Chris King InSet 2 Headset [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

Over time your headset takes a beating from dirt, water, as well as the routine washings. Eventually, the bearing grease starts to break down leaving the bearings feeling rough. In this review, our customer Amato shares his thoughts on the Chris King InSet 2 headset. Check it out! 

Overview

Is that fancy matte finish worth paying four and a half times the price of the Cane Creek headset? Chris King prides itself on a history of making phenomenal bearings that scream dependability. They also offer an array of colors to make your cockpit as dashing as that fancy frame and fork you're riding. However, and unfortunately, the scale is evened out when you weigh the good and the bad when making this pricey and almost obvious decision.

Customer Service and Installation. When researching which Chris King headset will fit my frame, these two "concerns" came upon every blog, review, and "how-to" video I watched when giving into the price mark up of four and a half times when compared to the popular but just as a reliable competing headset from Cane Creek.

Fortunately, I got to experience both as one problem led to the other. As you can see, I feel as if it were meant to be that World Wide Cyclery offered me the chance to blog about this product for money/gift cards.

The InSet 2 headset is a mother to install. The pre-manufactured "Grip Lock Assembly" does not fit flush with the pre-assembled "Upper Bearing Cup". I know this verbiage because Chris King's representative kept trying to refer me to their support page after telling me not to believe the internet as, "people do not know what they are talking about". This sentence only happened after he kept interrupting me as he felt he knew what was wrong before I could finish telling him.

Actually, somehow it matches both the turquoise that Yeti uses and the blue that Fox uses.

Long story short, this representative blamed the issue on World Wide Cyclery, in which he stated they did not send me the "Green O Ring" and that this O ring will fix the issue. If I were to be optimistic about the topic, I would say the representative was very quick to send me the unnecessary part, and had it be the remedy I would be writing a slightly different review. Just to be sure the readers and World Wide Cyclery know, I did receive the "Green O Ring" in the original packaging from World Wide Cyclery. The headset color is sharp and it does bring the bike together beautifully. It is a paradox, don't think too much into it.

Final Thoughts

So far, it works as well as the Cane Creek I have on my Ibis and the Cane Creek my girlfriend has on her Yeti. However, the headset is still not flush. If Cane Creek put out some dashing colors on their headsets then I would buy it. Actually, I am most likely going to return this headset or use the money from the gift card World Wide Cyclery will send me for this review to buy the Cane Creek Headset.