ceramic bearing upgrades

I don't know about enhanced performance, but I had ceramic bearing pulleys put on my rain bike because they don't squeak when they get wet and they won't wear out really fast like the metal ones.

vio765 said:

ive done some searching around on ceramic bearings and found articles and publications that are pro and con. i am considering upgrading my bike to ceramic bearings. this upgrade includes hubs, BB, pedals, and pulleys. im guessing this upgrade should save between 5-10W. what i am looking for is real-world riding (not researching) from anyone who has experience riding on ceramic bearings.

They aren't going to get you to Cat 1 / 2 any faster, Vio (ref. your other thread). Training and racing will get you there, not upgraded equipment.

I just put in a Token Ceramic BB and I don't feel any power difference compared to my regular Token Strontium BB.

EoinC said:

They aren't going to get you to Cat 1 / 2 any faster, Vio (ref. your other thread). Training and racing will get you there, not upgraded equipment.

By this I mean, if your bearings are shagged, go ahead and replace them with the best you can afford. If they aren't shagged, then you are riding with the same technology as 99% (assumption) of the rest of the riders, including the Cat 1 / 2 that you aspire to.

I aggree with the guys above, unless you are at the pointy end of what your body can do you should keep the good quality bearings in your gear.

I sell ceramic balls on ebay for campy and shimano hubs, and you can tell the difference. A few extra kw here and there help but an extra 100 from you legs will help more! Ungrading all the bearings on your bike would be expensive (spec if you're not riding campy/shimano and hence can't buy from me!)

If the bearings on your bike are showing increased friction, or are no good to begin with, then spend the money. The two points of highest loss are you hubs and bb, I'm not convinced you gain much from pullies (high speed but very low load). Better getting good chain lube and replacing a worn one I think.

I am replacing my DT wheels with Neutrons, how much for a set of ceramics? Out of curiousity, if I get them, it'll be a very long time.

vio765 said:

ive done some searching around on ceramic bearings and found articles and publications that are pro and con. i am considering upgrading my bike to ceramic bearings. this upgrade includes hubs, BB, pedals, and pulleys. im guessing this upgrade should save between 5-10W. what i am looking for is real-world riding (not researching) from anyone who has experience riding on ceramic bearings.

Psychology can spell 5-10w difference. If you're riding stronger when you installed the ceramic bearings then they work. I know a guy who always change to new bike cork ribbons prior to a race because he feels better and thus ride stronger.

EoinC said:

They aren't going to get you to Cat 1 / 2 any faster, Vio (ref. your other thread). Training and racing will get you there, not upgraded equipment.

i am fully committed to training hard to reach the goals i have set for myself. however, if technology allows me to reach those goals a little faster and i can afford that technology, then i will employ that technology. a vast majority of people aggree that training, recovery, and proper nutrition are the ONLY ways to gain results. i am one of those people. however, ceramic bearings, nor any other technology short of genetically engineering pure cyclists will replace good training.

vio765 said:

...im guessing this upgrade should save between 5-10W...

5W - 10W? Huh, the figure that I've seen referenced to ceramic bearings is more like 4W. I find this claim interesting because at 300W the margin of error for an SRM Pro would be +/- 6W; for a PT +/- 4.5W.

dkrenik said:

5W - 10W? Huh, the figure that I've seen referenced to ceramic bearings is more like 4W. I find this claim interesting because at 300W the margin of error for an SRM Pro would be +/- 6W; for a PT +/- 4.5W.

i believe that changing out hub bearings or BB bearing alone would not save much power. 4W at the most. however, if the hubs, BB, pedals, and pulleys were all swapped out with ceramic bearings, then 5-10W might be possible. also, my pedaling style tends to be that of a "spinner". cruising at 95rpm's is no problem for me. i can TT at 100 rpm, but usually it is between 95-100. so if the drivetrain spins faster, this may contribute to power savings.

10 wats because of bearings? Thats some silver bullet bro. That for real?

Hey guys you seem to forget that saving a bit of weight on your bike makes about as much difference as ceramic bearings do. But weight only helps up hill!! We all like light bikes so why not fast bearings??

