Chris King Precision Components is one of four awesome Oregon brands we’re highlighting for our Ride Oregon Made Celebration. Save 15% on your dream wheels June 18-30, 2019. See details here.
When you work with Sugar Wheel Works to build a new set of wheels, you’ve got plenty of options for the different components of the wheel. We sit down with our customers to talk about how they want to use the wheels, what their goals are and what sort of a budget they have to work with.
But we’re not building just any ole’ set of wheels here – we’re building your new dream wheels and they simply have to be the best.
That’s why we work closely with all of our suppliers to ensure we’re sourcing the industry’s finest, most durable components. And that’s why we love working with the experts at Chris King Components.
Chris King’s headquarters and manufacturing facility is based right here in Portland, so we decided to stop by for a visit to see their operation and talk shop. And, let’s be honest, caress some shiny hubs. Oooo la la!
Chris King is renown for extreme precision and dedication to quality and we select Chris King hubs for many of the wheels we build. Marketing Manager Bob Scales says those hubs had better be good, “The company is owned by one person and his name is on it – he is a cyclist who stands behind what the company builds.”
Chris King owns its factory. The company manufactures just about every aspect of the parts that it can, they fix their own machines and they’ve even re-jiggered machinery to create the specialized beasts they need to turn out their precise products. Their products are fully engineered, manufactured and assembled in the USA and even their bearings are made-in-house, a unique form of dedication that has made them legendary in the bike industry and beyond.
Every step of the process is an obsession. The end result is a beautiful product – and most often a shiny one, too. At our visit we got to see how components are polished using hazelnut shells resulting in blinged-out eye candy even prior to anodization.
So we love working with Chris King, but why does Chris King love working with Sugar Wheel Works?
“From a cultural standpoint, we like to support other businesses who are doing this all for the right reason. We believe in investing in the morality of a company,” says Bob.
Chris King is a company comprised of an abundance of heart, and a massive investment of time. We are impressed with their thoughtfulness and the environmental care with which they approach their production. Their hubs are fully serviceable, which fits in nicely with our Re:Build Re:Ride Re:Love program of rebuilding wheels. They also compress all the tiniest bits and flints from shaved metal into a puck shape pellet that leaches out the oil used in manufacturing and creates an easy-to-recycle dense brick of metal.
There is a special feeling you have when you ride your bike, and Chris King’s components are at the heart of that feeling. Combine that with their quality, and you’ve got a Sugar match made in wheel heaven.
