{"title":"Chris King Wheels","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"collection-header\"\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChris King Wheels\u003c\/strong\u003e are what happens when a precision machining company applies nearly 50 years of engineering discipline to wheelbuilding. Designed and manufactured in Portland, Oregon, every Chris King wheel is built around the same principles that made the brand’s headsets and hubs a fixture in high-end cycling: tight tolerances, fully serviceable designs, and components made to last decades rather than seasons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThis collection spans road and all-road riding with the ARD44 — a 44mm wheelset using recyclable FusionFiber thermoplastic rims — gravel with the GRD23 R45D 700c, and mountain terrain with the MTN30’s US-made aluminum rims and 72-point Ring Drive hub engagement. Prices range from $1,599 to $2,490.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"chris-king-grd23-r45d-700c-wheelset","title":"Chris King GRD23 R45D 700c Wheelset","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eChris King GRD23 R45D 700c Wheelset\u003c\/strong\u003e marked Chris King's first move into building a complete wheel around its own rim rather than lacing its hubs to rims from ENVE, HED, or Reserve. Built for gravel and all-road riding, the GRD23 pairs Chris King's R45D hub with a rim made from FusionFiber — a thermoplastic composite rather than traditional thermoset carbon fiber, manufactured for Chris King by CSS Composites in Utah using recycled material to cut down on manufacturing waste. This particular listing is currently on sale at $1,599.99, down from a regular price of $2,450.00.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFusionFiber's main advantage over standard carbon is impact resistance. Thermoplastic resin flexes and absorbs impact rather than cracking the way a thermoset carbon layup can under a hard hit from a rock or a pothole edge, which matters more on gravel and rough all-road terrain than on smooth pavement. The GRD23 rim runs a 23mm internal width and 29mm external width at a shallow 24mm depth — a gravel-appropriate profile rather than an aero road shape — and Chris King rates it for tires from 28mm up to 50mm wide, covering everything from a fast gravel race tire to a loaded bikepacking tire. Claimed rim weight is 404 grams per rim, and the wheelset ships with a tape and valve set included, so tubeless setup doesn't require a separate trip for supplies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hub is Chris King's R45D, a Centerlock disc hub built around the brand's RingDrive engagement system. RingDrive uses 45 teeth, which Chris King builds specifically to minimize drag while still delivering engagement essentially as soon as a rider starts pedaling — useful on technical gravel climbs where a lot of momentary, low-cadence pedal strokes need to translate to forward motion immediately rather than a few degrees later. The bearings are heat-treated steel, machined to consistent size and shape for smooth, reliable rotation, and RA Cycles can upgrade this wheelset to ceramic bearings on request for a rider who wants to shave rolling resistance further.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpokes are 24 Sapim CX-Ray bladed stainless spokes per wheel, laced in a 2-cross pattern with externally accessible aluminum nipples — a detail that makes truing and spoke tension adjustments easier for a shop or a rider doing their own maintenance, since the nipples don't need to be accessed through the rim bed. Chris King claims a wheelset weight of roughly 1,470 grams for the pair, though real-world weights on a scale tend to land a bit higher, closer to 1,500 grams — a small but honest gap between claimed and measured weight that's common across the wheel industry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis build is available through RA Cycles with either an HG11 (Shimano\/SRAM 11-speed) or XDR freehub body, and in a wide range of Chris King's signature colorways — Black, Gold, Matte Black, Matte Turquoise, Midnight, Red, Silver, and Two Tone Black Gold. For a rider who wants a wheelset built specifically for gravel and rough all-road riding, rather than a road wheel stretched to cover gravel duty, the GRD23's combination of an impact-resistant rim material and Chris King's proven hub engineering makes a strong case — especially at the current sale price against its $2,450 regular price.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Chris King","offers":[{"title":"Black \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976072236,"sku":"WB182901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976105004,"sku":"WB182904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Gold \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976137772,"sku":"WY182901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Gold \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976170540,"sku":"WY182904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Matte Black \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976203308,"sku":"WB282901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Matte Black \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976236076,"sku":"WB282904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Matte Turquoise \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976268844,"sku":"WT282901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Matte Turquoise \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976301612,"sku":"WT282904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Midnight \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976334380,"sku":"WZ282901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Midnight \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976367148,"sku":"WZ282904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976399916,"sku":"WR182901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976432684,"sku":"WR182904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976465452,"sku":"WS182901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Silver \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976498220,"sku":"WS182904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Two Tone Black Gold \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43509976530988,"sku":"WBY82901","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Two Tone Black Gold \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43509976563756,"sku":"WBY82904","price":1599.