Zipp Z3 & Z4 wheels use these bearings in their hubs at zipp.com. These are ISO 6001 hybrid ceramic bearings (12mmx28mmx8mm) that can be bought for around $25-35.00 each at most bearing supply companies, maybe cheaper if you really look. The same bearings go in HED 3 as well. I found that different companies state the the bearings run 30% to 50% faster. Anyone one have experience with the Z4 in comparison to the Zipp 404 or a ceramic engineering degree to help with this topic.
Bottom line if you spend 100.00 on bearings are you really gaining anything?
This was previously discussed and the take home message I got was that ceramic bearings have little relevance to a ‘low speed, low load’ application like a bicycle hub:
No what i’m asking is what the difference between 404’s and Z4. Is it just the bearings, if so these bearings are available to anyone. I can switch the out the standard 6001 brearings out for for a set of ceramic bearings in 5 minutes.
According to the latest World Cycling Productions catalogue you can upgrade your Zipp 303/404 to ceramic bearings for ONLY $1100. Must be something amiss here.
We have seen a couple custom wheels with these bearings and they did seem to spin much more freely than normal bearings when you spun them in your hand. It is tough for me to say how that woud translate to rolling/bearing resistance under load.