I am looking for steel BB30 bearings and saw Phil wood sells one about $30 each bearing.
They told me it is not recommended to open the seal and regrease, just replace the bearing when it is time. We will see though.

Anyway, has anyone have feedback about the ABEC 10 stuff they sell.

I liked ceramic but I will have more miles on this bike so looking for good quality steel bearings. I have narrowed it down to the enduro brand ABEC5 or the Phil Wood.

(I know the ABEC grade only goes to 9.. ) just wanted to see has anyone used the ABEC 10(tm) stuff they have.

I used Phil wood Abec 10 bearings in my FRM hub. Seemed awesome at first but only lasted <1500 miles.

_________________
TIME RXR

That sucks, did you open it up and look at the cause of failure?

No but you could feel the grinding in the bearings while holding the race. I still have them on the workbench I believe. Maybe I will pop the seal and take a peak.

_________________
TIME RXR

Quite simply, "BB30 bearings" are just industrial standard '6806' bearings. You can go into just about any decent bearings stockist and get them. Depending on grade, brand and mark-up from location to location. Its like US$20 for the pair.

You won't be able to really tell the difference between an ABEC 3 or ABEC 7, let alone ABEC 10 if the bearing is of good quality and also installed correctly as you're simply not spinning it at high enough a speed. (We're talking at least 2~3000 rpm range here.) But perhaps you may want stainless steel ones which cost a fair bit more for the ease of maintenance.

The perceived 'smoothness' most feel is often just a matter of the 'smoother' bearing using a lighter seal. And quite often, the 'smoother' is simply not preloaded as it should be by design.

If you've ever installed those huge 50mm bore roller bearings onto shafts bearing loads of say at least 2~300kg of static weight. You'll notice that when held as it is uninstalled, those bearings can barely be turned by hand without using a fair bit of effort. However, once properly installed and loaded, they will roll buttery smooth with nary a touch! Those are what I consider 'properly designed and manufactured' bearings. They perform at their optimum under their designed loads.

I heard more negatives about enduro than I have success stories, but the opposite for Phil Wood. This thread is the first I've heard a negative story about and Phil Wood bearing.
Fairwheel sell HSC ceramic bearings (and I can help you out). Best value for money in the ceramic bearing market.

ABEC rating means nothing for smoothness or durability in bikes. Anything from ABEC3 or above has had some care in its construction, but materials, INTERNAL tolerances and surface finishes, grease and seals are FAR more important than ABEC.

If you are looking for steel bearings for BB30, just about any good brand 6806 bearing will do. Typically "Japanese" brand bearings are pretty good, SKF tends to be a bit industrial grade but still good, and the Swiss and Germans love their precision bearings!

_________________
signature deleted by the Admin.

Had the same experience with enduro. My s-works frame comes with enduro zero ceramic. Had never ridden the bike on wet and the drive side bearing was already busted around 500 kms.
Replace it with industrial grade SKF steel bearings instead. Doesn't spin as freely because of its rubber seal. But definitely has better protection from dirt and water. Hoping that this one will be more durable.

Yeah, I always read about problems with Enduro Zeros.

I am going to give their bearings a try. (1 year warranty) If I get 4000 miles out of it that would be ok.
Their spec is full contact seal and 100% fill wouldn't it be a bit draggy that way?

Hi,



Not sure what they mean by "full contact" seal, contact with what exactly?
100% fill, i.e. filled with grease to the nook, is the last thing you'd want. 60% is more than ample.

Ciao,

_________________
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

I received the bearings and they seem good quality.

Just spinning the races by hand they are easier to spin than the Enduro 5s. It was similar resistance to a ceramic.
It could just be the grease used so it doesn't really mean anything. But I would be a little upset if it didn't feel any different than the stiff and cheap bearing