I decided to test the capabilities of ceramicspeed enduro a cheap ebay bear.
Do ceramic wheel bearing make a difference.
I then removed the steel ball bearings and replaced with the ceramic hybrid ball bearings.
It is required to prevent bearing seizure when it warms up and expands.
Ive ridden many sets with different branded ceramics ceramicspeed endure cheap chinese some others that i forget the name of and none have felt noticeably better than the standard steels.
Quite a few wheel manufacturers state that the use of aftermarket bearings in their wheels voids the warranty.
Such a design incorporates steel races like those used on typical steel ball bearings but they feature balls made of varying forms of ceramic material.
The only real big noticeable difference between the two is the bearing clearance.
Ceramic bearings versus steel bearings the debate has gone on for a long time.
Riders using ceramic bearings can also expect a smoother riding experience.
For bottom bracket applications the maximum sustained rpm may be 130 explains lew.
This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball.
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.
Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings.
Be sure while installing the new bearings that you do not forget the hub ball bearing spacer pic 5.
On ceramic bearings this is usually a c3 clearance whilst on steel it s usually cn.
Ceramic bearings just don t make a noticable difference in wheels.
The amperage the drill used while turning the rear wheel with the steel ball bearings was 1 52 amps pic.
The advantages of steel are not the only argument against ceramic bearings.
As it pertains to the automotive industry the most common form of ceramic bearings are what s known as a hybrid bearing.
The bearing clearance is a measurement given to the small gap between the inner race outer race and balls.