Do Ceramic Bearings Make A Difference

Riders using ceramic bearings can also expect a smoother riding experience.

Do ceramic bearings make a difference.

While regular bearings are made from stainless steel ceramic bearings are made from ceramic silicon nitride si2n4. On ceramic bearings this is usually a c3 clearance whilst on steel it s usually cn. Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. It is required to prevent bearing seizure when it warms up and expands.

Replacing them with low quality ceramic bearings doesn t make sense as they will very soon be worse than the original ones. If only high quality ceramic bearings are used marginal gains will. Because ceramic bearings are rounder with a smoother surface and more uniform size friction is reduced and that can contribute to a less energy required. The only real big noticeable difference between the two is the bearing clearance.

Despite the small difference in design hybrid bearings requirements differ quite extensively from full ceramic bearings. If a cyclist has ridden a bike fitted with ceramic bearings and then returns to steel bearings it is likely that slightly more vibration will become noticeable. Fitting ceramic bearings will make the bike feel like it is rolling smoother. This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball.

The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings. The bearing clearance is a measurement given to the small gap between the inner race outer race and balls.