diff --git a/lib/bcoin/chain.js b/lib/bcoin/chain.js
index 7b24049e..14ce5ae3 100644
--- a/lib/bcoin/chain.js
+++ b/lib/bcoin/chain.js
@@ -197,49 +197,44 @@ Chain.prototype._open = function open(callback) {
     if (err)
       return callback(err);
 
-    self.preload(function(err) {
+    self.db.getTip(function(err, tip) {
       if (err)
         return callback(err);
 
-      self.db.getTip(function(err, tip) {
+      assert(tip);
+
+      self.tip = tip;
+      self.height = tip.height;
+
+      if (tip.height > self.bestHeight) {
+        self.bestHeight = tip.height;
+        self.network.updateHeight(tip.height);
+      }
+
+      self.logger.memory();
+
+      self.getDeploymentState(function(err, state) {
         if (err)
           return callback(err);
 
-        assert(tip);
+        self.state = state;
 
-        self.tip = tip;
-        self.height = tip.height;
+        if (state.hasCSV())
+          self.logger.info('CSV is active.');
 
-        if (tip.height > self.bestHeight) {
-          self.bestHeight = tip.height;
-          self.network.updateHeight(tip.height);
-        }
+        if (state.hasWitness())
+          self.logger.info('Segwit is active.');
 
         self.logger.memory();
 
-        self.getDeploymentState(function(err, state) {
-          if (err)
-            return callback(err);
+        self.emit('tip', tip);
 
-          self.state = state;
+        if (!self.synced && self.isFull()) {
+          self.synced = true;
+          self.emit('full');
+        }
 
-          if (state.hasCSV())
-            self.logger.info('CSV is active.');
-
-          if (state.hasWitness())
-            self.logger.info('Segwit is active.');
-
-          self.logger.memory();
-
-          self.emit('tip', tip);
-
-          if (!self.synced && self.isFull()) {
-            self.synced = true;
-            self.emit('full');
-          }
-
-          callback();
-        });
+        callback();
       });
     });
   });
@@ -265,156 +260,6 @@ Chain.prototype._lock = function _lock(func, args, force) {
   return this.locker.lock(func, args, force);
 };
 
-/**
- * Stream headers from electrum.org for quickly
- * preloading the chain. Electrum.org stores
- * headers in the standard block header format,
- * but they do not store chainwork, so we have
- * to calculate it ourselves.
- * @private
- * @param {Function} callback
- */
-
-Chain.prototype.preload = function preload(callback) {
-  var self = this;
-  var url = 'https://headers.electrum.org/blockchain_headers';
-  var request = require('./http/request');
-  var locker = new bcoin.locker();
-  var flushed = 0;
-  var chunks, size, height, stream, ended;
-
-  if (!this.options.preload)
-    return callback();
-
-  if (!this.options.spv)
-    return callback();
-
-  if (this.network.type !== 'main')
-    return callback();
-
-  this.logger.info('Loading %s.', url);
-
-  function save(entry, header) {
-    var unlock = locker.lock(save, [entry]);
-    if (!unlock)
-      return;
-
-    self.db.save(entry, header, null, true, function(err) {
-      if (err) {
-        stream.destroy();
-        locker.destroy();
-        return callback(err);
-      }
-
-      if ((++flushed % 50000) === 0)
-        self.logger.info('Flushed %d headers to DB.', flushed);
-
-      if (locker.jobs.length === 0 && ended)
-        return callback();
-
-      unlock();
-    });
-  }
-
-  this.db.getChainHeight(function(err, chainHeight) {
-    if (err)
-      return callback(err);
-
-    stream = request({ method: 'GET', uri: url });
-    height = 0;
-    chunks = [];
-    size = 0;
-
-    stream.on('response', function(res) {
-      var height = Math.floor(+res.headers['content-length'] / 80);
-      if (res.statusCode >= 400) {
-        stream.destroy();
-        return callback(new Error('Bad response code: ' + res.statusCode));
-      }
-      if (chainHeight > height - 30000) {
-        self.logger.info('Preload height is %d. Skipping.', height);
-        stream.destroy();
-        return callback();
-      }
-    });
-
-    stream.on('error', function(err) {
-      stream.destroy();
-      return callback(err);
-    });
-
-    stream.on('data', function(data) {
-      var blocks = [];
-      var need = 80 - size;
-      var i, lastEntry, block, entry;
-
-      while (data.length >= need) {
-        chunks.push(data.slice(0, need));
-        blocks.push(Buffer.concat(chunks));
-        chunks.length = 0;
-        data = data.slice(need);
-        need = 80;
-      }
-
-      if (data.length > 0) {
-        assert(data.length < 80);
-        chunks.push(data);
-        size += data.length;
-      }
-
-      for (i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++) {
-        block = blocks[i];
-
-        try {
-          block = bcoin.headers.fromAbbr(block);
-        } catch (e) {
-          stream.destroy();
-          return callback(e);
-        }
-
-        block.setHeight(height);
-
-        // Make sure the genesis block is correct.
-        if (block.height === 0 && !self.isGenesis(block)) {
-          stream.destroy();
-          return callback(new Error('Bad genesis block.'));
-        }
-
-        // Do some paranoid checks.
-        if (lastEntry && block.prevBlock !== lastEntry.hash) {
-          stream.destroy();
-          return callback(new Error('Corrupt headers.'));
-        }
-
-        // Verify the block headers. We don't want to
-        // trust an external centralized source completely.
-        if (!block.verify()) {
-          stream.destroy();
-          return callback(new Error('Bad headers.'));
-        }
-
-        // Create a chain entry.
-        entry = bcoin.chainentry.fromBlock(self, block, lastEntry);
-
-        if (entry.height > chainHeight)
-          save(entry, block);
-
-        if ((height + 1) % 50000 === 0)
-          self.logger.info('Received %d headers.', height + 1);
-
-        lastEntry = entry;
-        height++;
-      }
-    });
-
-    stream.on('end', function() {
-      ended = true;
-      if (!locker.busy && locker.jobs.length === 0)
-        return callback();
-    });
-  });
-};
-
 /**
  * Perform all necessary contextual verification on a block.
  * @private
diff --git a/lib/bcoin/spvnode.js b/lib/bcoin/spvnode.js
index 340e7985..fdbc10a9 100644
--- a/lib/bcoin/spvnode.js
+++ b/lib/bcoin/spvnode.js
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ function SPVNode(options) {
     db: this.db,
     location: this.location('spvchain'),
     witness: this.network.witness,
-    preload: this.options.preload,
     useCheckpoints: this.options.useCheckpoints,
     spv: true
   });
@@ -220,24 +219,6 @@ SPVNode.prototype._open = function open(callback) {
         next();
       });
     },
-    function(next) {
-      if (!self.chain.options.preload)
-        return next();
-
-      // If we preloaded, we want to reset
-      // the chain to our last height.
-      self.walletdb.getLastTime(function(err, ts, height) {
-        if (err)
-          return next(err);
-
-        if (height === -1)
-          return next();
-
-        self.logger.info('Rewinding chain to height %s.', height);
-
-        self.chain.reset(height, next);
-      });
-    },
     function(next) {
       if (!self.http)
         return next();