Bobby I only do the loose balls for campy/fulcrum/shimano. I don't do sealed bearings. Far to big a ringe for me to stock enough difference sizes even to cover the entire Mavic range! Neuvation does an upgrade kit. I hear they use really good standard bearings which will likely do you for a few 1000kms.

10W increase would be a longshot in my opinion. this upgrade would be on my TT bike, which is full-aero with high-end equipment. during a TT, the rider is constantly pedaling and the TT that i am peaking for in september is very flat. previous TT's on the same course has indicated a variability index (CP WKO+) of 1.02. so in my situation, i would pedal at a constant 95-100rpm's without stopping and at around 245-250W (by september). so i think a 5W benefit from the ceramic bearings would add up in the end. i would guess that 5W increase from the bearing upgrade would give me about 10-15 seconds gain. that, in my opinion, is the difference between two or three place finishes when compared to the riders in my area (flat and lots of TT specialists).

bobbyOCR said:

I am replacing my DT wheels with Neutrons, how much for a set of ceramics? Out of curiousity, if I get them, it'll be a very long time.

If the Neutrons use loose bearings, then figure a "bag" of ceramic bearings at 20 @ $25US-to-$30US + shipping -- under $100AU seems like a good-value upgrade for a set of race wheels!

On the other hand, ceramic cartridge bearings are prohibitively expensive ... figure on about $250US (?) for four cartridge bearings + shipping.

Excluding inflation, the cost may come down over time.

vio765 said:

10W increase would be a longshot in my opinion. this upgrade would be on my TT bike, which is full-aero with high-end equipment. during a TT, the rider is constantly pedaling and the TT that i am peaking for in september is very flat. previous TT's on the same course has indicated a variability index (CP WKO+) of 1.02. so in my situation, i would pedal at a constant 95-100rpm's without stopping and at around 245-250W (by september). so i think a 5W benefit from the ceramic bearings would add up in the end. i would guess that 5W increase from the bearing upgrade would give me about 10-15 seconds gain. that, in my opinion, is the difference between two or three place finishes when compared to the riders in my area (flat and lots of TT specialists).

You might want to check out the discussion on the "wattage forum":
http://groups.google.com/group/wattage/browse_thread/thread/5bc36bbc5d16fbaa/56c74a55d372a800#56c74a55d372a800

That 5W-10W estimate might be a gross over estimate.

ok. i have read the article in velonews and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. there is (in my opinion) not sufficient evidence for making the upgrade. i was surprised in the article about not making tests under real conditions. suppose a bike is completely outfitted with ceramics. hubs, BB, pedals, pulleys. or even just the hubs and BB would be ok. have a rider ride a 40K TT with the ceramics and without (on the same bike, course, and similar weather conditions) and then post the results. hell, a 20min TT on an indoor trainer would be fine enough to convince me or not convince me. am i alone in this?

vio765 said:

ok. i have read the article in velonews and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. there is (in my opinion) not sufficient evidence for making the upgrade. i was surprised in the article about not making tests under real conditions. suppose a bike is completely outfitted with ceramics. hubs, BB, pedals, pulleys. or even just the hubs and BB would be ok. have a rider ride a 40K TT with the ceramics and without (on the same bike, course, and similar weather conditions) and then post the results. hell, a 20min TT on an indoor trainer would be fine enough to convince me or not convince me. am i alone in this?

Your idea of "real conditions" is exactly what the test is trying to stay away from.

if you did two 20 min TTs... i think the placebo effect alone could throw in more of a performance difference than any effect even remotely attributed to ceramic bearings.

schmuzzy said:

Your idea of "real conditions" is exactly what the test is trying to stay away from.

if you did two 20 min TTs... i think the placebo effect alone could throw in more of a performance difference than any effect even remotely attributed to ceramic bearings.

for the most part yes. but.....if the placebo effect works, then the bearings work. nevertheless, im not spending the money for a couple watts (from the bearings or the placebo effect). IF THEY WERE ONLY LESS EXPENSIVE!!!!

vio765 said:

.....if the placebo effect works, then the bearings work.

this sort of logic is what had us testing for witchery by drowning and stagnated medical research and progress for 1500 years after the Romans.

like another post i read on this forum... forget everything and just paint the bike red.

red is a fast color.

😄