Anyone know of high quality bearing upgrades for Hed Jet wheels? Something like an ABEC 7 ceramic would be nice.
Anyone know of high quality bearing upgrades for Hed Jet wheels? Something like an ABEC 7 ceramic would be nice.
I would not use an ABEC 7 bearing. The hub shell tolerances on HED’s hubs are not high enough to match up well with a bearing that precise. ABEC 5 or even 3 and NOT ceramic would be my choice. You need to have very high tolerances to take advantage of tighter bearing tolerances. Putting very high tolerance bearings in a lower tolerance hub will cause more drag because there is not the play in the bearings that there needs to be.
Hi Rappstar, would this be the same for a new hed Flamme Rouge Disc? I was planning on upgrading the bearings to the enduro zero ceramic bearings? Would this be a bad idea? Slower than stock bearings?
I appreciate your advice or suggestions!
Thanks
I would run these bearings: ABEC 3 with grade 10. Still good Enduro quality, but IN MY OPINION a better match - http://www.endurobearings.com/bicycle/tech/abec-3_tech.html
Thanks for the quick reply!
Good luck with the recovery and return to racing.
Cheers
Aside from potentially spending money on something that doesn’t have a definite benefit, is there a specific reason you suggest NOT using ceramic bearings? In other words, is there something about ceramic bearings that would be a detriment to performance?
Anyone know of high quality bearing upgrades for Hed Jet wheels? Something like an ABEC 7 ceramic would be nice.
I would not use an ABEC 7 bearing. The hub shell tolerances on HED’s hubs are not high enough to match up well with a bearing that precise. ABEC 5 or even 3 and NOT ceramic would be my choice. You need to have very high tolerances to take advantage of tighter bearing tolerances. Putting very high tolerance bearings in a lower tolerance hub will cause more drag because there is not the play in the bearings that there needs to be.
And - not knowing the specifics of the stock Hed Jet bearings, would your suggested option actually be an upgrade? I bought my Jets in late 2008 FYI - 1st gen C2.
HED says they use ABEC5 bearings on their, but I can’t tell if that is across the board. I’d simply call HED and ask.
Yes, there is a reason NOT to use ceramics. The harder ceramic balls - if hub tolerance is poor - can (and will) damage the races in a lower ABEC rated bearing if there is a lot of play. That’s part of why you not only can - but also should - get a higher ABEC rating with ceramic bearings. But if the load is not applied evenly to the bearing, the harder balls can actually damage the races.
They specify ABEC 5 for the Flamme Rouge wheels but don’t say for the standard Jet wheels. I’ll drop an email and see what I can get out of them.
It’s been my experience that ‘harder balls’ are actually far more detrimental to my saddle…
ABEC ratings are a marketing crutch. An ABEC bearing rating describes the overall quality of a hub system like the term “size 56” describes the fit of a bike.
**The harder ceramic balls - if hub tolerance is poor - can (and will) damage the races in a lower ABEC rated bearing if there is a lot of play. **
If there is a “lot of play” the bearings aren’t even ABEC 1. The rating isn’t just about the balls. It also describes the tolerances of the inner and outer races and shaft diameter. If you’re talking about how the bearing is mounted in a hub, then you’re not talking about bearings.
If anyone really wants to learn about bearings go to www.mcmaster.com (McMaster-Carr) and enter “ball bearings” and “60355KAC” in the search box.
**The harder ceramic balls - if hub tolerance is poor - can (and will) damage the races in a lower ABEC rated bearing if there is a lot of play. **
If there is a “lot of play” the bearings aren’t even ABEC 1. The rating isn’t just about the balls. It also describes the tolerances of the inner and outer races and shaft diameter. If you’re talking about how the bearing is mounted in a hub, then you’re not talking about bearings.
If anyone really wants to learn about bearings go to www.mcmaster.com (McMaster-Carr) and enter “ball bearings” and “60355KAC” in the search box.
How a bearing is mounted in a hub affects - to some extent - what ABEC spec you ought to use. ABEC spec is only a marketing crutch if it’s used that way. A higher ABEC rating is not inherently better. That was my point from the very beginning when the OP asked about upgrading his bearings. If the hub shell’s tolerances are not very high, a higher ABEC rated bearing is going to make the system worse, because there is less and less play as the ABEC rating gets higher. Than CAN be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. I was attempting to explain things in a relatively simple way. A lot of people don’t want to learn about bearings. They just want some simple advice that gives a reasonable explanation. That is what I was attempting to provide.
I’m confused. Aren’t the bearings “cartridge type” with appropriate races pre-packaged with the higher tolerance bearings?
I thought the whole assembly was then press fit in the hub. Or are you talking about loose ball bearings?
That’s what I assumed…everything was a sealed unit that gets pressed into the hub body. I figured a high quality unit would have appropriate tolerances in the races and seasl to compliment the actual balls. That’s not to say you don’t have to look out for shitty quality products marketed as something high quality.
I’m confused. Aren’t the bearings “cartridge type” with appropriate races pre-packaged with the higher tolerance bearings?
I thought the whole assembly was then press fit in the hub. Or are you talking about loose ball bearings?
Just curious to see what you dont like about the bearings? Are they wearing out?
In my opinion, you can save a lot of money buy not getting ceramic. They are a lot of money for very, if any gain
Nothing in particular I don’t like - but always looking for something better. I was considering the Flamme Rouge version of my current wheels (90/disc) but it seems there is little to no benefit to the extra cost. I just figured maybe I could invest in an upgraded bearing for what I already have. Sounds like the general consensus is that isn’t worth anything either.
I’m confused. Aren’t the bearings “cartridge type” with appropriate races pre-packaged with the higher tolerance bearings?
I thought the whole assembly was then press fit in the hub. Or are you talking about loose ball bearings?
Yes, I’m talking about the tolerances of the HUB shell. Imagine the bearing ended up inside the hubshell at a 0.0000001deg angle instead of 0.00000000deg (just made those numbers up for the purpose of an example). With a tighter tolerance ABEC bearing, the balls can’t adjust in the race to take the now off-center load which leads to damage in the bearing over time. Does that make sense?
Ok. Got it. Thanks.