Chris King R45 Rear 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 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 | QR 5x130mm Rear |
| Driver bodies | Shimano HG 8,9,10,11 & Road 12spd, SRAM XDR 10,11 & Road & MTB 12spd |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | rim-brake |
| Left flange diameter | 51 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 51 mm |
| Left center-to-flange | 34.3 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 17 mm |
| Spoke hole diameter | 2.6 mm |
| Weight | 215g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | black, silver |
This listing
This is the rim-brake version: QR 5x130mm, 28h, 32h drilling, about 215g, in black, silver. Same internals and flanges as every other R45; only the mount and axle differ.
This is the rim-brake R45, with no rotor mount at all: a lighter, simpler shell for road, track and classic frames that stop on the rim. It builds into the lightest wheel the model can make and it is the version to choose for a rim-brake bike; the disc versions of the same hub have their own listings.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Chris King R45 Rear 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 a wheel around it
Offered for road rim brake and touring builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Chris King R45 Rear Hub and the configurator pins it for you, then checks each choice you make against it.
What Chris King says about testing
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:
Chris King publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the hub into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
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.
In the configurator you will only see parts that fit this drilling; combinations that are not made are struck through, and the price updates as you pick.
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. Lace this into a wheel here and the finished wheel gets our own one-year warranty as well as the maker's. For twelve months we replace broken spokes however they broke, and the work on the wheel is on us - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild where it is needed. If the rim or hub is covered by its manufacturer we put the claim in and chase it; if it is not, we supply an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off the current retail price. Carriage both ways is the customer's, and this does not cover wheels built from parts you send in.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
R45 Rear Hub questions
Can I use this hub with disc brakes?
No - this is the rim-brake version and it has no rotor mount at all, which is exactly why it is lighter and simpler. It is the one for a rim-brake road, track or classic frame. A disc frame needs one of the disc versions of this hub, which are listed separately.
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?
QR 5x130mm 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.
