offered by Chris King.

RIM BRAKE HUBS

Currently our favorite option to substitute for these rim-brake hubs is the White Industries MI5.  It's a lightweight, classic-looking hub that's compatible with every modern freehub driver standard represented with White Industries' beautiful and very durable titanium freehub driver bodies.  

While there are other options including the Phil Wood Touring hubs, we feel that the MI5 offers the best combination of weight, durability, value, and freehub choice so it's our recommendation to fill this space.

100/135/142MM MOUNTAIN DISC HUBS

Here, your options are much more varied because at this point pretty much everyone but Chris King makes a hub in this category. Depending on your priorities, there's a hub to fit just about ever need.

White Industries XMR and CLD hubs are both available in 100 front, and 135 and 142mm rear spacing. These hubs are lightweight, available in a wide selection of colors, freehub drivers, and axle configurations, and have fast-enough freehub engagement to satisfy most riders, making them a great choice.

If you're really concerned about fast engagement though, you will be happier with an Industry Nine Hydraor an Onyx Racing Products classic hub. 

With 690 points of engagement, I9's Hydra hubs achieve the fastest engagement of any pawled hub by using 6 pawls that engage sequentially in order to leverage the inherent flex of the various parts of the hub.  This allows Industry Nine to create a hub that's both extremely lightweight and durable. They're also available Industry Nine's 11 beautiful colors, so matching your other parts shouldn't be much trouble.  

Onyx Racing Products Classic Mountain Hubs, which are available in both Centerlock and ISO 6-Bolt versions, also deliver nearly instantaneous engagement, but use a sprag clutch to do so, making their freehubs completely silent.  This system is significantly heavier than I9's, but it's also very durable, and the silent coasting is really something special.  As with all Onyx Racing Products hubs, these are available in a huge assortment of colors and finish types for a pretty amazing range of color options.

ISO 6-BOLT ROAD HUBS

Here again, the options abound, but we've got our favorites.  If you want a lightweight hub with a slim profile that just looks right on a road bike, the Industry Nine 6-Bolt Road Hubsare an obvious choice.  They're extremely lightweight, and have a slimmed-down three-pawl freehub design for low drag (and still very fast engagement).  They're also available in a wide range of colors, which will help you get the look you're after.   

While technically a mountain bike hub, the White Industries XMR hub is also available in 135/142 spacing, and makes a fantastic road or gravel hub that's available in a wide range of colors and freehub options.

LEFTY FRONT HUBS

Currently, Industry Nine and Onyx Racing Products are the two companies in our catalog that are making Lefty front hubs, and while this limits the selection slightly, these are both such solid choices that that the selection doesn't seem very limited at all.

We hope this explanation helps give you a clear idea of just how many great options remain in Chris King's absence from these categories, and if you have any questions about which hub would be best for your bike, just get in touch.  We're here to help!