There's a glaring misstatement in this video, namely that "ceramic bearings last longer." This myth is precisely the sort of marketing hype that now pervades the cycling industry (along with other goodies like the "power transfer" of a bike frame). The reality is that ceramic bearings-let's be specific, we're talking about Si3N4 (silicon nitride) rolling elements on hardened steel races, aka ceramic hybrid bearings-have drastically less load bearing capacity than conventional all-steel bearings. The advantages of these hybrid bearings are higher speed (at a level irrelevant for cycling), more stiffness (at a level irrelevant for cycling), and less rolling friction. In a high-load, super-low-speed application like a bottom bracket bearing, they will last LESS long than an all steel bearing. Another pervasive myth in the cycling that just won't die is that components like the rear derailleur pulleys rob you of significant power, on the order of 4-10 watts that can be saved with a $$$$ ceramic pulley system. NO, not even close! Not even 0.2 watts vs a Dura-ace jockey wheel set. Consider that fact that a bottom bracket with what most would call unacceptable tightness being spun (on a bike stand) by your finger on a crank only amount to, at most, 0.4 watts. Somehow, company after company is able to cash in massively on the technical illiteracy of cyclists dying to hand over wads of cash for the latest technical fad. Power (hp) = applied_force (lbs) x lever_arm (inches) * RPM / 63025. To convert to watts, multiply hp by 745.7. You can use this simple equation to convince yourself just how silly it is to worry about how freely a crank arm spins (or any component) producing finger pressure levels of drag. And here's another related myth, that the friction from bicycle wheel bearings amounts to something significant. Using the same equation, let's consider a 175 pound rider, with a wheel hub bearing race radius of 0.375 inches, traveling at 25 mph with 700c x 25mm tires. A properly loaded conventional steel ball bearing with seals and grease has a rolling coefficient of friction of, to be generous, 0.003. So how many watts are your steel wheel hub bearings robbing you of-maybe 5, 10, maybe even higher? The answer is 0.74 watts max (total, both wheels). And how much could you save by paying mega $$$$ for shiny new ceramic-hybrid wheel bearings? Drum roll...a stunning 0.30 watts max (total, both wheels). Just step back and look at the big picture of how far this marketing silliness has gone. The highest-end road bikes now sell for upwards of $15,000, all to handle a 1/3 hp external 'motor' to be supplied by the customer (i.e., your legs). Now put one of those next to a high-end Ducati Panigale V4 motorcycle, including a 200 hp engine with combustion temperatures in thousands of degrees at a thousand psi and timing to almost 500 firings per second, 200 mph top speed, 300+ lbs of advanced aerospace-grade materials (incl gobs of carbon fiber, titanium alloys, etc), and a comparatively insane number of (actually) advanced technical components...all for $21,000. If the Ducati were priced like our bicycles, it would cost closer to $21 million. Bottom line, these bicycle manufacturers should be laughing their asses off at our technical ignorance and eagerness to part with cash. China, please save us from this overpriced lunacy.
Dear B. Smith, I would like echo all that you have said and thank you for taking the time to write. The ridiculous talk about Watt savings (from bearing choice) by the many can not be stressed enough. Thank you Mr. Oz cycle for producing at great synopsis on bearings for cyclists. It is a very big subject of course. Let us hope the video will reach a very wide market. I think you stressed the facts and downsides of ceramic and hybrid bearings. Good job. More can be said of course: how bearing fit (too much compression from the bore) is so important - explaining the failures of Press-Fit BBs etc, and maybe talking about the old days when a bike would have numerous oil ports/grease ports (yes, there are some components flying the flag). Then we have to praise Shimano and others for still producing great cup and cone bearing components but then 'sadly' throwing down the drain by forgetting to set the cones to the right tolerance in the factory. There are far too many pseudo-engineers/designers in the bike industry who think their tertiary education means they are qualified. Also they are probably having to compromise heavily and have to throw stuff out the door prematurely often - the disclaimers and lawyers will take care of you so you can sleep at night. If you are young and want succeed in competitive cycling you better learn and practice to be the one of the best mechanics before you can afford to have one and pay for his or her life long experience.
