Precision bicycle components machined in Portland, Oregon since 1976
✅ Made in USA
Where Chris King products are made
Portland, Oregon
The company machines components from bar stock at 2801 NW Nela Street in Portland, and states it is the manufacturer rather than a design house, with all operations under one roof.
Bearings made in-house
Chris King builds its own bearings. Races are heat-treated surgical-grade steel, machined simultaneously with tools of equal wear so the inner and outer races are a matched pair.
Cut with canola oil
Instead of conventional cutting fluid the shop machines with organic canola oil, filtered and recaptured for what it calls an infinite lifespan, accepting slower cutting speeds in exchange.
Chris King is a straightforward Made in USA case for the components themselves: the company states it is the manufacturer, not a design house, and that all operations sit under one roof in Portland, Oregon. Two scope notes. The wheels it sells are built on its own hubs but use rims from other makers — Reserve, ENVE and HED — so a complete wheelset is not entirely Chris King manufacture. And the apparel and soft goods in its Gear category carry no origin statement, so the claim should be read as covering the machined components.
The story
Chris King began with a bearing problem. As the company puts it, everywhere the bicycle moves there are bearings — so Chris King began by making better bearings, and the first product built on them was the headset, in 1976.
That headset became the thing the brand is known for. The NoThreadSet and the family that followed it earned a reputation for outlasting the frames they were installed in, and the same bearing philosophy carried into hubs, bottom brackets and the R45 road hub line.
Fifty years in, Chris King still machines everything in Portland and runs the shop on an unusual environmental premise. Cutting is done with organic canola oil rather than petroleum-based fluid; aluminum and steel chips are captured, the oil strained off, and the swarf compacted into dense pucks for efficient recycling.
The company opens the doors for public factory tours on the first Thursday of each month, and its general manager holds the title of Trail Builder in Chief, running employee trail-build days and a youth mountain bike team.
Why they matter
High-end bicycle components are a category where the marketing and the manufacturing usually belong to different companies. A great many respected brands design in one country, contract the machining in another, and buy their bearings from a third. That is normal and it is not dishonest — but it means the brand is not the maker.
Chris King is the maker. Owning the bearing production is the tell: it is the hardest, most capital-intensive part of the job and the easiest to farm out, and Chris King kept it. That is why the company can say it is the manufacturer rather than a design house without stretching the word.
The other half of the argument is durability. Chris King states that nothing it makes is disposable and backs it with a lifetime warranty covering any part whose function is hindered, plus recyclable or compostable packaging. A component that gets rebuilt instead of replaced is the most effective form of sustainability in cycling, and it is only possible when the company that made it still has the tooling in the building.
Featured products
Browse Chris King headsets, hubs and bicycle components available now in the Buy American store.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Chris King components made?
In Portland, Oregon. The company states it holistically locates all operations under one roof at its Portland facility and describes itself as the manufacturer rather than just a design house.
How long has Chris King been in business?
Since 1976. The company states it has been domestically producing bicycle components of the highest quality since 1976 — roughly half a century of continuous US manufacturing.
Does Chris King make its own bearings?
Yes, and it is the distinguishing feature of the brand. Races are heat-treated surgical-grade steel, machined simultaneously with tools of equal wear so that the inner and outer races are perfectly matched.
What is Chris King best known for?
Headsets — the NoThreadSet, DropSet, InSet and AeroSet family. As the company puts it, it all began with Chris King headsets. The R45 road hub is the other flagship line.