Chris King ARD44 wheelset review

Chris King, a highly regarded builder of bicycle hubs, has now moved into complete wheelsets with the ARD44.

Rather than ‘just’ another aerodynamic carbon rim, the Portland, Oregon-based manufacturer has come up with something rather different.

Testing revealed ride quality is outstanding, but it comes at a heavy price.

Chris King ARD44 specs and details

Instead of using a traditional full carbon fibre construction, the ARD44 rim is made from a novel blend of carbon fibre and nylon, which the brand calls ‘FusionFiber’.

This forgoes the usual epoxy resin bonding agent.

Chris King says this new material enables the rim to be fully recyclable, while it’s also said to be more energy-efficient to produce.

FusionFiber can be kept at room temperature (as opposed to using refrigeration), while it takes less time to cure in the oven, so there’s less energy spent here too.

Chris King also claims this material has more shock absorbency than traditional carbon, making the ARD44 rims a strong choice for gravel riding and all-road duties.

The brand says it’s both more durable and tougher in the face of impacts, compared to ordinary carbon fibre constructions. It says it can withstand 275 per cent of the UCI’s minimum standard on impact resistance.

In this ARD (All Road Design) guise, the rims are more biased towards the road than the full-on gravel use.

The rim itself is 44mm deep, with a blunted aero profile. The 25mm (internal) hookless rim is said to be optimised for 28-32c road tyres.

The rims measure 30.5mm wide externally, and Chris King says the ARD44 is safe for use with tyres up to 47mm wide.

Chris King states a claimed weight of 1,525g a pair, but our test pair with valves, tapes and Shimano lockrings (all included) in place weighed in at a relatively hefty 1,627g for the pair (872g for the rear and 755g for the front).

In comparison, Zipp’s similarly wide and deep 303 Firecrest weighs in at 1,409g in the same setup. Its premium 353 NSW comes in at 1,304g, and the Cadex 42 Disc Tubeless wheelset weighs 1,430g.

The rims are laced using double-butted Sapim spokes with Chris King’s RD45 hubset.

The standard wheels come with Chris King’s own stainless steel bearings, but you can upgrade to Chris King's own ceramic bearings for an extra $110 (exact UK price to be confirmed)

For £50 extra, you can have the brand’s limited-edition Splash 45 hubset.

The 45 points of engagement in the rear hub give a rapid 8-degree engagement. They emit the signature ‘Chris King buzz’ when freewheeling.

A potential sticking point for many will be the $2,850 / £3,000 asking price.

While they appear to be made to a very high standard, and come covered by Chris King’s Lifetime warranty, the wheels are £1,400 more than the Zipp 303 Firecrest, more than £500 more than Cadex’s 42, and twice the price of FFWD’s gravel/all-road Drift wheelset.

The price differences are slightly less in the US, where the components are made, but they remain expensive regardless.

Chris King ARD44 performance

I tested the ARD44 over several months, switching between 30mm road and 42mm all-road tyres.

Both were easy to seat on the hookless rim, and both kept pressure very well with the requisite tubeless sealant installed.

The on-road feel of the wheels impressed – the lateral rigidity makes them feel very much like a true racer’s wheel, yet the rims have an almost buoyant feel when the going gets rougher.

On vibration-inducing chip stone tarmac, the ARD44 absorbs the noise very well. Bigger hits from potholes and speed bumps are squashed and suppressed with remarkable efficiency.

Get onto gravel roads and byways, and the feeling is much the same – the ARD44 wheelset is very comfortable to ride.

They don’t have quite the same absorbent qualities as the extreme gravel performance of Zipp’s 101, though at 1,786g a pair the Zipps are heavier, which could be contributing to this.

The Chris King wheels are, however, weightier than similarly priced, and even much cheaper road bike wheels.

On longer climbs, the ARD44 doesn’t have the same urgency as lighter wheels of similar width and depth, even feeling a little ponderous when keeping a steady cadence.

I found myself rising out of the saddle more often than on my usual wheels (303s and Cadex 42s) on longer climbs and steep ramps to keep my pace.

I suspect ultimate speed evens out over longer distances, though, because the smoothness and bump-smothering nature of the rims saves you some fatigue, and results in very high confidence when descending (especially on less-than-ideal surfaces).

Chris King ARD44 bottom line

I’ve been very impressed by the ARD44 when it comes to performance.

The build quality appears exceptional, the ride quality is superb, and it’s all backed up by Chris King’s top-notch warranty.

However, the fly in the ointment is the price. At $2,850 / £3,000, the ARD44 is just too expensive versus valid high-performance rivals to rank among the very best road or gravel wheels.