Ceramic Bearings Vs Steel Bearings Road Cycling Wheels

The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings.

Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings road cycling wheels.

Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. Cracking a race could stop a wheel from turning instantly and no good comes of wheels permanently locking up on a bicycle. Built specifically for road or off road use. You choose your adventure we build the bearings to match.

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. 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. More durable than high quality steel bearings.

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. Gone are the days when ceramic bearings were a technology limited to the pro peloton. The advantages of steel are not the only argument against ceramic bearings. The ceramic balls are often silicon nitride or equivalent.

Steel rings and ceramic balls are the gold standard for bicycle wheel bearings. 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. What technologies will get them the largest gains for their money. The wheels come ready to ride as a tubeless application out of the box with pre installed rim tape and valves and freehub spacers.

Because ceramic races are more brittle than steel. 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. So for safety reasons ceramic wheel bearings on bicycles are in fact almost always hybrid design meaning ceramic balls on steel races. Steel bearings are commodity items that are composed of hardened steel balls and a steel inner and outer race.