new bearings Novatec hubs

indyp

Novatec FS522SB and AS511SB welcome some advice on what bearings to replace originals which have worn. Don't mind pay extra if there's a difference in alternative so worth it.

ugo.santalucia

I'v never noticed a correlation between price and quality... Enduro for instance seem to be particularly bad, probably because their tolerance is slightly different from the others... they are also priced at a premium

Do you know the size you need?

bobones

indyp said:

Novatec FS522SB and AS511SB welcome some advice on what bearings to replace originals which have worn. Don't mind pay extra if there's a difference in alternative so worth it.

Front needs 2 x 699 (9x20x6)
Rear hub shell needs 1 x 6802 (15x24x5) + 1 x 15267 (15x26x7)
Rear freehub body needs 2 x 15267

There are a lot of counterfeit and dodgy bearings around, but Simply Bearings is a reputable online bearing seller.

Cheap / counterfeit bearings will have low tolerances and may not fit as well or last a long as higher quality bearings.

15267 is a non-standard size so choice seems to be limited at SB to Enduro @ £7.95 + VAT

There's a wide choice for 6802 with SKF being the most expensive @ £12.82 + VAT

You can get major brand (high quality) 699 bearings for SB for £2.54 + VAT

Wiggle sell bearings and freehubs for their Prime R010 hubs which are these exact Novatec hubs rebadged. From the images, the bearings appear to be made by NSK which is a high quality brand and they're around £8 a pair so this is a decent option. You can also buy the whole freehub for £25 (- your discount).

bobones

Just to correct myself: those Wiggle bearings have NBK on the seals, not NSK. NBK is a Taiwanese bearing manufacturer and not a top tier brand like NTN, NSK, SKF or FAG/INA. YMMV.

david37

ugo.santalucia said:

I'v never noticed a correlation between price and quality... Enduro for instance seem to be particularly bad, probably because their tolerance is slightly different from the others... they are also priced at a premium

Do you know the size you need?

Ive come to the conclusion that Enduro are actually pants for their price. NTN seem to be very good in my experience although they are pricey.

The Rookie

bobones said:

Cheap / counterfeit bearings will have low tolerances and may not fit as well or last a long as higher quality bearings.

I think you meant cheap ones have big tolerances!

As for 'enduro' bearings, they mean whatever the seller has them mean, its not a 'standard'.

bobones

The Rookie said:

I think you meant cheap ones have big tolerances!

As for 'enduro' bearings, they mean whatever the seller has them mean, its not a 'standard'.

Yes, you're right: high tolerance meaning not as exacting standards.

"Enduro" is a bike bearing brand so it's valid to pass comment on their quality.

The problem is that 15267 is not a standard industrial bearing size, and they're not made by NTN, SKF or the other top tier brands, so we're limited to bearings for cycling specifically, and it looks to me as though Enduro are the probably the best available in that size, unless someone knows better?

indyp

Thanks for all the help. Choosing which to buy from the many on offer is bit of a minefield.In the meantime removed the rear ones to have a look and surprised to find NDS didn't want to spin in the hand so carefully removed seals and they were dry do greased and now fine. DS spun ok in hand but did same then reassembled. Straight forward to do so happy to know how easy it'll be with new ones to go in. Removing seals was much easier than I anticipated and no damage in the slightest. Laid rest the stories Ive read to leave alone and now confident when comes to check them over in future