# Chris King R45 vs. White Industries T11 hub



## frankruggiero (Mar 19, 2015)

Hi Experts.

Does anybody have an opinion on these hubs? Im leaning towards the White Industries, but is that a mistake?

Any info is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Frank


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## skinewmexico (Apr 19, 2010)

May be a random thing, but I had a buddy whose Di2 went into safe mode at a big ride last weekend due to an issue with his Chris King hub.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

As a matter of personal opinion I would never ride Chris King. I absolutely hate how the hubs sound. I find that those who use CK hubs and parts think they're better than others as well, as if they have something special. I happen to disagree there as well. So in general I also avoid those who use their products, or rather those that boast about it.

White Industries make a fine product and for me personally it's a no-brainer.


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## tvad (Aug 31, 2003)

Mike T did an excellent wheel comparison recently in which he described pertinent differences between hubs including White Industries and Chris King. If the search feature didn't suck so badly, I could find it for you.

I would suggest sending Mike T a private message asking him to send you a link to his post.


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## mimason (Oct 7, 2006)

I have R45s with over 30k miles and problem free. I'm got black ones because Im humble and don't want to think I'm better than anyone else. I got them because I had a choice of DTs or R45s and decided to give it a go. The sound is ok to me and you can use a little grease to quiet them down but they are not loud anyway. 

That said I think I will use WI for the next build.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

CK=alloy freehub. Notches. Bad. 
WI=Ti freehub. No notches. Good. 

And then everything MMsRepBike said.


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## frankruggiero (Mar 19, 2015)

I will do that. Thanks for the info.


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## frankruggiero (Mar 19, 2015)

Hi MiMason,

How often does CK r45 need to be serviced? Is it true that you need to service them every 6 months? This is a tough choice. Both companies seem like they make an excellent product. 

Frank


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## BelgianHammer (Apr 10, 2012)

^ +1

Chris King's look great, perform reasonably (except the alloy freehub thing) but that damn sound is obnoxious to the extreme. We always hear the answer to that is to never coast/freewheel in the first place, but every once in awhile, it is nice to freewheel for a few yards.......and CK hubs make that simple pleasure painful  


Where the heck is Mike T's writeup that I read before?? I just tried using the RBR search function and got back gobblygook (tvad was dead right, RBR search has went to the dumps). Why can't RBR site owners/administrators spend a few coins of those copious advert $$$$ they've been getting over the past several years and have a proper forum search sub-program running for the forum/threads site? JCavilla, JayS-bow, swing your mighty hammers in that direction and help us out here. Having Google for RBR forum searches would be nice, and it's relatively cheap given the plethora of other small sites that use it.


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## frankruggiero (Mar 19, 2015)

Mike T. sent me this link:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/wheels-tires/i-read-faq-searched-forum-but-346944.html


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## ParadigmDawg (Aug 2, 2012)

I have had CK on road bikes and I still have them on one of my mountain bikes. I love the way they sound and they are just cool to me. My LBS has the tools and charges me $5 to overhaul them.

I sold my road wheels with CK not too long ago and ended up with wheels that have DT 240's, my carbon MTB hoops also have 240's. I am starting to become a fan of them and the simplicity behind them.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Check out the Fairwheel Bikes hub review: https://fairwheelbikes.com/c/reviews-and-testing/hub-review/


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

MMsRepBike said:


> White Industries make a fine product and for me personally it's a no-brainer.


Same here. Simple, easy to work with, work great, light enough, ti freehub.....it's tough to make the case for ANY other hub over them really.
And while I don't believe in pinching pennies on 'lifetime' type parts why pay the extra for King. I can't think of any reason Kings would be considered a better choice other then they seem to be the 'keeping up with the Jones' hub of choice so perhaps they do better at parking in front of a coffee shop.


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

skinewmexico said:


> May be a random thing, but I had a buddy whose Di2 went into safe mode at a big ride last weekend due to an issue with his Chris King hub.


Care to elaborate?


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

BelgianHammer said:


> Where the heck is Mike T's writeup that I read before?? I just tried using the RBR search function and got back gobblygook


I pay a premium to get my stuff encrypted.


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## mimason (Oct 7, 2006)

frankruggiero said:


> Hi MiMason,
> 
> How often does CK r45 need to be serviced? Is it true that you need to service them every 6 months? This is a tough choice. Both companies seem like they make an excellent product.
> 
> Frank


I've only added a little grease once and later had the 11sp cassette body installed.

Also, for those not liking the sound I think they are assuming the old style hub sound. With the R45s its not any different from many other brands...that said deep carbon rims resonate the sound quite a bit but that would apply to most hubs.

In all fairness I think the CKs are taking a little too many negative comments here but whatever, its a jaded forum at times. In my area the guys I know on them are laid-back hammers that feel confident with them due to build quality and I can say that everyone I know that has R45s have been problem free( 4 riders total). Will I buy them again? Probably not. I think the WI11s would be equally reliable at a lower price and Ti free hub. Frankly, I want them to die so I can justify a new wheelset.


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## berserk87 (Jul 24, 2014)

Both are fine products. It's kind of like asking which guitar is the best. I would not hesitate to do a build with either.


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## skinewmexico (Apr 19, 2010)

deviousalex said:


> Care to elaborate?


New hubs, not many miles. If I'm understanding right, the freehub loosened. Shop in Durango adjusted, and they're fine now.


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## SNS1938 (Aug 9, 2013)

CK for me. Had five sets on different bikes over the year. Never had an issue, and only ever bothered to service one set, and that was the basic open up with two 5mm allen keys are clean and lube. When opening them up, you really see how beautifully made they are, and so many of the little features like stainless bearings that you can remove the snap ring and seal on to clean the out etc.

Just sold a set of mountain bike wheels and will be selling a set of classic hubs so that I can buy R45-Disc hubs for my next build. (if the R-45 disc can be set up for 142x12 ... not sure if it can yet).


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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

They are both fine products. If the CK R45 start making more noise and you like them quieter add a bit more oil to quiet them down. Lubing them and checking the preset every 6 months is a good idea on these.
Personally the choice is at the price point and for that Durace always comes on top since the Durace set can be bought for less than the rear hub of the others. No colors but black though.


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## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

I love my Chris King R45's. I have two sets on HED C2+ Belguims. One set has been on my GF-01 for over a year and has 5k miles on it. They are still working flawlessly.

The other set is fairly new (about 600 rainy Seattles miles on R45d's on my Volagi Viaje Ti), and are also still in perfect condition.

Neither set has needed to be so much as trued, let alone serviced. I'll probably have the LBS service both sets at the end of the summer, just to make sure they are well lubricated and in good shape.

As far as the sound... while it's distinctive (a result of having a higher engagement pawl density), I find that once they are broken in, they are much quieter than most high-end road hubs. I hardly even notice mine any more. I don't coast much when I ride, and no one has ever mentioned the noise to me (I have had 'nice wheels' comments thrown my way on organized rides though). 

At this point, I'm a Chris King fan. I'm sure there are plenty of good hubs out there, and for less money, but I'm happy with what I have and will keep using them until they give me a reason not to.


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