Chris King’s R45 Road Hubs Add Ceramic Bearing, Campagnolo Freehub Options

posted by Tyler Benedict - August 9, 2011 - 3am EDT

Chris King R45 Road Hubs add campagnolo freehub body and ceramic bearing optionsChris King has just added two options to their R45 road hubs: Campagnolo freehub bodies and ceramic bearings.

The R45 hubs with a ceramic bearing option will be available on August 15th. The Campagnolo compatible driveshell will be available in January 2012 with a ceramic bearing option also available at that time. Weights for ceramic-bearing’d hubs/standard hubs will come in at 99g/102g front and 216g/221g, so you’ll save a grand total of 8g with the upgrade. Both options will be available in all of their standard colors and spoke count options.

They recently announced ceramic bearings for their bottom brackets, too.

UPDATE: Here’s the pricing:

  • R45 Front: $169
  • R45 Rear: $369
  • R45 Ceramic Front: $229
  • R45 Ceramic Rear:  $449
  • R45 Campagnolo Rear:  $409
  • R45 Campagnolo Ceramic Rear:  $489
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Comments

HErod - 08/09/11 - 9:31am

Holy $h!t! I’ve been waiting years for this! Great news!

Hand Built Wheels - 08/09/11 - 10:40am

We have been waiting for a Campagnolo R45 hub and this is excellent news. The R45 works well with many rims and to be able to offer the R45 to our Campagnolo riders is really exciting.

the flat tire - 08/10/11 - 3:05am

My prayers have been answered!

Bad Bender - 08/13/11 - 9:46am

Other than saving a tiny bit of weight there is absolutely no reason to use ceramic bearings. It’s all marketing fluff. Balls made from bearing steel are harder, retain their shape longer and just plain work. Why anyone would buy ceramic bearings is beyond me. I would have expected more from Chris King. The man didn’t change anything for years and now, all of a sudden, he’s relenting to what’s fashionable. I’m sorry, but he’s losing me…

Captain obvious - 08/13/11 - 12:36pm

The reasons to not buy chris king are gone. If 8 grams are the reason… $12/ gram then great. Those that buy fashion can spend more.
Those that want campy can get great hubs.
Those that need more fashion can choose a color.
Everyone is happy.

Smart moves.

Tuck - 08/13/11 - 8:37pm

5 bills for a rear hub? Could be worth it, I guess. I mean hey, it’s got CK etched on it.

Maxi - 11/02/11 - 12:39am

Ah the Chris King distortion field is in effect! Other wonderful options out there:

Alchemy Elf/Orc
DT Swiss 180
Tune Mig45/Mag170

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