Ceramic Bearings Vs Steel Bearings Road Cycling Wheels

As more and more of the cycling masses look to advanced technology formerly seen in use only by the pros the question arises of where the hard earned money of the average cyclist should be spent.

Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings road cycling wheels.

A ceramic bearing is also harder than steel bearings up to 30 which improves durability and they also don t rust so less maintenance should be. Ceramic bearings are used in industrial machines because they spin at 25 000rpm and there are significant advantages but a bike wheel only spins at say 300rpm so the differences compared to. Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. What technologies will get them the largest gains for their money.

The advantages of steel are not the only argument against ceramic bearings. Geometrically the contact points inner and outer dimensions and thickness between steel and ceramic bearings is the same so they are interchangeable. Cracking a race could stop a wheel from turning instantly and no good comes of wheels permanently locking up on a bicycle. Because ceramic bearings are rounder with a smoother surface and more uniform size friction is reduced and that can contribute to a less energy required to turn the cranks or spin the wheels.

Quite a few wheel manufacturers state that the use of aftermarket bearings in their wheels voids the warranty. The wheels come ready to ride as a tubeless application out of the box with pre installed rim tape and valves and freehub spacers. The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings. You choose your adventure we build the bearings to match.

Steel rings and ceramic balls are the gold standard for bicycle wheel bearings. The hubs can be optioned with ceramic kogel bearings on request. This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball. So for safety reasons ceramic wheel bearings on bicycles are in fact almost always hybrid design meaning ceramic balls on steel races.

Gone are the days when ceramic bearings were a technology limited to the pro peloton. The folks at enduro bearings argue that for bicycles the materials are far more important than abec ratings and that for most applications abec 3 and 5 are appropriate for all things bicycle. The ceramic balls are often silicon nitride or equivalent. Because ceramic races are more brittle than steel.