Chris King MTN30 Alloy wheels

Chris King has been producing high end hubs, headsets and bottom brackets for years in their Portland, Oregon, facility. Their first product, a headset, was produced in 1976. They introduced their first wheelset in 2022, the MTN30 carbon. The set I'm testing here is the alloy version of those wheels, with the same hubs and spokes. I had never ridden any Chris King components so this was a unique opportunity.

I was shipped the wheels in mid December. To start off I had a few rides on them mounted to my Specialized Enduro. Lately these wheels have been mounted to my Rocky Mountain Instinctitude eMTB, which is slightly outside King's use case, which suggests bikes with up to 160mm of travel.

Specs (provided by Chris King)

• Matte finish alloy rims
• 30mm internal width
• Precision sleeved construction
• Pronounced rim bead for sidewall protection
• 32 hole
• Sapim Race spokes
• CK Boost or superboost, centerlock or 6-bolt hubs
• 29”, 27.5” and mixed set configurations
• CK rim weights are 595g for 29 and 565g for 27.5
• CK hub weights are 150g front and 290g rear
• Total weights starting at 2,080 g (I weighed them at 2,205g)
• Rims come with a 2 year warranty against defects and a lifetime crash replacement warranty for "minimal cost"
• Hubs have a lifetime warranty
• 1,250 USD

Hub

Chris King hubs are the highlight of this wheelset. The solid one piece axle provides extra stiffness. The canted hub flanges are purported to increase wheel strength. The heavy duty bearing seals on the steel bearings (manufactured in-house in Portland) should help keep the crud out. CK says that as their bearings break in they get faster. Ceramic bearing upgrades are available for an extra 115 USD. The hubs alone cost about 800 USD (580 rear, 310 front) so the complete wheelset for 1,250 USD starts to sound like a bargain.

The 72 points of simultaneous engagement are definitely noticeable on the trail. I performed a number stop and go trials on both my Enduro and my eMTB. The engagement was immediate and flawless. I prefer a silent hub but the CK hub’s ‘angry bee’ tone is a low subtle sound.

The hub can be serviced with a 2.5mm hex and a pick or pen knife. Cam and I used a T8 tool (which had better bite) and a thin flat head screwdriver to switch out the XD driver for the Microspline driver. The swap was simple and quick. Complete rebuilds can be performed with CK’s ISO hub service tool.

Rims and spokes

The matte black finish on the rims looks great even after a few muddy rides. The tape and bead has been working well. There have been minimal air leaks over three months since the tires were mounted. I had a relatively easy time mounting the WTB Vigilante front and WTB Judge rear tires. The Sapim Race spokes and rims have stayed straight, tight and true throughout the test period.

Impressions on the trail

I have to say that I can't discern major differences in terms of precision, tracking and deflection compared to my daily drivers (e13 TRS Race carbon wheels and Race Face ARC 30s).

When comparing carbon to alloy, I notice the harsher feel of carbon over alloy wheels. The Chris King MTN30 Alloys sit somewhere between carbon and a typical softer alloy feel. One note on this analysis is that I am comparing wheels with inserts and slightly lower pressures with slightly used tires to these wheels with no inserts, and brand new tires with a few PSI higher. No damage was incurred from square-edged hits and the energy transferred seemed to be minimized by the compliance of the rims. Off camber tracking and stiffness in and out of berms were both solid.

Final Thoughts

For me, the most important attribute of a wheel set is longevity, something I obviously cannot assess from this short test period. An alloy rim needs to be able to take hits and stay true with minimal to no denting over the long haul. Spokes need to keep hanging on and the rims and tape need to keep sealant and air from seeping out. I also believe that the hub needs to perform at its initial performance level, with minimal maintenance, for a few years. I would assume that, based on the Chris King reputation, the hubs’ long term performance will remain solid. As for the rims and spokes, only time will tell but it does not look like I will be able to follow up over the longer term because Chris King wants these wheels back.

When compared to a few other companies like Cane Creek, Race Face and e13 these wheels are slightly heavier and a wee bit more costly. Regarding the weight, I did weigh the wheels on Cam’s not so fancy luggage scale at 2,205g compared to Chris King's claimed weight of 2,080g but with brass nipples, Centerlock and Micro Spline.

I would argue that the Chris King hubs and the reputation their products have for quality and longevity justifies the differences in weight and price when compared to similar products from other companies. And fortunately everything is backed up with a 2 year warranty covering manufacturers' defects and a lifetime crash replacement policy that gives you a discounted price on a replacement rims.

Chris King MTN30 Alloy Wheelset - 1,250 USD