Chris King has updated their Cielo cyclocross and 29er mountain bikes with curvier stays and a few other changes.
The ‘cross bike is a platform for their new I8 Chris King headset, which is their first headset that allows an 1-1/8″ to 1-1/4″ tapered steerer. In the future they could easily add an 1-1/4″ upper to go with their 1.5″ lower a la Giant’s OverDrive. No set release date other than to say it’ll be a bit as there’s not much demand for it. It fits into 44mm headtube standard, something you’ll find on both bikes right after the break…
The Cielo cyclocross bike gets S-bend seat and chain stays for better mud clearance and a bit more compliance.
Geometry tightens up, making it racier, something somewhat inspired by the old racing Porches Porsches. Those cars also inspired this pair paint scheme, one of three options.
Comes with paint to matched ENVE forks, and it’s one of the few steel bikes approved for UCI races. They’re making the dropouts in house. Frame and fork is $2,495 with headset.
Mountain Bike also evolves to get S-bend stays and a new paint scheme. Frame and headset is $1,895. White painted headset is a one off thing for the show, don’t even ask.
They just opened a new paint room and all frames are now painted in house. They hired Ben Falcon from Seven Cycles to manage it.
One thing that goes unnoticed is that King offers two different front hub shells with the option of running QR9/15mm on the smaller one and 15/20mm on the larger simply by swapping caps. The rear hubs are convertible to 142, making an investment in their hubs less risky given the constantly evolving standards landscape.
