Ceramic Vs Steel Bearings Cycling

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

Ceramic vs steel bearings cycling.

The influx of ceramic bearing development into the bike industry sparked needed focus on reducing rolling friction in bearings. 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 required. Most sealed ceramic bearings are actually hybrid ceramic bearings which combine a steel race with ceramic ball bearings. In our higher end cult bearings ceramic balls and races lighter lubrication is needed so they roll much quicker with less drag than standard steel bearings.

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. Ceramic bearings are often represented as the ultimate way to minimize rolling friction on your bike. Steel bearings are commodity items that are composed of hardened steel balls and a steel inner and outer race. However the reality of why some bearing designs are faster than others doesn t always align with what is presented.

Hybrid ceramic vs steel bearings. The only real big noticeable difference between the two is the bearing clearance. Ceramic bicycle bearings in all our products at kogel bearings we believe ceramic bearings set the gold standard for your bicycle bottom bracket derailleur pulleys and wheel bearings. Get the newsletter click here if you want to subscripe to the latest news from ceramicspeed.

Geometrically the contact points inner and outer dimensions and thickness between steel and ceramic bearings is the same so they are interchangeable. This article to try to assist with this fun little area. The silicon nitride used to make ceramic bearings combines a set of material properties that makes it perfect for bicycle bearings. Ceramicspeed has been one of the leading manufacturers of high performance bearings for the cycling industry since 2000.

Every single bearing is hand built in denmark under laminar flow clean room conditions learn more keep up. Next there is the lubricant. Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings ceramic materials offer superior corrosion and heat resistance higher dimensional stability and lower density which facilitates high speed. Lubricants vary greatly in viscosity thickness finding varying points in a trade off between bearing protection and lower friction.

Most cycling bearings feature a steel race though some do use a ceramic race which we will briefly touch on later.