Affordable Ceramic Wheel Bearings
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Purchased a set of Roval CL32 which has the Roval hubs and DT Swiss 350 internals. Any recommendations on inexpeeinvce ceraamic bearing upgrades?
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There are lot of cheap ceramic bearings in the market!
An excellent steel bearing (like the Campy USB bearings for example) is however much better than an average ceramic bearing.
A high end ceramic bearing (like CeramicSpeed) may be better than those but then they are quite expensive and the advantage is not really noticeable on the road.
I can't tell the difference between my Bora One (USB) and my Bora Ultra (CULT) on the road.
Spend the $$$ only CeramicSpeed etc...or save the money and "invest" it somewhere else.
An excellent steel bearing (like the Campy USB bearings for example) is however much better than an average ceramic bearing.
A high end ceramic bearing (like CeramicSpeed) may be better than those but then they are quite expensive and the advantage is not really noticeable on the road.
I can't tell the difference between my Bora One (USB) and my Bora Ultra (CULT) on the road.
Spend the $$$ only CeramicSpeed etc...or save the money and "invest" it somewhere else.
Last edited by TonyM on Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
They sponsor among others the US team Aquablue
http://www.cyclingceramic.fr/en
http://www.cyclingceramic.fr/en
I've spent so much time testing affordable ceramic bearings. I was convinced that here in China something must be ok.
Problem is that ceramic bearings have on average more play than average steel. Your wheels and whole bike will start to clunk and rattle when you move it around. Annoying as hell.
Seals on affordable ceramic bearings are usually garbage. Either they are open and you'll quickly make the bearings gritty and harsh, or they too tight/bent and spin worse than steel bearings.
It comes down to precision and hardness. The steel bearings for like 1-2usd perform better than affordable ceramic bearings 10-times the price. They work longer, they keep contaminants out.
Here is the kicker. If you want a smooth spinning bearing just add a few drops of thin oil inside a steel bearing and you have the same friction as a ceramic bearing. (Problem is the oil will over time leak out, so you'll need to service again like in a month or something).
After spending ages and lots of money on bearings I will always use steel unless it's a big bb30 bearing. There it's ok to run hybrid ceramic. Benefit is minimal though.
I like SKF 2RS bearings the most so far. Tried NSK/Enduro/NTI/NTN
/a
Problem is that ceramic bearings have on average more play than average steel. Your wheels and whole bike will start to clunk and rattle when you move it around. Annoying as hell.
Seals on affordable ceramic bearings are usually garbage. Either they are open and you'll quickly make the bearings gritty and harsh, or they too tight/bent and spin worse than steel bearings.
It comes down to precision and hardness. The steel bearings for like 1-2usd perform better than affordable ceramic bearings 10-times the price. They work longer, they keep contaminants out.
Here is the kicker. If you want a smooth spinning bearing just add a few drops of thin oil inside a steel bearing and you have the same friction as a ceramic bearing. (Problem is the oil will over time leak out, so you'll need to service again like in a month or something).
After spending ages and lots of money on bearings I will always use steel unless it's a big bb30 bearing. There it's ok to run hybrid ceramic. Benefit is minimal though.
I like SKF 2RS bearings the most so far. Tried NSK/Enduro/NTI/NTN
/a
Most hybrid ceramic bearing will only be better than a good steel bearing for a few hundred kilometres as the ceramic balls quickly wear a groove into the steel races which increases the friction massively. Get some of the NTN low friction swap bearings. As they are they'll last forever and be just as quick as the cheap ceramic crap. If you want faster just pull the seals off strip them with degreaser and run them with a dribble of mineral oil
i bought ACER ceramic bearings on the cheap off their site, and as far as i can tell, the wheels spin pretty well
that and they were cheaper than the equivalent steel bearings at the time
ive probably done close to 1k miles on them, and so far no issues, but 95% of my rides are dry and flat
that and they were cheaper than the equivalent steel bearings at the time
ive probably done close to 1k miles on them, and so far no issues, but 95% of my rides are dry and flat
http://road.cc/content/feature/175644-c ... s-and-cons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7iZVfSDbiA
Sealing and grease define how easy a bearing spins - the balls are the last few percent and only if they are new.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7iZVfSDbiA
Sealing and grease define how easy a bearing spins - the balls are the last few percent and only if they are new.
Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓ Broad Selection ✓ Worldwide Delivery ✓
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