Maintaining / cleaning Campagnolo Ultra Torque Cult bearings

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AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

I picked up a used Super Record crankset on ebay. It's in pretty good condition and appears to only have maybe 1000 miles on the chainrings.

The bearings feel a little bit gritty. They were smeared with thick grease and were a bit contaminated by dirt. I cleaned a lot of it up by just spraying WD40 into the bearing and spinning and wiping. The bearings are spinning better now. I think they will be fine with more cleaning.

Should I remove the bearings to clean them fully or keep spraying some cleaner in them and flushing them out? I do have a bearing puller. I was kind of wondering if pulling the bearings does any damage to them.

by Weenie


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Calnago
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by Calnago

Continue with what you are doing. That is, flush them out with degreaser, completely. If you have a compressor, blowing them out with compressed air will get everything out. If a compressor isn't available, get a can of compressed air used for blowing out computer keyboards as you can pick that up at a hardware store, or probably even a computer store. Once clean, when you blow the compressed air at them in the right direction they will spin like a high speed dental tool and sound like one too. After you are satisfied they are completely clean, put a couple drops of light synthetic oil like Pro Gold on them and you're good to go. Depending on the quality of your bearing puller, you probably could pull them off without damaging them, but you can get them just as clean doing what I outlined above. Plus, if you pull them off, then you need a special press to get them back on. Don't put heavy grease on them. If you do, you won't do any harm (unless by doing so it just attracts a lot of grit which sticks and grinds), but it will certainly defeat any benefit the ceramic bearings might provide otherwise. Just a light oil is all they need, and they don't even really need that.

Interestingly, SRM packs the Cult bearings with grease. Think it's a philosophical decision on their part. But upon receiving a new SRM, I immediately flush all the grease out and just add a couple drops of oil. That's how the Campy Cult bearings are intended to be lubricated.

Don't know how you're able to tell the cranks only have around 1000 miles on them... I sure couldn't. But if the shifting is sound with no skipping, you should be good to go.
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mr4fox
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Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 2:01 pm

by mr4fox

I dont use my campy Super Record cranks so much any more since switching my main bike to di2 a couple years ago but i used to ride them through tons of rain and crap on the west coast of norway which is a really wet place.

I would clean the CULT bearings, still on the cranks, fairly often as Calnago suggests. Id spray degreaser (which i think will be more effective than wd40) in until all the old oil drit and grit was out and i was satisfied they were really clean. Then id rinse them under a tap and let them air dry thoroughly. Then add a few drops of Bones Speed Cream as i had read others recommended on forums...seemed to work well and had really low friction. I must have well over 30000km on those bearing and they are still like new. i think they might actually be indestructible.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bones-Speed-Cre ... B002NEKUW4

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Thanks for the tips. After I posted I gave it a really good blast with WD40 as well as some orange degreaser and then blasted it with the garden hose. That did wonders and they are spinning nicely now. I do have a compressor so I'll try that next to give them a final cleaning.
Last edited by AJS914 on Sat Mar 12, 2016 11:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I was going to mention just rinsing them under the tap would be fine as well. Since I have compressed air I use that and don't have to let them air dry after the tap. Next time I'd just skip the WD40 and use orange degreaser. Although I don't see the harm in using Wd40 if you like, and even using it as the "lube" since it really is a water displacer and protectant anyway. Those bearings can be run dry if you prefer but I just like the idea of at least a drop or two of something in there.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

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wheelsONfire
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Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

I talked to one of the companies making bearings about this. As Cal says, compressed air and then re-grease. That was what i was told.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

east_eight
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Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:07 pm

by east_eight

Remove and replace with some Boca Bearing yellow seals.

Campaign UT bearings are terrible. I don't know what they're like in dry countries but their durability is terrible in the UK.

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Calnago
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by Calnago

OP is talking about Super Record CULT bearings. Completely different and they don't use seals.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

by Weenie


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