Why this is our product of the month. Chris King Gravel Wheelset GRD23 R45D
In our last blog we looked at the Giant Revolt Adv Pro 0 gravel bike. We reviewed that bike partly due to the increase in gravel sales over the last 4 years but also because it’s the most owned bike with our staff! We suggested that if you wanted to do more demanding road riding and/or bike packing with your Giant Revolt, then a wheel upgrade might be a good investment. So this week we are looking at the Chris King GRD23 R45D wheelset.Can they do the job?
Great for….
Riding! At RM Cycles though we have a geek tendency, what we really want is just to ride our bikes and enjoy the experience. Fit and forget is the ultimate compliment to a product and it certainly applies to these wheels. They roll as you would expect from a Chris King hub, silky smooth, which is enhanced by the carbon rims.These wheels certainly excel off road; there is no feeling that the rockier trails will trouble the integrity of the rims, as the wheels roll over obstacles comfortably. On the road you don’t really know that you’re on a gravel specific wheelset as the glide along quietly; until you freewheel! Then you are treated to the distinctive Chris King Bee sound from the freehub It’s very clever how the company has incorporated their logo in the sound of their freehub!!!
The Heart is the Hub
The wheels are built around the RD45 centerlock hubs. Chris King have been making hubs for more than 20 years. More importantly they have been making bearings for 45 years. And as we all know, the quality of the bearing is the single most important variable for a smooth efficient wheel. The angular bearings in these hubs also include a pre-load adjustment, meaning it’s a simple do-it-yourself task to have the bearings spinning perfectly.They come in a wide variety of colours, so you can bling up your ride to your heart’s content. Finally all the parts are serviceable, meaning you can achieve years of faithful, smooth service.
The Rolling Rim
The rims are manufactured using a thermoplastic bonding method ( see below for more details). Though this doesn’t make them any lighter than other carbon rims it, does mean that they are mechanically stronger than the traditionally manfuctured carbon rims of the same weight. They are only available in 700c and can accommodate tyres from 28-50 mm in width. This allows you to dial in the performance of the wheels depending on your ride requirements. With 28 mm tyres they ride like a high quality road wheelset. Pull a pair of 50 mm boots on, with low tyre pressures and they handle quite rough terrain with comfort. They also have the added peace of mind of coming with a lifetime warranty. We rode these with the Pirelli Cinturato gravel tyre and the rims allowed a pain free process to fit them to the hoops.
Freehub
The hubs come in two freehub choices, Shimano HG on SRAM XDR. So all the bases covered there. As Chris King have these freehub bodies manufactured for them,they are able to dial them in to produce the well-known angry Bee sound when freewheeling. They have also developed the RINGDRIVETM which gives 45 points of engagement. This means, when you press on the pedals, you start moving forward instantly. Or at least if feels that way!
Spokes
Front and back are both drilled for 24 holes and laced 2 cross.
Geek Angle
What is most unusual about these wheels are the rims. Instead of the standard Thermoset process of bonding the carbon fibres into a resilient whole, Chris King has utilised a method called Thermoplastic bonding. Added to this they are using a form of carbon fibre called FusionFibre. Being developed by Chris King internally, they had to experiment with different layup patterns of the carbon fibre. They finally achieved the ride quality and characteristics they were looking for on the fourth iteration.This left hem with a rim which is vertically compliant and laterally stiff;to you and me this means it absorbs the bumps but won’t collapse when haring around a corner! Additionally, this construction process means that the rims can be re-cycled, and that’s surely one of the benefits of cycling ; the green dividend!
Great with
Pirelli Cinturato Gravel a great all-rounder that is slightly better off-road than on.
Hope Disc Rotors You’ve got a top quality, possibly bling wheelset, so why not round off with a set of colour matched high quality rotors?
Pocket Options
Cadex Gravel These cadex wheels retail for about the same or slightly less than the Chris Kings featured here. We think they perform slightly better than the Kings but they don’t have the longevity of trouble free use.
Enve Foundation. These all-road wheels are quite good value compared to the Kings, though we don’t feel they absorb the bigger obstacles as well.
Better if….
The price were lower!!!! simple!! £3000 is a lot of money!
Verdict
You do not buy these wheels if all you are after is a great set of wheels! There are cheaper options that perform just as well; At least in the short term. You buy these wheels if what you are after is a silkily smooth rolling, comfortable, compliant wheelset, that is going to give you years of excellent performance and service.You are paying a premium for long term peace of mind .
