Ceramic Bearings
El Zomba
Posts: 164
After giving the bike a post-ride clean yesterday, I noticed there is a bit of play in my rear wheel when secured; my guess is the bearings in the hub are on their way out. I've had a look around and have seen that Superstar are selling ceramic bearings pretty cheap. I've got two questions:
1) Are there any advantages to ceramic bearings over steel (longevity, durability, etc.)?
2) Does anyone have an idea what quantity they come in? While the idea of buying a single ball bearing isn't entirely without mirth, it wouldn't exactly be useful.
1) Are there any advantages to ceramic bearings over steel (longevity, durability, etc.)?
2) Does anyone have an idea what quantity they come in? While the idea of buying a single ball bearing isn't entirely without mirth, it wouldn't exactly be useful.
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Comments
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The prices there are per bearing, so the loose balls are £1.08 each.
They are much harder than steel, the idea being that whilst a steel bearing will get mashed up over time a ceramic one is harder than the debris in the race, so will keep running smoothly, whilst needing less/no grease and thus running more smoothly and freely.
In reality... hybrid ceramics still have steel races, so often don't really last any longer. They're also the heavy part, so there's no weight saving. As with steel bearings there are varying qualities too.
I had a Superstar Ceramic BB, it was alright, didn't really last any longer than a Shimano one. I've considered them for hubs and things many times over the years but never actually bothered in the end!0 -
Hmmmmm, best part of £24 for bearings... Yeah, but nah. Not when I can get Steel for a fraction of that price and no real difference to performance. Thanks Njee; you're a gentleman and a scholar.0
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I've got ceramic bearings in my KCNC jockey wheels and they have been brilliant and soooo much better than the original SRAM bearings. However, don't know how much of this is due to the ceramic bearing or better design of bearing protection. The fact that they still run smoothly after a year and don't rust or seize up like the original SRAM ones did, but be due to the ceramic bearing to some extent.
I've never yet tried ceramic bearings anywhere else on my bike yet, even though I've now replaced all except the headset, due to the cost.0 -
My SRAM Black Box Ceramic ones seized. Just pants. Mt Zoom with ceramic bearings have been perfect though.0
