Ceramic Bicycle Wheel Bearings

Crafting the fastest bearing products for cycling and industry since 2004.

Ceramic bicycle wheel bearings.

After all since there are no chance for parts to oxidize there is also no need for grease. So for safety reasons ceramic wheel bearings on bicycles are in fact almost always hybrid design meaning ceramic balls on steel races. I take apart the hub clean all the parts install new ball bearings repack the races wit. Fitting ceramic bearings on your bike may be a bit like fitting a formula one gearbox in your ford fiesta and expecting it to perform as well after 100 000 miles.

Full ceramic wheel bearings would be an amazing way to reduce friction in hubs. The silicon nitride used in kogel ceramic bearing balls has a set of material properties making them perfect for bicycle wheel bearings. I show how to overhaul a cup and cone hub on a rear bicycle wheel. In most bearings the grease is the main source of friction.

Because ceramic races are more brittle than steel. Hand built in denmark. Essenc bike cycle bearing press set for wheel hub bearing installation tooling softail frame turning point bearing hub tool. Cracking a race could stop a wheel from turning instantly and no good comes of wheels permanently locking up on a bicycle.

Additionally silicon nitride does not deform under load keeping contact points with the bearing races to a minimum. For bottom bracket applications the maximum sustained rpm may be 130 explains lew. Leading industry wheel dynamics expert and ceo of edco wheels paul lew backs this up and reckons it makes ceramic bearings a poor choice for hubs and headsets also adding that they offer no weight savings and are only beneficial in environments where high rpm revolutions per minute are required.