Ceramic Bike Bearings Vs Steel

Inevitably discussion ensues as to which bearings the wheels have and whether they are ceramic or not.

Ceramic bike bearings vs steel.

Is this the first time it s happened or is this a reoccurring problem. On a bicycle which is considered a low speed application compared to a formula 1 car or motorcycle engine for example the ball bearing material itself steel or ceramic has little to no effect on the friction of the bearing assembly. Been to the bike shop and spun the wheels to see which feels the fastest. I have around 8k miles on one set and over twice that on the other.

Ceramic vs steel bearing bb for durability. If there is one thing we see a lot in comments sections about ceramic bearings it is people claiming ceramic bearings do not offer benefits. While the first two items were more. Even as the forward march of technology makes our bikes more and more advanced bicycles still rely on one of the most fundamental mechanical structures.

Cutting to the chase on ceramic bearings on a bicycle. I albeit lighter at 160 lbs use standard bearing in both my rain and training bike and haven t had any problems. 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. The graph below shows a comparison between two steel bearings skf and ntn and a ceramic bearing enduro.

Steel bearings are significantly less expensive than ceramic bearings but expense does not translate to a product of a higher quality. They have the usb ultra smooth bearings which are a hybrid ceramic steel.