# Ceramic Bearings for MTB?



## Cutbert (Jul 26, 2010)

Anyone have input on whether or not ceramic bearings are good or bad for mountain bikes? used in very high end road bikes, but can they take the impact and jarring we would run them through in our suspension pivots, bottom brackets, headsets and hubs? They are so much lighter than steel and less resistant to wear, need less lubricant and have a much higher heat threshold. but again, can they take the impact and shock we would put them through?


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## alexrex20 (Dec 20, 2005)

yes


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## Robin v Berkel (Aug 19, 2008)

yes 

i got ceramic bearings in my BB and in my Dt-swiss 190 and after 2 years thy stil oke


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## Kwik (Aug 7, 2007)

I had both Cannondale ceramic BB en across ceramic BB, they both didn't last long. When your crank hits rocks or things like that, they won't last long. Steel bearings can handle this impact better.


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## quax (Feb 21, 2009)




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## fastback67 (Apr 6, 2010)

Kwik said:


> I had both Cannondale ceramic BB en across ceramic BB, they both didn't last long. When your crank hits rocks or things like that, they won't last long. Steel bearings can handle this impact better.


 agree. i had bad experiences with ceramic-hybrid-bearings at high stressed parts like rear hub and bb.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

Some guys like to spend money in ceramic bearings and swear they roll faster when in reality it's just the seals that are "looser" therefore having less friction. Ceramic-hybrid bearings offer no real world advantage at all other than saving minimal weight.
German magazines showed a 0,xx watt saving overall (that's 10 bearings combined!! - 6 in the hubs, 2 in the BB and 2 in the pulleys) when compared to standard steel bearings but as mentioned that's just because of the reduced friction of the looser fitting seals.

Ceramic balls will "eat" faster into the steel races of the bearings regardless if those are coated with Ti-Nitrite or not. Sooner or later the ceramic balls will eat into the races and the bearings are destroyed if they are even living that long as water and dirt is more likely to get in as the seals are usually weaker on those type of bearings.

Shown below a set of Amclassic steel bearings and the same set of hybrid-bearings...that must be fun to spend 200$ to find out you save 2g and have less durability

On the other hand the ceramic-hybrid version of BBs for the Lightning carbon cranks is 10g less. Still - durability is said to be less than that of the steel version.


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## MessagefromTate (Jul 12, 2007)

I have used the FSA K Force light crankset (with the ceramic bb) and it has lasted for three years. I used to go through three or four Shimano XTR bb's a year when I ran that crankset. Now if only FSA could solve the loosening threaded pedal insert issues on that crank, I'm on my third arm.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

MessagefromTate said:


> I have used the FSA K Force light crankset (with the ceramic bb) and it has lasted for three years. I used to go through three or four Shimano XTR bb's a year when I ran that crankset. Now if only FSA could solve the loosening threaded pedal insert issues on that crank, I'm on my third arm.


well - i on the other hand got to know from FSA ditributor that people go through those bearings like mad...it seems you were a lucky man then.


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## fastback67 (Apr 6, 2010)

nino said:


> Some guys like to spend money in ceramic bearings and swear they roll faster when in reality it's just the seals that are "looser" therefore having less friction.


thats right. i told it many times to a friend, but he nevertheless makes full ceramics in his 240s and at the second stage of an stage race the bearings in his freehub body cracks and he damaged with ongoing the race first, the axle as well :madman:

it's better to buy high quality steel bearings.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

About the only place where the bearings make a difference really is in VERY high RPM applications... like oh, turbine shafts... or hell even skateboard (especially longboards) and inline skate bearings. I can't think of any other application you'd enjoy the benefits of reduced friction at many thousands of RPM. A hundred RPM in a bicycle hub really makes no difference.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Sorry guys I run The Boco yellow seal hybrid in my wheels, I get two years out of them at least, steel bearings I wear out in 6 months...

I use the Enduro Hybrid in my BB I get about a 1 year out of them and only about 6 months out of the shimano ones...

So hybirds are great...

Yeah I ride lots of rocky trails, and don't hesitate to cross a river etc.


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## Hardtailforever (Feb 11, 2004)

I think it depends greatly on the manufacture of the cartridge. The bearing technology, on the whole, is great. Reduced friction, slightly reduced weight, and the bearings themselves are fully capable of taking severe impact loads when manufactured and installed correctly.

People run into problems when ceramics designed to maximise the benifits of reduced rolling friction are fitted with low-friction, less effective seals to further reduce friction. In these cases, it's not the load or impact but rather the introduction of more grime that kills the steel bearing races- the ceramic ball bearings themselves are very durable.

Just as not all steel cartridge bearings are well designed and manufactured, so too is that the case with ceramic cartridge bearings. So if you decide to go ceramic, just make sure that they are well sealed, fully lubricated and installed properly and professionally.


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## Andrea138 (Mar 25, 2009)

I've had a SRAM blackbox ceramic BB on my MTB for 2 seasons now, and I can't kill the damn thing. It seized up once after a horribly wet/muddy/sandy race, and as a last resort, I cleaned it out and sprayed WD40 into it. After a few minutes and a little work, it started to spin like it did when it was brand new. Still using it, still going strong!


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## pernfilman (May 24, 2007)

I have been using ceramics in various locations on my road and mountain bike for two seasons now, not a single problem with wear or maintenance.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

jeffscott said:


> Sorry guys I run The Boco yellow seal hybrid in my wheels, I get two years out of them at least, steel bearings I wear out in 6 months...
> 
> I use the Enduro Hybrid in my BB I get about a 1 year out of them and only about 6 months out of the shimano ones...
> 
> So hybirds are great...


I think what you're seeing is the result of higher quality bearings, not necessarily ceramic bearings. For example, Shimano uses very cheap bearings in their bottom brackets, so any higher quality bearing is going to last longer. The really test would be switching out your ceramic bearings with high quality steel bearings, and then seeing which one lasts longer.


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## yellowbook (Aug 21, 2005)

I got ceramic bearings in my BB. So far so good, we'll see....


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## gergroy (Aug 3, 2010)

has anyone tried putting loose ceramic balls in cup and cone style hubs? i'm curious about that...


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

A popular upgrade for the racers who are Shimano sponsored.


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## 210Mojo (Dec 2, 2009)

Where to buy high quality bearings, ceramic or steal? Can I install them into a CK BB, HS?


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## crazy8 (Apr 21, 2009)

http://www.procyclingdiscount.com/, has Tiramic ceramic bearings that fit both BB and HS.
I've uesed them for yrs and they are a quality bearing.


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