Ceramic Bearings Vs Steel Bearings Bicycle 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 bicycle wheels.

Built specifically for road or off road use. 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. A tiny percentage reduction in friction here can equate to a worthwhile power saving but when you re only turning at 300 rpm as you do on a bicycle a small percentage increase in efficiency will make a negligible change to your power output. More durable than high quality steel 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. Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. Because ceramic races are more brittle than steel. The advantages of steel are not the only argument against ceramic bearings.

Steel bearings are commodity items that are composed of hardened steel balls and a steel inner and outer race. 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. You choose your adventure we build the bearings to match. The ceramic balls are often silicon nitride or equivalent.

How to get the best performance from ceramic bearings ceramic speed. They ceramic bearings do run with less friction which offers a significant advantage in industrial applications running at 20 000 rpm. Steel rings and ceramic balls are the gold standard for bicycle wheel bearings. Cracking a race could stop a wheel from turning instantly and no good comes of wheels permanently locking up on a bicycle.

Quite a few wheel manufacturers state that the use of aftermarket bearings in their wheels voids the warranty. This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball.