Ceramic Bearing Vs Steel Cycling

This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball.

Ceramic bearing vs steel cycling.

Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. Is this the first time it s happened or is this a reoccurring problem. The influx of ceramic bearing development into the bike industry sparked needed focus on reducing rolling friction in bearings. Ceramic bearings are in actual fact hybrid.

They use ceramic balls and usually a steel inner and outer race. Next there is the lubricant. Lubricants vary greatly in viscosity thickness finding varying points in a trade off between bearing protection and lower friction. I have around 8k miles on one set and over twice that on the other.

However the reality of why some bearing designs are faster than others doesn t always align with what is presented. Ceramic bearings are often represented as the ultimate way to minimize rolling friction on your bike. The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings. This article to try to assist with this fun little area.

Ceramic vs steel bearing bb for durability. I albeit lighter at 160 lbs use standard bearing in both my rain and training bike and haven t had any problems. Internal bearing construction ceramic bearings are not 100 ceramic. On the one hand much of the cycling public associates bearing upgrades with going ceramic and on the other hand there is a healthy chunk of cyclists from all demographics who believe ceramic bearings are just marketing hype and a waste of money.

The ceramic balls are often silicon nitride or equivalent.