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0608\/7684\/9196\/files\/chris-king-grd23-r45d-700c-wheelset-5550420.jpg?v=1771301529"},{"product_id":"chris-king-ard44-disc-ceramic-wheelset","title":"Chris King ARD44 Disc Ceramic Wheelset","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eChris King ARD44 Disc Ceramic Wheelset\u003c\/strong\u003e is built around FusionFiber®, a thermoplastic carbon fiber that approaches rim construction from a fundamentally different angle than the thermoset carbon found in most road wheels. Traditional thermoset carbon uses fibers saturated with resin and cured into a permanent shape — a process that is efficient but limits what the finished material can do. FusionFiber® uses a thermoplastic matrix instead, one that bonds more completely, allows for more precise molding, and behaves differently under road load. The practical result is a rim that absorbs high-frequency vibration — road buzz, rough chip seal, broken pavement — more effectively than standard thermoset carbon, without giving up structural rigidity. FusionFiber® holds its shape under cornering load and lateral stress, so you get the stiffness required when accelerating and the damping that makes long days in the saddle sustainable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp\u003eThe 44mm rim depth positions the ARD44 as an all-conditions road wheel. Deep enough to carry aerodynamic momentum on sustained efforts, the 44mm profile doesn't demand the crosswind management that a 60mm section requires — it stays composed when conditions vary. The hookless rim is tubeless-ready and designed for 28-30mm tires, the size range that has become the practical standard for serious road riding: wide enough to run lower pressures for real-world traction and compliance, narrow enough to stay fast. FusionFiber®'s compliance works alongside the tire rather than against it, smoothing out what a harder rim would transmit directly to your hands. The combination produces a wheel that rides noticeably softer than its depth suggests without giving up the acceleration and cornering response you expect from a stiff carbon hoop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp\u003eAt the hub is a Chris King R45D — the disc-specific version of Chris King's road hub platform, built and assembled in their Portland factory. Both front and rear run ceramic bearings in this configuration: ceramic balls offer lower rolling friction than steel, better resistance to corrosion and heat, and a longer service interval before attention is needed. What separates Chris King's ceramic bearings from a commodity upgrade is that Chris King designs and manufactures their bearings in-house — sealed angular-contact bearings, purpose-built for their components, user-serviceable without special tools, and designed to wear in over time rather than degrade. The rear hub uses Chris King's RingDrive™ system: two rings of heat-treated stainless steel engage simultaneously at 45 contact points, delivering immediate, positive drive with no dead band between input and output. The characteristic Chris King sound is the confirmation — precise, crisp engagement with every pedal stroke. For riders moving from a standard pawl freehub, the difference in pickup is immediate and unmistakable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp\u003eChris King has been manufacturing in Portland, Oregon since 1976 — not as a brand that designs abroad and sources production elsewhere, but as a full manufacturer that machines, assembles, and inspects every component under one roof. That level of vertical integration shows in components that outlast the frames they're laced into. FusionFiber® extends that philosophy into sustainability: unlike thermoset carbon, which has no viable recycling pathway, FusionFiber® is a thermoplastic material that can be reheated and repurposed rather than landfilled. In a wheel market where most carbon ends up as waste, that distinction is meaningful — and it's only possible because Chris King controls the material itself, not just the finished product. For riders who factor the provenance and longevity of their equipment into buying decisions, the ARD44 offers answers at every level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp\u003eThe ARD44 Disc Ceramic is available in eight hub colorways — 3D Violet, Black, Gold, Matte Black, Matte Turquoise, Midnight, Red, and Silver — with freehub options for HG11 (Shimano and SRAM 11-speed) or XDR (SRAM 12-speed AXS). These are wheels built to be kept. The combination of FusionFiber® rims, in-house ceramic bearings, and RingDrive™ hub engagement makes the ARD44 a wheel that rewards care with years of reliable, fast service — the kind of component you stop thinking about because it never gives you a reason to.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Chris King","offers":[{"title":"3D Violet \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577583829036,"sku":"WP182971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3D Violet \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577583861804,"sku":"WP182974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577583894572,"sku":"WB182971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577583927340,"sku":"WB182974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Gold \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577583960108,"sku":"WY182971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Gold \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577583992876,"sku":"WY182974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Matte Black \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577584025644,"sku":"WB282971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Matte Black \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577584058412,"sku":"WB282974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Matte Turquoise \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577584091180,"sku":"WT282971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Matte Turquoise \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577584123948,"sku":"WT282974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Midnight \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577584156716,"sku":"WZ282971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Midnight \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577584189484,"sku":"WZ282974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Red \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577584222252,"sku":"WR182971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Red \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577584255020,"sku":"WR182974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver \/ HG11 (Shimano \/ SRAM 11s)","offer_id":43577584287788,"sku":"WS182971C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver \/ XDR Driver","offer_id":43577584320556,"sku":"WS182974C","price":1999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0608\/7684\/9196\/files\/chris-king-ard44-disc-ceramic-wheelset-4167091.jpg?v=1771295656"}],"url":"https:\/\/ricycles.com\/collections\/chris-king-wheels.oembed","provider":"RA Cycles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}