Chris King MTN30 AL: High-Performance Mountain Wheels Made in the USA

Chris King established their carbon wheels as mainstays in the high-performance wheel market. Now, they are introducing the MTN30 AL. It is an alloy mountain wheel that rivals the performance of its carbon forebear. This new wheel offers increased durability and a dramatically lower price point.  

Built around King’s legendary hubs, the MTN30 AL wheelset continues the company’s legacy of reliability, serviceability, and responsible manufacturing. It still provides unmatched ride quality reminiscent of King’s carbon wheel offerings. 

The MTN30 AL boasts an optimized 30mm internal width, the modern standard for mountain wheels. It features a precision-sleeved construction and a pronounced rim bead that improves sidewall protection. The rim and decals have a subtle matte finish, letting the hub color set the tone for the bike’s aesthetics. All MTN30 AL wheels have a 32-hole spoke count and a hookless bead for compatibility with today’s tubeless tires. 

 “In preparing to design these wheels, we spoke with shops and riders about what they wanted in an aluminum mountain wheel, and we learned that ride quality and durability were the most important features,” says King’s Wheel Product Manager Greg Hudson. “We know how to make durable bike products, so that didn’t seem like it would be a problem. However, it took a lot of comparative ride testing in the field and impact testing in the lab to create a wheel that both meets our durability standards and delivers the premium ride quality we were after.” 

“We’ve been so happy with our MTN30 carbon wheels, that we tried to bring as many of those design cues to these alloy wheels as possible,” Hudson continues. “They’re highly responsive and give the rider the right amount of trail feedback. We really hit that sweet spot between muted and too harsh. The ride feels very smooth but also connected to the terrain.” 

The MTN30 AL is designed for trail and aggressive all-mountain riding. As with all King products, it is designed and manufactured in the US, and comes in 29”, 27.5” and “mullet” mixed set configurations. 

MTN30 AL wheelsets will be built in-house at the King factory in Oregon. They will use Sapim Race spokes and King Boost Centerlock, Boost 6-Bolt, or Superboost hubs. Chris King MTN30 AL wheels are available from all King authorized retailers as well as the company’s own webstore: chrisking.com. Rims come with a 2-year limited warranty against defects, a Lifetime Crash Replacement Program for the original owner, and hubs come with their usual King Lifetime Warranty. Rim weights are 595g for 29”, and 565g for 27.5”. $1250 MAP 

Chris King also adds Centerlock rings

Chris King Precision Components® previously used Shimano branded lockrings with their industry best R45D and Boost Centerlock hubs. Now, they have added their own lockring to their product line for 2025. The King lockring is aluminum and features a steel crush washer. It has a classic King lasermark that matches their headsets and rims.

“King components stand out because we get all the little details right,” said King Sales Director Greg Hudson, “Standard lockrings have clumsy threads, and they come loose too easily. We precision threaded ours, so they hold tight. We also gave extra attention to the knurling that grabs the rotor on the backside. There’s a lot of engineering in this one little component.”

The King Centerlock Lockring requires an external bottom-bracket tool for installation, the same tool as the ThreadFit™ 24 bottom bracket. It comes in 11 colors. This includes all the colors in the current King product assortment. There is also a Two-Tone Black Gold option for legacy bikes.

“We expect many riders will want these to complement their hub colors,” Hudson continued, “or use them as contrast for headset and bottom bracket. It’s another way for riders to tie their bikes together with color. But we put a lot of energy into this design. It looks great, and it’s functionally better.”

King’s new lockrings weigh 9 grams each and retail for $25. They’re available individually from authorized King retailers and at chrisking.com.