Campag Chorus 11 Ultra Torque Crank Bearings

Lobbydosser

I need to replace my bearings and on checking on-line prices there is a massive difference in price between the standard ultra torque bearings at £30 and the record/chorus 11 bearings at £80.

Does anyone know what the difference is between the bearings and could you use the cheaper one.

Cheers

wheelie-bin

The cheaper ones will be the ones which were on your cranks when they were installed (correct me if I'm wrong) so the cheaper ones will be fine. They were on Halfords website at 20 quid a few weeks back.

ugo.santalucia

It is standard vs hybrid ceramic bearings... a bit of literature about them on my blog

http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... s-bearings

rolf_f

For less than the price difference between the bearings, you can get the tools to extract and replace them yourself. I did this and stuck with the standard bearings on the basis that having bought the tools, I want to make as much use of them as I can!

I'm sure I paid less than £20 for my bearings.

ugo.santalucia

I just sold my UT chainset to MigMat and I have gone back to square taper... so pleased... I still have all the Campagnolo toolage... probably keeping them...

cycleclinic

U-t bearings are 6805 6mmm wide not 7mm wide so you have to use campag's bearings. the stadard steel bearings are not £30 i shold know i run a shop.

I agree with ugo square taper makes me smile.

Lobbydosser

thecycleclinic wrote:

U-t bearings are 6805 6mmm wide not 7mm wide so you have to use campag's bearings. the stadard steel bearings are not £30 i shold know i run a shop.

I agree with ugo square taper makes me smile.

Wiggle are selling Campagnolo UT bearings for £20 which are apparently compatible for all UT cranks.

Thanks for your replies.

galatzo

Don't last at all imo these bearings.
Every time my bike goes in to Mercian they tell me the bearings are done for.
May try an alternative brand next time but Mercian say it's just the design, too small or something.

cycleclinic

I sell them for the same money too I wonder how I came up with that price.

To be fair all external BB designs have the same issues.

ugo.santalucia

Galatzo wrote:

Don't last at all imo these bearings.
Every time my bike goes in to Mercian they tell me the bearings are done for.
May try an alternative brand next time but Mercian say it's just the design, too small or something.

too small and too exposed... Mercian are correct

Lobbydosser

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Galatzo wrote:

Don't last at all imo these bearings.
Every time my bike goes in to Mercian they tell me the bearings are done for.
May try an alternative brand next time but Mercian say it's just the design, too small or something.

too small and too exposed... Mercian are correct

Any suggestions as an alternative would be appreciated


Cheers.

ugo.santalucia

Lobbydosser wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Galatzo wrote:

Don't last at all imo these bearings.
Every time my bike goes in to Mercian they tell me the bearings are done for.
May try an alternative brand next time but Mercian say it's just the design, too small or something.

too small and too exposed... Mercian are correct

Any suggestions as an alternative would be appreciated


Cheers.

I have got rid of it and got myself an old fashioned square taper chain set... Stronglight still make them

cycleclinic

so do sugino and the there are nis stock.

ugo.santalucia

There is the general perception that you need to match your chainset to the groupset, which is bolxxks... you can use pretty much any chainset with any groupset.. you can mix/match Shimano with Campagnolo and other manufacturers... chainsets seem to be the only part of the drivetrain unphased by the obsession for proprietary components.

I advise against the use of any external bearings system, like Hollowtech 2 and Ultra/Power Torque. If you have a press fit frame, you have no choice but using the silly external bearings and change them frequently, but traditional bottom brackets for screw on cups can take older cartridge type bottom brackets.
Typically a Shimano/Stronglight/Tange cartridge BB costs 10 pounds and lasts several years... against Shimano and Campagnolo especially, which cost more than twice for the basic models and last less than one year on average. Half of the people on bikes I see on the road have some form of bottom bracket noise.