Chris King R45D Disc Centrelock Front Hub

Favoured by Brisbane bike shops, wheel builders, and professional bicycle service centres, the R45D is a premium hub choice for performance road bikes, endurance builds, and custom disc brake wheelsets.

Performance and Design

At the core of the R45D front hub is a one‑piece axle design, which increases stiffness and alignment accuracy under braking and cornering loads. This stiffness translates directly into improved front‑end tracking, better braking confidence, and more precise handling on rough Queensland chip‑seal roads and fast descents.

The lightweight hub body reduces rotational mass, while maintaining the strength required for modern disc brake road riding. Paired with Chris King’s bearings, the result is a front hub that rolls smoothly at speed without sacrificing control or durability.

Legendary Chris King Bearings

Every R45D hub features Chris King’s angular‑contact bearings, made entirely in‑house. These bearings are designed to handle both radial and axial loads, making them particularly well‑suited to disc brake road applications.

Unlike sealed cartridge bearings that degrade over time, Chris King bearings are engineered to wear in gradually, becoming smoother and faster with regular use. For Brisbane riders logging long training rides, racing criteriums, or building long‑distance endurance bikes, this means consistent performance season after season.

Disc Brake and Axle Compatibility

The R45D front hub uses the Centrelock disc standard, offering excellent rotor alignment and easy servicing. It is designed for forks using a 100 mm x 12 mm thru‑axle, now standard on modern road, endurance, and gravel‑influenced road frames.

This makes the hub suitable for a wide range of disc brake road bikes commonly serviced and sold through Brisbane cycling retailers.

Serviceability and Long‑Term Value

A defining characteristic of all Chris King hubs is complete rebuildability.

The R45D front hub can be fully serviced, cleaned, and rebuilt using either the Chris King Universal Hub Service Tool or the R45‑specific hub tools. This ensures long‑term reliability and makes the hub an excellent investment for riders who want equipment that lasts decades rather than seasons.

Chris King supports this with a lifetime warranty, reinforcing the long‑term value of the hub for riders, wheel builders, and bike shops.

Manufacturing and Quality

The R45D Disc Centrelock Front Hub is engineered, manufactured, and assembled in Portland, Oregon, USA. Tight machining tolerances, precise finishing, and in‑house bearing production ensure exceptional quality control and consistency.

This commitment to domestic manufacturing and premium materials is a key reason Chris King hubs are widely stocked by high‑end Brisbane bike shops and specified in custom wheel builds.

Hub Specifications

Axle width: 100 mm
Axle type: 12 mm thru‑axle
Brake interface: Centrelock
Flange diameter (drive side and non‑drive side): 57.4 mm
Centre to flange distance (drive side): 30.6 mm
Centre to flange distance (non‑drive side): 22.3 mm

These dimensions make the R45D front hub well‑suited to strong, lightweight road wheel builds with wide rim profiles and modern spoke patterns.

Ideal Applications

High‑performance disc brake road bikes
Endurance and long‑distance road builds
Custom wheelsets built by Brisbane wheel builders
Riders upgrading from stock hubs
Cyclists seeking smooth rolling efficiency and precise handling
Premium bicycle servicing and wheel rebuilding in Brisbane

Product Summary

Product: Chris King R45D Disc Centrelock Front Hub
Axle standard: 100 mm x 12 mm thru‑axle
Brake standard: Centrelock
Bearings: Chris King angular‑contact, made in‑house
Serviceability: Fully rebuildable
Warranty: Chris King Lifetime Warranty
Manufacturing: Made in Portland, Oregon, USA