I have during my few hours, seen allot of crazy talk about bearings. And i have to say, i love your comment... I am not a cyclist, i'm more into cars...But... those run on Bearings to, and honestly get Waaaaay more load on them then a petty bicycle... i have not looked into your calculations, and i will not :P but, they sounds pretty much on point... And.... if you, as a casual bike user, wants to keep your steel bearings performing... the key ingredient... is lube... metal on metal is not good... it needs lube... if ever your bearing sounds dry, then it might already be worn out... depending on the amount of sideways slack... the point is, if you are using a bearing for a long time, the grease the manufacturer put in there is only gonna last for so long... and you will either have to add more, or you will have to buy a new bearing... refilling is a fair bit cheaper. A bearing, if sufficiently lubed, will last a very long time. ofc, the metal in the bearing needs to have a good hardness ect. but, in generall it will only really start to wear when the grease runs out... This example, should make most people get at what i'm saying... you would not run your car engine without oil.... And it's the same with bearings... lube em, and they will live for ages, run them dry, and they will grind, and die... Cheers :D
I think you are missing something. TIME. 0.30 watts over TIME. 1 minute vs 5 hours in the saddle. Do that equation. Since you are driving the bike with human power over time, SURELY you work less.
@@Geeios1 For those of us with electrical knowhow, the equation is fairly simple. The 0.30 watts are meant to be real time... Thus over an hour, witch battery/house standards are set as, you would save 0.3 watt hours. over 5 hours 0.3Wh x5, you would save 1,5 watt hours... the cyclists are talking about a fit person being able to generate 200-300 watts on a cycle. But lets be conservative, and say we "normal people" would only generate a 100watts... Over one hour 100w=100 watt hours... 100wh x5 hours=500wh. Thus if you were to generate that over 5 hours, you would save... 1,5 watt hours out of 500 watt hours... not to much gain is it? :P
Fascinating video. Ive been in to cycling and sports my entire life as many of us have. I also have grown up with a family sporting goods shop which just had its 30th anniversary. You're presentation is awesome and very educational and useful for my line of work. Really bolstering things i am very familiar with.
This is a doctorate crash course from bearings, maintenance, bike fitting, rider and bike aerodynamics, health and nutrition, cycling tactics and strategies. Learned alot from you brother thank you so much!
Assuming you meant GCN, for me merely an entertaining infomercial channel advertising most expensive cycling products on the market, frequently just borderline silly. Fun to watch, but you're totally on point stating information on channels like this is more valuable! Cheers!
Friction Facts have released reports about BB bearing materials. The major performance difference between steel and ceramic bearing BB is that the latter commonly packaged with less viscous lub and looser seal. This gives a high performance impression of ceramic bearing. The test reports confirmed that high end steel and ceramic bearings have virtually no difference on rolling under load.
I don't buy bearings from niche home made brands(enduro, Ceramic Speed, and etc), I buy bearings form renowned brands, SKF, NBN and NSK. You are paying for the real quality rather than cheap play on grease and non contact seals.
@@janetguzman1985 Companies like NTN, SKF, NSK, KOYO, are OEMs i.e. Original Equipment manufacturers. They don't make a 'better' product compared to others. They make a product that is in accordance with the specifications, dimensions, and tolerances. Take a 608ZZ for instance. The dimensions are the same for the 608 bearing across all OEMs, so it's unreasonable to argue over which manufacturer is the best, when they're all making the same product to the same degree of exactness. I will say that always get your bearings from a reputable source. I get mine from an industrial bearing supply place and they're ridiculously cheap for a roll of fifteen SKF bearings. Genuine OEM bearings beat shoddy ceramic bearings or even Chinese ones.
Outstanding explanations of how it all works. Nice to see and hear it in clear terminology, based on clear thinking. I'm a retired mechanical engineer, and I fully agree with everything you said. Good job.
You're right on the bearing lubrication. When I was a kid, we used to soak skateboard wheels bearings in solvent to get rid of all grease. Those bearings spun very nicely, but their lifetime was very short as a result.
MasterBata same, I'd put a mix of 3 in 1 mixed with graphite powder. My dad made the mix up and remove the seals. A but messy but I'd oil the bearings every second outing. More noise but they'd last ok. Definitely faster from.memory. harvests in the late 70s mind you.
I Have a c-bear ceramic bb and there is no difference to the Japanese steel bearings that I had before! People spin their cranks on RU-vid without any load and think they’re amazing, but the point is they aren’t under any load. Once under load I cannot sense any difference.
I have done my Masters in Mechanical Engineering and your video taught me more about bearings than I learnt from my Engineering.. Hats off for the details...
