Ceramic Bottom Bracket

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muntos
Posts: 247
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Location: Romania

by muntos

Does a ceramic BB worth the investment ? I have a Scott Foil with BB86 PressFit (Shimano Ultegra BB I think, anyway the one shipped with the frame) and I noticed that the cranks doesn't spin as smooth as my friend's bike BB.
So, I have some questions:
1) Does a Ceramic BB that will make the cranks run smoother make a difference in terms of performance (Watts gained) ?
2) What buget ceramic BB for BB86 (under 150 Euro/USD) ? I've found from Rotor, FSA and Stronglight but I don't know anything about how good the bearings from these manufactures are.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

What reduces bearing friction are the seals and grease, not the materials of the balls. To reduce friction to a minimal level you can take an inexpensive steel sealed bearing and remove the seals and replace the grease with a low viscosity oil. Or as a compromise get a sealed bearing with a non-contact seal. The common ceramic bearings that you see on videos most likely have non-contact seals and low viscosity type grease for reduced friction. The ceramic balls themselves don’t reduce friction.


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AJS914
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by AJS914

It's not worth it. You will pay a lot of money to save a watt or two.

muntos
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Location: Romania

by muntos

Thanks for the info, in this case I will stick with something from Shimano.

nemeseri
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by nemeseri

muntos wrote:
Tue Mar 20, 2018 6:02 pm
I noticed that the cranks doesn't spin as smooth as my friend's bike BB.
Because yours still have some bearing grease in them.
There is some difference in BB bearing performance under load, but it's probably something you shouldn't worry about. If you feel that your BB is slowing you, I'm 98% sure it's only in your head.

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slake21
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by slake21

I've bought C-Bear BB because my Shimano was creaking. Got it because it's aluminium and the ceramic bearing is just a plus.

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swright
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by swright

This article (https://university.trisports.com/2016/1 ... end-a-lot/) from TriSportsLounge (dated January 2018) includes the following summary of savings per component with ceramic bearings:

* Derailleur Pulleys: 0.5-2.0 watts
* Wheel Hubs: 0.5-1.0 watts
* Bottom Brackets: 0.03-0.5 watts

Looks like bang-for-the-buck is definitely not in BBs. I'm unclear whther the wheel hubs savings is per hub or for both hubs combined (I would guess that's per hub).

The author also quite sensibly note that the realized savings depend heavily on what you start with -- replacing your Shimano 105 BB with ceramic bearings will realize a bigger savings than swapping your Dura-Ace BB for CeramicSpeed.

I have seen pulleys from from Kogel, CeramicSpeed, C-Bear, Digirit and Tacx -- what are folks experiences and recommendations on upgrade ceramic-bearing pulley wheels?

Scott
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FlatlandClimber
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by FlatlandClimber

Just received a BSA for DUB BB by CS. Wondering why it doesn't come with a sleeve? Isn't it needed? The cables go directly through there and I dont really like the spinning axle and the cables to ever interfere.
Standard DUB sleeve doesn't fit.
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alanyu
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by alanyu

swright wrote:
Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:58 pm
The author also quite sensibly note that the realized savings depend heavily on what you start with -- replacing your Shimano 105 BB with ceramic bearings will realize a bigger savings than swapping your Dura-Ace BB for CeramicSpeed.

Scott
This is questionable and I personally disagree. 105 BB uses standard size balls, while Dura Ace BB uses sub-sized balls, which are even smaller than those in 6706, and that counts for the weight of DA BB. Smaller bearing usually has higher friction + the material is the same and both are G25 standard. 105 and DA BBs both are overloaded with grease, which counts most of the friction.

Noro
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by Noro

FlatlandClimber wrote:
Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:59 pm
Just received a BSA for DUB BB by CS. Wondering why it doesn't come with a sleeve? Isn't it needed? The cables go directly through there and I dont really like the spinning axle and the cables to ever interfere.
Standard DUB sleeve doesn't fit.
Correct, they don't come with the sleeve. I've installed mine in my Aethos BSA DUB without the sleeve and I have no issues (other that I was missing the dust covers and had to order the dust covers kit from them)

anzi
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2019 10:11 am

by anzi

alanyu wrote:
Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:00 pm
swright wrote:
Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:58 pm
The author also quite sensibly note that the realized savings depend heavily on what you start with -- replacing your Shimano 105 BB with ceramic bearings will realize a bigger savings than swapping your Dura-Ace BB for CeramicSpeed.

Scott
This is questionable and I personally disagree. 105 BB uses standard size balls, while Dura Ace BB uses sub-sized balls, which are even smaller than those in 6706, and that counts for the weight of DA BB. Smaller bearing usually has higher friction + the material is the same and both are G25 standard. 105 and DA BBs both are overloaded with grease, which counts most of the friction.
Is it possible or easy enough to open the seals on a Dura-Ace bb? They have a fair amount of friction, would be at least a nice placebo to get them spinning a bit more freely.

alanyu
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by alanyu

anzi wrote:
Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:06 pm

Is it possible or easy enough to open the seals on a Dura-Ace bb? They have a fair amount of friction, would be at least a nice placebo to get them spinning a bit more freely.
Yes, it's very easy to open the seal and remount.

wolflikeme
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Location: USA

by wolflikeme

I would agree with everything above, BB is not a cost effective way to generate watt savings and that ceramic makes little sense for bicycles. That being said, I've recently been riding on a CS BB for the first time and I can say that it feels noticeably smoother. I am not saying that this means I am saving watts or going faster, only that subjectively the ride quality of my bike has improved. Despite this, for the price I would not recommend CS.

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Nickldn
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by Nickldn

wolflikeme wrote:
Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:09 pm
I would agree with everything above, BB is not a cost effective way to generate watt savings and that ceramic makes little sense for bicycles. That being said, I've recently been riding on a CS BB for the first time and I can say that it feels noticeably smoother. I am not saying that this means I am saving watts or going faster, only that subjectively the ride quality of my bike has improved. Despite this, for the price I would not recommend CS.
I got a CS BB last season and can confirm it feels smoother than a 'normal' BB. Same with wheel bearings, Camy CULT bearings spin more smoothly than wheels with steel bearings.

Does it make ceramic bearings any more efficient? Probably not, but they sure feel nice. :)

One thing I would say about CS bearings is they need to be re-greased every 1,000 miles of normal use. Steel bearings under normal use are greased for their operating life. Not sure that will mean CS bearings last longer if they are well maintained, but I hope so.
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Noctiluxx
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by Noctiluxx

I have Ceramic Speed and Kogel ceramic BB's on all my bikes. My girlfriends Liv Langma with a $20 Ultegra BB spins better than any of my bikes 😔
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