We have just had these R45s in for a customer: one of the first pairs in the UK. These hubsets are really special, as these are the first campagnolo-compatable hubs that Chris King has made since the company began in 1976.
The R45s are Chris King's road-racing specific hub, they are the first in the country with this type of freehub body. We got them for a custom build, a full carbon wheelset for a customer's bike right now. It's a titanium road-racing frame, that also has a Chris King headset in blue so there will be a nice match-up.
Why is this arrival important? It basically means that guys with Campag components can now build Chris King hubs.
The wider picture is that there are three different component companies that build road gear sets: Campagnolo, Sram and Shimano. All are fierce rivals on the road circuit. The fact that King have now produced this campagnolo body is big news for road-racers.
We can now fit a lightweight campagnolo compatible cassette onto a Chris King hub.
This hub alone retails for about £400. Each bearing is hand-made in-house by Chris King — no one else does that. These are very specialist parts, but they perfrom at the highest level.
This system that gives amazing free action and almost instantaneous pick up. The hub uses a unique drive ring engagement system that has 45 pick up teeth. These are all precision-machined in Portland, by guys who care. King's production is some of the most environmentally aware on the planet, all waste is recycled where possible and the employees are actively encouraged to cycle to work.
This hub is a work of art. It is simply as good as it gets. Pro tour teams are using the King R45 hubs, and more and more are coming on board.
Road-racers please contact Charlie and the team on 0117 929 2151
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