Anyone have any input about ceramic bearings? Are they worth it? I can get a pretty good discount on wheel bearings and bottom bracket and am trying to decide if it is worth it to buy them. The current set up I have not doesn’t need replacement, so I would only consider it if it would be a beneficial change.
No.
BB no benefit, hubs and jockey wheels some …
BB no benefit, hubs and jockey wheels some …
Define “some”…
BB no benefit, hubs and jockey wheels some …
Define “some”…
you wont feel it…
if you are a perfectionist or are extrememly competetive, go for it
I have ceramic bearing for my Hollowgram cranks. I cant tell if its smoother than my ultegra because its BB30 or because the ceramic. I would say no they are not worth it. I dont think the difference is appreciable.
BB no benefit, hubs and jockey wheels some …
Define “some”…
you wont feel it…
if you are a perfectionist or are extrememly competetive, go for it
Not only will you not “feel” it, but you’ll have a pretty rough time measuring it as well.
I have ceramic bearing for my Hollowgram cranks. I cant tell if its smoother than my ultegra because its BB30 or because the ceramic. I would say no they are not worth it. I dont think the difference is appreciable.
for the price of that upgrade ide say… not worth it in the end
then again, i am only a cat4 road rider, not a cat 1
BB no benefit, hubs and jockey wheels some …
Define “some”…
Less friction, better rolling! My neighbor upgraded his hubs to ceramic! Went to a road where he usually coasts down with no pedaling and he ended up rolling about 100-150 yards further away. Is it worth the $600 upgrade?
I bet a simple over haul and some light lube would do the same thing.
Why in the world would you ever overhaul or lube bearings? As you have said the quality of bearings on a bicycle don’t matter.
Styrrell
No, that is not what anyone said. A high quality steel ball on a clean race, properly adjusted with proper lube is every bit as good (meaning fast) as ceramics. On Cart systems we used to take the inside seal out of the case, wash out the grease and lube with a light oil (Phil Wood) and the roll down test (the least scientific way to test anything) would always show us that a light lube was faster than a light grease…duh.
So, in this example if you had bearings with a season or two on them and had never been rebuilt - are Ceramics faster? Maybe…but so would a repack with fresh lube and steel balls.
Oh, and lets all just ignore the real functional and intended use of ceramic bearings…
The use of ceramic rolling elements reduces lubricant degradation, significantly increasing bearing life in many applications. Si3N4 can operate at temperatures up to 1800oF, exceeding the best high temperature bearing steels by a factor of two. Centrifugal loading resulting from high speeds is reduced with lightweight rolling elements. Because it is essentially inert, Si3N4 represents a major advance in the effort to improve bearing performance in corrosive environments. And, without sacrificing bearing performance, Si3N4 provides the nonmagnetic properties demanded in some sensitive instrument applications.
For my old-skool Campy Record and first-generation XTR hubs, I’m right there with ya on a good DIY cleaning/overhaul… But for the current style of external/cartridge bearing BBs that are pretty much designed to be disposable rather than user-serviceable, I think the ceramic is a reasonable upgrade. I wouldn’t bother going out and replacing a DA BB that’s still in good shape, but if you’re building from scratch or have to replace a BB anyway for some other reason, then the extra expense (roughly 2X, for the unit I got, a bit over $100) will come out even if it’ll last ~twice as long w/o having to invest in any additional maintenance, and it definitely spins noticeably better on the workstand than the other external-type BB I had. Sure, that difference gets overshadowed by all the other resistance factors when you’re actually riding, but I know it’s still there and I figure it doesn’t hurt any.
The best hubs dont use Cart 
If they did…I wonder why Campy and Shimano both use balls/cones…and I am right there with you on the old school stuff.
Just giving you a bit of a hard time. For myself I don’t think ceramic bearings are “worth” it. But if you ever see me on a Specialized Shiv with a Lightweight disk and electronic DA you can bet it will also have full ceramics all around. (you can also congratulate me on winning the Lotto
The best ceramics are lighter, rounder, harder, and more corrosion resistant than steel bearings. All essential for things like aerospace, but good for bikes, also.
Styrrell
if aero weenie tom a. can’t get excited about the wattage gain of ceramics
im not sure its healthy for anyone to =)
i mean, LOOK at what he did to his aerobars
screw testing give me ceramic or give me death ;0).
screw testing give me ceramic or give me death ;0)
why pay money for something that only savings a 1/100th of a second per 100 miles though?
Bragging rights, look how much my shit costs, son?
The benefits are neg. for biking. The speed at which ceramics outpace steel are extremely high compared to what you get in cycling. Anyone who says ceramics are faster are just pissed they spent that much for bearings that don’t do anything.
But if you have money burning in your wallet…