Chris King GripNut Headset

The Chris King GripNut Headset is a threaded headset for 1" and 1-1/8" steerer tubes, and it is the product Chris King says told the world it meant business when it came to headsets. Plenty of them are still in daily service. The GripNut is designed for threaded forks that do not need a cable hanger or additional spacers, which lets Chris King build a low-stack-height threaded headset around its collet locking system. That system holds its adjustment securely once you have set it.

Every Chris King headset uses heat-treated bearings and surgical-grade steel races machined simultaneously so they match. Chris King says its bearing tracks get smoother as they age and burnish, and the headset is fully serviceable. The bearings are sealed angular-contact designs made in-house in Portland, Oregon, and each one is inspected and assembled by hand. Cleaning and re-greasing needs no special tools: remove the snap ring and seal, clean, and repack. The external upper and lower cups have Chris King's rounded profile, which looks at home on both a classic steel frame and a modern build.

Fitment matters with a threaded headset, so check your frame before ordering. Chris King lists the 1" version for EC30/25.4-24tpi and EC30/26.5 frames, and the 1-1/8" version for EC34/28.6-26tpi and EC34/30 frames. The GripNut carries Chris King's Lifetime Warranty. If you have a threaded fork you plan to ride for years, it is a straightforward way to keep the bike on the road.