Yes other industries use Ceramic bearings... not hybrid Ceramic bearings like the cycling industry! The best and I mean the best bearings you can use in your bike is high quality steel. Hybrid Ceramic is for people who fall for marketing. Hybrid Ceramic give no real world performance benefit and cost more and don't last as Long. Ceramic bearings are not more round than steel, it depends on the quality of the bearing. Chinese Ceramic bearings are as round as bananas, even an average steel bearing is better. Also steel cages are better than the polymer ones as they cause less friction. Also don't bother with Ceramic bearings if you have a carbon bike BB shell, because the shell tolerance is not good enough for the bearings. I run a bike shop and I see the average Ceramic bearings lasting about 3 to 4 months before they destroy themselves. I wish customers would stop buying them and wasting their money. They are just an expensive way to not go faster.
oz cycle I don't think it's controversial? It's fact, they have the data. The poly cages are normally populated by hand and steel are made by Machine so have better tolerances. Check out the video on how bearings are made at NTN or this video for more information 🙂👍🏻 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-o7iZVfSDbiA.html PS. Only some manufacturers (the ones I don't use) Favourite poly cages. I have DT Swiss wheels and praxis BB and all come with steel cages. I think the maybe Chinese Brand’s favour the poly?
Reginald Scot ... I've been using CeramicSpeed and Formula 1 ceramic bearings. BB, the harder I press down on the pedal, the easier it spins, been able to go up hills in the big ring, which I couldn't do before. Downhill, the faster I go, the least resistance they have. Big downhills where I'm going between 45 and 55mph, no one can stay with me, coasting, people pedalling have tried to keep up and can't on rides. Ceramic bearings have been my saviour in keeping up with the younger crowd. I'm 57, 6'3" and 200lbs.
@@happydays8171 placieo is that much effective. anyone heavier than 200lbs will be faster at coasting. Physically from the native design of ball bearings, resistance you would get is about 0.3w. From here, the resistance from the ball is about 0.05w. If anyone can feel that... kudos to you...
Reginald Scot so true. Ceramic on ceramic like overused in RC last because the materials are.the.same. basically ceramics are for non load or minimal load applications
one of the best video. thank you so much for the info.also what brand of ceramic bearing would you chose? and what brand makes a hight quality steel bearing? thanks
I was looking into ceramic bearings for my MTB a couple of days ago. I was on a totally different route, but I ended up with the same conclusion. No ceramic barings for my wheels. It was tempting though. I talked to a bearing dealer in Germany. His advice was to choose the highest possible quality of steel bearings. They last longer, need no maintanance, cost way less and take harder impacts. Thank you for your very good vid.
Yup, ceramic is only good in applications with no vibrations and higher rpm,s. The shock loading on most bikes, especially off road bike would destroy ceramic bearings. Hit a ceramic bearing with a hammer, then a ss bearing . The steel bearing absorbs vibration exponentially better than ceramic.
Thanks for the info, really glad I watched. Always thought the whole ceramic thing was a bit of a scam. But in regards to the jockey wheels, I loved seeing you hold up the Rockbros. I truely cannot believe people are gullible /vain enough to spend $1500 or more to buy you know who Speed.
Something I didn’t hear him mention is spinning a part and watching how long it coasts really tells you nothing. The resistance of the bearing must be measured with the intended load applied before there is any meaningful data.
Wow - what a video - thanks 1. I found this video while searching about updates to the next Mars mission(!) 2. It explains why all of my bikes as a youngster eventually wore out :)
clort123 I like your attitude! That's why I love beach sand. It provides lots of resistance but with ultra low impact. Still remember cycling is not going to the gym. We enjoy accomplishing other objectives with cycling such as speed, duration, competition, scenery, etc. It has to be fun! Plus with things fitting well and less resistance you can go further.
At 14:37, talking about removing inside seal the reduce friction. When one riding, would the friction cause heat, heat then cause the grease to goes thinner, having both seals would help retain the grease?
Ceramic bearings are used on spools for bait casting reels that can reach rpms up to 30,000 rpms. I’ve converted some of my reels already. My mtb has ceramics in the shifter cogs. Liberty makes some pretty good synthetic oils. I’m waiting for a set right now. And English website “ Pimp my reel” upgrades the bearings on request. The anglers can throw weights almost 300 yards. You can order from China 🇨🇳 for cheap.
