Ceramic Bike Wheel Bearings Vs Steel

Steel rings and ceramic balls are the gold standard for bicycle wheel bearings.

Ceramic bike wheel bearings vs steel.

You choose your adventure we build the bearings to match. Quite a few wheel manufacturers state that the use of aftermarket bearings in their wheels voids the warranty. 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. This impact leaves a very small dent or pit in the steel race.

Initially the enduro bearing has lower friction at around 600km of use the ceramic bearing has worn a track into the comparatively soft steel races and the bearing friction starts to increase dramatically. Cracking a race could stop a wheel from turning instantly and no good comes of wheels permanently locking up on a bicycle. When a bike with ceramic bearings goes over a bump the ball bearing which is harder than the steel race that contains it strikes the inner surface of the race. The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings.

Because ceramic races are more brittle than steel. This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball. The graph below shows a comparison between two steel bearings skf and ntn and a ceramic bearing enduro. 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.

So for safety reasons ceramic wheel bearings on bicycles are in fact almost always hybrid design meaning ceramic balls on steel races. 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.