Mountain bikers who have been followed down a singletrack trail by a rider on Chris King hubs, know all about the angry bee sound.

These American hubs aren’t cheap, but they last and spin with terrifically low friction. And Chris King hubs sound like angry bees buzzing, when they rotate at high speed on a descent.

Since 1976, Chris King has produced precision cycling components in a Portland, Oregon, workshop. 

Beyond product quality and its distinctive sound signature, Chris King is keen on expanding its product offering. The brand’s latest product is the MTN30 mountain bike wheel range.

Chris King wanted to create a complete solution for riders, who often use its hubs as a foundation for that dream custom wheelset build.

The MTN30 wheels lace Chris King hubs to carbon-fibre rims. But these aren’t conventional carbon-fibre wheels. Instead of using a standard composite structure, Chris King has opted for FushionFiber, which uses less epoxy and a nylon fibre bonding process.

One of the challenges in creating an excellent carbon-fibre wheel, is limiting the amount of epoxy resin used to bind the fibres. Too much epoxy spoils the fibre quality and ride feel. With FushionFiber, the structure uses a nylon bonding process, removing the risk of too much epoxy. 

Beyond the toughness, FushionFiber is also more recyclable than traditional carbon-fibre with its epoxy coating. And with carbon-fibre mountain bike components becoming an issue regarding lifecycle management, especially when damaged and returned, recyclability is valuable.

The Chris King MTN30 wheels are available in 27.5- and 29” sizes. All rims have a similar internal diameter of 29mm, which is the ideal size for modern mountain bike tyres.

Weights? The MTN30 wheelset is 1665g, if you ride a 27.5”, and 1746g for the 29”. They aren’t cheap, though, at R40 000, but will probably last forever.

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