Chris King MTB Front Centerlock Disc Hub
The Chris King MTB hub is what people mean when they say a hub should outlast the bike. The Chris King MTB is the hub we point serious trail riders to when they ask what will still be running in ten years.
We only sell the Chris King MTB hub inside a wheel we build. Choose your rim, spokes and nipples in the configurator and the wheel ships from our shop in Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
RingDrive is the heart of it. The Chris King MTB hubshell is machined from aluminum bar and the flanges are canted toward the rim so the spoke leaves the hub in a straight line, which builds a stronger wheel with more even tension.
King's bearings are made in-house from heat-treated, surgical-grade steel, races machined in matched pairs so they wear together. They are adjustable for preload, rebuildable and, famously, get smoother as they run in. The seals are the labyrinth type that King has used for decades; they shrug off pressure washing better than most.
This is the front hub, and a front hub has no freehub. What matters here is the part of the hub that carries the wheel: the bearings, the seals, the axle and the two flanges, and the front Chris King MTB hub shares all of them with its rear partner. It is the simpler half of the pair and the one that runs longest between services. The driver and engagement story belongs on the rear hub's page; this page is about a front wheel that spins freely, stays sealed and builds stiff.
How it rides
Ride quality on a Chris King MTB hub is mostly about what you stop noticing.
Weight is competitive rather than featherlight.
On the road or the trail the front hub's job is to disappear: spin freely, keep water out, and hold the flanges still so the wheel tracks where you point it. The front Chris King MTB hub does that with the same bearings and seals as the rear and none of the rear's complexity, and because a front wheel carries less load and no torque it stays true longer than the rear on the same rim. When the rear finally needs a look, the front usually does not.
Specifications
| Position | Front |
|---|---|
| Axle options | Thru Axle 15x110mm Front |
| Drillings | 24h, 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | centerlock disc |
| Left flange diameter | 57.4 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 57.4 mm |
| Left center-to-flange | 27.5 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 35.5 mm |
| Spoke hole diameter | 2.6 mm |
| Weight | 166g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | 3d violet, black, black matte black punch, gold matte 50th, jade matte, mango matte, midnight matte, red, silver, turquoise matte |
Which version this is
Version notes. Centerlock rotor mount, Thru Axle 15x110mm, 24h, 28h, 32h, about 166g, in 3d violet, black, black matte black punch, gold matte 50th,. If your frame or fork uses a different standard, the other versions of the Chris King MTB hub on this site cover it.
This is the centerlock Chris King MTB hub: the rotor sits on a spline and a lockring holds it, which saves weight over six bolts and makes swapping rotors a one-tool job. If your rotors are 6-bolt, a centerlock adapter fits them, or choose the 6-bolt version of the same hub.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Chris King MTB hub, the Chris King MTB Front Centerlock Disc Hub, is listed here in the drillings shown on this page, in Boost spacing (15x110 front, 12x148 rear). Rotor mount is centerlock or 6-bolt depending on the version you pick.
The Chris King MTB hub builds beautifully onto DT Swiss, Stan's, Race Face, WTB, Reserve, ENVE, We Are One and Nox rims. The MTB hub is J-bend only; we usually recommend double-butted spokes with brass nipples for trail wheels.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Chris King MTB Front Centerlock Disc Hub — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this hub pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for gravel and road disc, track and road single-speed, tandem and e-bike, mountain bike, MTB single-speed and fat bike builds.
Chris King's testing and certifications
Chris King states it "has been domestically producing bicycle components of the highest quality since 1976" and is "the manufacturer, not just a design house, holistically locating all operations under one roof here in Portland, OR." Its hubs use bearings made in-house: sealed angular-contact bearings with "heat-treated, surgical grade steel races" machined simultaneously "to ensure perfectly matched inner and outer races"; Chris King states "Every single Chris King bearing is inspected and assembled by hand." A March 2024 factory visit reported the bearings are made from 440c stainless steel in more than thirty production steps. Chris King publishes no ISO 4210, salt-spray or bearing-cycle test figures.
Warranty and service: the King Lifetime Warranty states "Hubs, Headsets, and Bottom Brackets, including the bearings, are warranted for the lifetime of the original purchaser"; it is non-transferable and excludes misuse, crash or impact, lack of routine maintenance and normal wear. Chris King's hub manual states hubs "should be maintained every 6-12 months in normal and dry conditions" and "every 3 months in wet or muddy conditions" using Chris King Silver Grease; the company says its bearings "wear in and not wear out".
Chris King's videos
Certifications
- Made in USA (Portland, Oregon) — Chris King states it has been domestically producing bicycle components since 1976 with all operations under one roof in Portland, OR (source)
- King Lifetime Warranty — Hubs, headsets and bottom brackets including bearings warranted for the lifetime of the original purchaser; non-transferable (source)
- B Corp certification (2020, since lapsed) — Certified B Corporation in April 2020 (first US bicycle component maker); company later withdrew from recertification (source)
Sources on Chris King's site:
The figures, certificates and media above are Chris King's own. ProWheelBuilder does not run these tests; our part is the wheel we build on the hub.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Chris King manufactures the MTB hub in Portland. ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer, and we build Chris King MTB wheels to the rider: measured ERD, spokes cut to length, staged tensioning with a gauge, stress relief, and final truing before it ships. We set the bearing preload with King's adjusting clamp as the last step.
The configurator recommends a spoke count from your bike type and weight, shows only parts that fit this hub's drillings, and prices the wheel live.
Warranty
Chris King's warranty. Chris King warrants hubs, headsets and bottom brackets, bearings included, for the lifetime of the original purchaser on items sold new since 1 January 2019. Proof of purchase is required, and King recommends registering within 30 days.
ProWheelBuilder. Any wheel we build on this part carries ProWheelBuilder's one-year warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. Broken spokes are replaced for a year whatever the cause, and all wheel-side labor is included - truing, re-tensioning, rebuilding. Where the maker covers a failed rim or hub we handle that claim for you; where they decline, an eligible replacement comes at 25% off current retail. The customer covers shipping in both directions. Components supplied by the customer are not covered.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
MTB Front Centerlock Disc Hub questions
Will my rotors fit this hub?
This is the centerlock version, so a splined centerlock rotor drops on and a lockring holds it - one tool, no six bolts to torque or lose. If your rotors are 6-bolt they will fit with a centerlock adapter, or take the 6-bolt version of the same hub, which is a separate listing.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Chris King MTB Front Centerlock Disc Hub?
No. Chris King makes the hub. ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia that builds it into a finished wheel to your spec.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
Thru Axle 15x110mm Front. Measure between the inside faces of your dropouts if you are unsure, or text us.
Does it need special spokes?
No. It takes standard J-bend spokes, which the configurator offers in every gauge and finish we stock.
How long will the wheel take?
Build time comes down to parts availability rather than bench time. The estimated ship date is shown in the configurator before you check out.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