I can see that on high rpm applications, but bike wheels turn between 200 and 300 rpm . I doubt very much that even a pro rider in a blind test would tell the difference in almost any bearings in the wheels that are properly set up and tuned.
Man, you really know what's up! Great, no, fantastic information here. You really put alot of details and work in to videos for sure! I thank you, this has helped me personally in many ways. Only thing is now my OCD has kicked in, hope I can relax about the fiction, bearing information, and a thousand things more...And some say, yeah go and enjoy your ride... uffff, now I will be thinking of so many more things than just enjoying a long ride and getting some training in... Still thx for all of it!
Awesome presentation. I learn so much from watching them. With the oversize jockey wheels I have been looking at the Ridea range. Apart from Ceramic Speed, Ridea has so far been the only company to provide individual stats for the products they offer, rather than the generic spiel.
Hello Mr. Oz. Again, another great video. I will need to watch it several times in order to understand it very well (technical terms and language). I loved it and thanks again for your videos and your friendliness. Regards from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Francisco Alonso Colom
Both ceramic knives and bearings (I think) are overrated. My opinion is that the inherent malleability and elasticity of steel makes it last longer and more forgiving. I know Ford stopped using them in their diesel turbos because they turned to powder (yikes!!!)...that pretty much convince me to not even consider them for anything. I'm not convinced there is ANY advantage to using ceramic bearings for any application. Just like those stupid ceramic knives....Cheers, and thanks!
Why do people insist on efficiency when riding a machine that's the wrong way around physiologically? A recumbent will harvest a lot more performance out of the human engine.
Great Video. Thank you for the informative content that has made complicated engineering information simplified for non-technical bicycle enthusiasts like us. Hope you could cover more components i.e. bicycle frame, wheels (spoke numbers), and if possible, all the parts of a bicycle, including maintenance. Your presentation style is so professional and comprehensible! Thank you!
I have a tcr with slr-1 wheels (rebranded DT swiss 360/370 hubs) slow rolling out of the box. Want better climbing. Would any bearing upgrade make a difference. Or should I get a new wheel set? Or just train harder😅
I feel like ceramic wouldn’t deform.. it would shatter..not at all likely in most situations.. steel may.. (again haven’t seen it) but I doubt it would
Ceramic bearings have saved my life! They're the greatest. So too, anything "aero". "Aero" is The Bomb! But of course, carbon. Dear MADE IN CHINA carbon with 100% MADE IN CHINA "gruppo" and components. I got my hands on some top secret, hush, hush Russian osmium-trilium grease and it has made all the difference. It's so slippery that my BB and wheels can't stop spinning, Seriously. I am so in the New Age bikie NOW..... Spin..........
I like your reviews - always informative. I query your comments about lubricating sealed bearings. In my experience, sealed bearings are just that - sealed, and they can't be re lubricated. Shimano bottom brackets are specifically marked - 'Do not disassemble'
I see your view Richard. However, "sealed" bearings are not entirely sealed if water and debris can get into them,which is all too common with bicycles. Hence the need to either replace or clean and relube them.
The ceramic bearings scam again.Ceramic bearings in the industry are only used for light situations, no load what so ever.It is another way to spend money again and again. And talking about bearings , why noone covers the actual specs of bearings? if you want the best possible smoothness you have to opt for grade 3 or 5 and abec 7 . I wonder why this detail is covered only in skaters videos and no bicycle videos. Also, bearing lubrication should never exceed 25%, even in a mountain bike. 25% is more than enough to keep the dirt and water out of the bearing while not creating the skidding effect.
Ok article - some very good engineering tests are on youtube comparing ceramic speed bearings v steel bearings - notes from the test I saw conducted by an engineer under full load testing - ceramic bearings are a complete waste of money for bike applications - they WILL wear out quicker as the hard ceramic ball will wear out the steel facing quicker - DO NOT under any circumstances buy the cheap chinese ceramic bearings or units - you will go backwards in every way and possibly end up with a ceased bearing - the engineers final advice backed up by very clear engineering tests and data is to buy NTN or NSK steel bearing units - the performance is the same as the so called top end ultra expensive Ceramicspeed units - they will last significantly longer as well
By the time ceramics start to get loose due to abrased away truck, steels would already be dented beyond use. I think its not very smart to demand inifinite lifespan from ceramics. Thus in a dust-free environiment with low pressure load, low rotation speed and periodic lubing, steel will outlast ceramics by very high margin. However there is no such environiment outside. Added pressure will dent the balls, higher rotation speed will heat them up and deform increasing dents, rain will rost them, dust will abrase them. I am thinking of simply replacing the races of ceramics from cheap bearings as donors each 5K km.
