# Bearings - Steel vs Ceramic vs Cult



## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

Long time campy hub fan, they have always just seemed to roll faster than anything else I've ridden...not very scientific I know. Still I tend to descend faster then my riding partners even those that are heavier than me. Again not very scientific. Still I think they are faster, can't convince me otherwise. Sure lots of other things in play like tire width/pressure, millions of aerodynamic difference but I've had 95% campy hubs on bikes in the last 30 years and most I ride with do not. They surely don't seem to help me in the up direction

Never had ceramic anything. Thinking about new to me wheels (both used and brand new) so I could get steel bearings, older non cult ceramic or CULT ceramic. I really can't convince myself they are at all necessary, but thought I see what the rest of you think. Kind of like the idea of lightweight lube in the CULT offerings. Only live once and all so I can see the other side of the argument.

Don't get much above 25-27 on the flats. Seems to me I remember it is the higher speeds where you start to see gains from them.

Wasted money at 15-25mph???


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

Ceramic bearings are good for one thing.. Placebo speed. Aside from that they're a total marketing gimmick.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

^ This ^ Ceramic bearings are designed to work in clean (bikes are dirty), high speed (thousands of rpm higher than anything on a bike), high temperature (hundreds of degrees higher than ambient temp) environment. 

Complete waste of $$$ on a bicycle.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I've got Record cranksets on two bikes. They have the USB (ultra smooth bearings) which are a hybrid ceramic/steel. They have been very durable but I can't tell the difference between those bikes and the third bike with Athena 11 and it's steel bearings. Campy steel bearings are very good and will last for decades if you take care of them. I also have a set of wheels with DA hubs that I bought in 1991, still smooth as butter. The only real ceramic bearings I have are in the freehub of one of my campy wheelsets. The only reason I used them is that the shop accidently ordered them and I wanted to get the wheel back together. Five years later, still good.


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## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

Thanks, I did know they were high speed, but did not realize how much. I figured at best they could be helpful in wheels maybe at 30mph+ figured they were worthless in bottom brackets, derailleur pulleys, etc.

Anyone agree that in standard steel bearings campy seem "better" or have I just drank too much of the Kool-Aid?


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## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

rplace13 said:


> Thinking about new to me wheels (both used and brand new) so I could get steel bearings, older non cult ceramic or CULT ceramic. I really can't convince myself they are at all necessary, but thought I see what the rest of you think. Kind of like the idea of lightweight lube in the CULT offerings.


I really prefer the older CULT stuff to the newer stuff, but go for anything these guys come up with.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

rplace13 said:


> Thanks, I did know they were high speed, but did not realize how much. I figured at best they could be helpful in wheels maybe at 30mph+ figured they were worthless in bottom brackets, derailleur pulleys, etc.
> 
> Anyone agree that in standard steel bearings campy seem "better" or have I just drank too much of the Kool-Aid?


The best available commercial bearings are Grade 5 or 10 in steel. Most manufacturers use Grade 25. Campy works closely with bearing suppliers such that they can hand-select bearing lots and effectively offer grade 1 bearings. In addition Campy has non-contact seals on hubs which are obviously lower friction than the contact seals used in most hubs. How much all of this means out on the is open to debate but I generally agree with you. At the end of the day you more likely descend better because you are more aerodynamic (for whatever reasons).


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## changingleaf (Aug 20, 2009)

You decend faster because you're more arrow and you use your brakes less.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Somebody makes RD jockey wheels with full ceramic bearings that have no seals and no lube. The ceramic balls and races are hard enough to grind up any dirt or grit that gets in them without being abraded themselves. They spin very very freely, clean or dirty.

...found the article: Testing friction change in full-ceramic-bearing jockey pulleys - VeloNews.com

"After using the Tiso full-ceramic-bearing jockey pulleys in the mud and grit in cyclocross all season without cleaning or lubricating them, I fully expected them to become as resistive to turning as standard bushing-type pulleys. But I noticed during the season that whenever I pulled the chain off and spun them, they still spun better than any other jockey wheel I’d ever had."

I like the simplicity of eliminating seals, lube and cleaning but dunno if this concept would work for all the bike's bearings, like BB, wheels, headset, etc...


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## changingleaf (Aug 20, 2009)

I like the low to no maintenance aspect of these. That's worth something!


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

looigi said:


> Somebody makes RD jockey wheels with full ceramic bearings that have no seals and no lube. The ceramic balls and races are hard enough to grind up any dirt or grit that gets in them without being abraded themselves. They spin very very freely, clean or dirty.
> 
> ...found the article: Testing friction change in full-ceramic-bearing jockey pulleys - VeloNews.com
> 
> ...


Since there is no real radial load on the pulleys they won't have the same issues that bottom bracket or hub bearings can have. IMO full ceramic bearings for hubs and bb are an even worse idea than ceramic hybrids. The races are too brittle and will break pretty easily from normal impacts while riding. I have a very close friend that works at ABI (they own 'Enduro') and he won't ever recommend full ceramics for bicycle use, other than the pulleys...and only then if the customer thinks he absolutely has to have them. They're a pretty expensive 'upgrade' just to eliminate a couple mins of cleaning.

I have full ceramic in the front hub on my track bike, and hybrids in the bb and rear hub. ONLY because I was given them. Not something I would ever spend a penny on. Are they any faster? Not that I can tell...and the track is as close to a 'controlled environment' as you're going to get on a bicycle.


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

mtbpete said:


> I like the low to no maintenance aspect of these. *That's worth something*!



Something perhaps. $200, not so much.


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## changingleaf (Aug 20, 2009)

Good info.


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