Chris King R45 Rear Centerlock Disc Hub
There is a reason the Chris King R45 shows up on so many of the wheels we get asked to rebuild: people keep the hub and wear out everything around it. The R45 is King's road and cyclocross hub, made in Portland, Oregon, with the patented RingDrive freehub, King's own made-in-house bearings and a lifetime warranty that the company actually honors.
The Chris King R45 Rear Centerlock Disc Hub is the version we are describing on this page. It uses the same hubshell, bearings and RingDrive parts as every R45 since the model launched, updated to the Gen 4 driver system, which simplified the axle and driver so a cassette-type swap is a two-minute job with a T10 Torx.
We sell the R45 only inside a wheel we build. Pick the rim, spokes and nipples in the configurator and the wheel ships from Georgia laced, tensioned and trued.
Design and construction
RingDrive is a pair of helical-toothed rings that engage all 45 teeth at once rather than a few pawls at a time. That is why an R45 feels solid under a hard stomp and why the freehub lasts: the load is spread around the whole ring. The bearing races are cut from heat-treated, surgical-grade steel, machined in pairs on matched tooling so the inner and outer races wear together, and King's bearings are famous for getting faster with age as the races burnish.
Gen 4 brought universal axles, solid driver spacers instead of springs, and a driver that pulls straight off for service or a swap between Shimano 11-speed road and SRAM XDR. The flanges are canted, which points the spoke straight at the rim and makes for a stronger, more even build.
The R45 is a road and cyclocross hub. King makes separate MTB hubs with 72-point RingDrive for Boost spacing; do not put an R45 on a trail bike.
How it rides
The first thing you notice is the sound. RingDrive has a distinctive angry-bee freehub note that King fans love and that you can quiet with a heavier grease. The second thing is engagement: 45 points is eight degrees, quick enough for cyclocross starts and technical gravel without the drag of a super-high-count hub.
On the road it simply rolls. A properly adjusted R45 with burnished bearings is about as low-drag as a hub gets, and the preload adjuster lets us set it exactly.
Specifications
| Position | Rear |
|---|---|
| Axle options | Thru Axle 12x142mm Rear |
| Driver bodies | Shimano HG 8,9,10,11 & Road 12spd, SRAM XDR 10,11 & Road & MTB 12spd |
| Drillings | 24h, 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | centerlock disc |
| Left flange diameter | 57 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 57 mm |
| Left center-to-flange | 33 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 18.7 mm |
| Spoke hole diameter | 2.6 mm |
| Weight | 266g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | 3d violet, black, black matte black punch, gold matte 50th, jade matte, mango matte, midnight matte, red, silver, turquoise matte |
About this listing
What sets this listing apart from the other R45 versions: centerlock rotor mount, Thru Axle 12x142mm, 24h, 28h, 32h drilling, about 266g, in 3d violet, black, black matte black punch, gold matte 50th,. Pick the one that matches your frame and rotor and the rest of the hub is identical.
Centerlock is the lighter, quicker rotor mount: a splined rotor drops onto the hub and a single lockring holds it, so a rotor swap takes a minute with a lockring tool and there are no six small bolts to torque or lose. Shimano and most current road and gravel rotors are centerlock; 6-bolt rotors fit with an adapter.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Chris King R45 Rear Centerlock Disc Hub comes in the drillings listed on this page, with the axle options shown in the configurator. Rear hubs take Shimano HG 11-speed road or SRAM XDR drivers; centerlock and 6-bolt disc versions exist, along with the rim-brake R45 for classic road builds.
We build R45 wheels on everything from HED Belgium and DT Swiss alloy rims to ENVE, Reserve and Boyd carbon. Straight-pull is not an option on this hub; it is J-bend, which suits the widest choice of spokes.
Build it with us
We build this hub to order. Open the Custom Wheel Program with the Chris King R45 Rear Centerlock Disc Hub already selected and pick the parts around it; it is offered for gravel and road disc and mountain bike builds, and the configurator will not let you assemble a combination we would not build.
Testing, standards and warranty at Chris King
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.
the patented RingDrive uses heat-treated stainless-steel drive and driven rings with 72 points of simultaneous engagement (45 in R45 road hubs). Chris King states it is "capable of handling a torque load of over 800ft/lbs, three times greater than other high-end hubs we tested" and a representative said in 2024 it has "never been broken in testing"; a RingDrive service is recommended every 12 months.
Chris King's videos
From Chris King
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 makes the hub. ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia that lacing it into finished wheels every week, so we know the flange dimensions cold and cut spokes from the measured geometry rather than a catalog average. We set the bearing preload with King's adjusting clamp before the wheel leaves.
Only compatible hubs and spokes appear in the configurator, impossible combinations are struck through rather than hidden, and the price is 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. Built into a wheel by us, this part is covered by our own one-year wheel warranty on top of the maker's. For a year we replace broken spokes whatever caused them, and we cover the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild if it needs one. If a rim or hub fails and its maker covers it, we run that claim for you; if the maker says no, you get an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off retail. You pay the shipping each way. Wheels built from parts you send us are excluded.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
R45 Rear 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.
What is the difference between the R45 and the R45D?
The R45 is the rim-brake road hub; the R45D adds a disc mount, centerlock or 6-bolt. Both share the same RingDrive internals and bearings.
Can I change the driver later?
Yes. Gen 4 R45 hubs use a universal axle and a pull-off driver, so switching between Shimano 11-speed road and SRAM XDR is a quick job and the parts are inexpensive.
How often does a King hub need service?
Rarely. Bearings are adjustable and rebuildable rather than throw-away, and RingDrive needs a clean and a smear of King's ring lube every season or two. We can service it if you ever need us to.
Is the R45 suitable for gravel?
Yes. Road, gravel and cyclocross are what it is built for. For mountain biking, choose King's Boost MTB hub instead.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
Thru Axle 12x142mm Rear. 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.
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.