"high tolerance"? Do you know what tolerance is? High tolerance is bad, it means the part has a lot of dimensional variability. I think you mean LOW tolerance.
Dude you forgot the compressing strength of Ceramic Bearings is a lot greater than steel bearing, even greater than the strongest steel call 52100 chrome steel, as ping pong ball got the least and weakest compressing strength of all. If compressing strength is high is unlikely to go flat or deform, dude you got 0 knowledge about Ceramic Bearing, go and do more research before making a video like this, there are peoples using it for their motorcycle and bicycle and there is no problem, and really get the speed gain from Ceramic Bearing
There is another misleading comment here. Steel and ceramic balls can be as round and as ball to ball uniform. This is not dependent on the material but the ball grade and bearing ABMA/ISO class. Nothing to do with material
I bought cheap jockey wheels with ceramic bearings (because i need replacement anyway, so nothing to loose) And "chinese" cheap ceramic wheels was in same price like standard metal "branded" I replacd bottom plastic wheel with steel balls 11T for alloy/ceramic balls 12T, and upper wheel plastic/steel - 11T for alloy/steel 11T as well Just apply a bit of wax based lube just enough for cover balls... Result is beyond my expectations - chain run more freely and quiter. Shifting is better as well... Just one thing - i ordered 3 "chinese" wheels (keep it for spares) and every one is slightly diferent in feel (tolerance). So bear it in mind... But running smooth so far (500miles done at MTB bike in dirty/muddy/dusty enviroment). Just cleaned and regrease it after this distance (still first one is on)
Best coverage of bearings i must admit, would need to be a dedicated rider to take it all in, still, like everything there is a use by date, even me. Might take up swimming.
Another EXCELLENT video on bearings. I have had great experiences with HSC bearings. Resonable pricing but really good performance. Best rolling hubs I've ever had were campy wheels with ceramic balls added and some nice grease. Never noticed any difference when I put ceramic bearings in my old BB30 bottom bracket - supported by this video.
Hambini says the friction of a ceramic speed goes worse that steel-bearings after few hundred to thousand kilometers. From that point on the steel-bearings still have almost their initial low friction while the ceramic-speed wears off (ball) and increases friction constantly, at 5000km an Ceramic is 3 times higher friction than a steel-balled one. So its a lie... ceramic isnt more durable and it isnt less friction, exactly the opposite is true: It endures into high friction quickly. Its just expensive crap not worth it-.
Great Video!!!! Thanks so much. According to everything you said, why shimano still uses cups and cones on their parts (as far as I know even in Dura-ace and Ultegra)? Does not make any sense!!!
Great info, especially when comparing other ways of reducing watts. One thing you didn't mention at 22:50 (your body) is removing the spare tire. Seriously, the number of lycra clad weight weenies I see that are carrying 10-20kg of extra weight is ridiculous. Perhaps once you're only 5kg overweight people can start worrying about getting more and more efficiency in other ways. Now, a lot who read this will be trim taught and terrific, but a lot will also be trying to spend money more than work off weight. If you're overweight - don't worry about anything until you're weight is under control. THEN spend the big bucks on a highly efficient bike.
Rider weight has a massing bearing on wattage losses. The heavier the rider to more effort is requited to propel the rider also the heavier the rider to more load is placed on the wheel bearings and tyres resulting in increased rolling resistance and lost watts. The heavier the rider the more the surface area and losses through wind resistance.
Very true, I cleaned all the grease from my pedals as I noticed how stif they appeared and applied some light oil as an experiment. The pedal spun much more freely afterwards. I did replaced the grease with much lighter grease before use. It just means I have replace the grease more often, it’s only a 5 minute job once a year. I have BBinfinite bottom brackets, maybe it’s the placebo effect but I’m sure its much easier to pedal. Plus using your waxed chain. I cant ride faster i just feel like i get upto speed faster.
This is why I switched to MG chemicals White Thin Lithium grease. It’s great on firearms sliding metal parts but it’s even better on bike hubs with loose bearings. Since I can’t stand sealed bearings I started using this lithium grease for packing my road bike hubs and also the Older caged bearing bike bottom bracket. It’s a cheaper bike but it is just super quiet, unlike the more expensive bikes sounding very noisy drive trains.
