Do Ceramic Wheel Bearing Make A Difference

The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings.

Do ceramic wheel bearing make a difference. As it pertains to the automotive industry the most common form of ceramic bearings are what s known as a hybrid bearing. On ceramic bearings this is usually a c3 clearance whilst on steel it s usually cn. Riders using ceramic bearings can also expect a smoother riding experience. Ceramic bearings just don t make a noticable difference in wheels.

Leading industry wheel dynamics expert and ceo of edco wheels paul lew backs this up and reckons it makes ceramic bearings a poor choice for hubs and headsets also adding that they offer no weight savings and are only beneficial in environments where high rpm revolutions per minute are required. For bottom bracket applications the maximum sustained rpm may be 130 explains lew. I then removed the steel ball bearings and replaced with the ceramic hybrid ball bearings. I decided to test the capabilities of ceramicspeed enduro a cheap ebay bear.

It is required to prevent bearing seizure when it warms up and expands. If a cyclist has ridden a bike fitted with ceramic bearings and then returns to steel bearings it is likely that slightly more vibration will become noticeable. Quite a few wheel manufacturers state that the use of aftermarket bearings in their wheels voids the warranty. The bearing clearance is a measurement given to the small gap between the inner race outer race and balls.

The only real big noticeable difference between the two is the bearing clearance. Ive ridden many sets with different branded ceramics ceramicspeed endure cheap chinese some others that i forget the name of and none have felt noticeably better than the standard steels. Be sure while installing the new bearings that you do not forget the hub ball bearing spacer pic 5. Fitting ceramic bearings will make the bike feel like it is rolling smoother.

The advantages of steel are not the only argument against ceramic bearings. Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball.