Bearings whats the diff???

[Capricorn]

Enduro are not that much more expensive compared to good quality bearings that you get from BMG like NSK and SKF.  Try to stay away from the Chinese cheapies though.

 

 

 

enduro is a bandwagon brand. By their own admission, only a few of their bearings are made in the US. The rest are made "in asia". How to decide which from asia is the chinese or taiwanese cheapies? going by complaints on various forums, enduro branded bearings certainly have plenty problems, ceramic or not.

 

Their ceramic and ceramic coated balls are sourced from a french company, which happens to be one of the worldwide sources for ceramic balls used in bearings.

 

The point is folks, don't get hooked on the brand name. Bearings are largely standardized except for the application specific stuff which is the minority. It doesn't matter who you get it from. But there is something to be said for well established brands, who offer the same type of bearing, but cheaper than the 'boutique branded' / 'cycling specific' nonsense brands out there. cyclic specific rubbish is those who say you have bearings specifically for bicycle pivots. Like, in the history of the industrialized world, there's never been a high impulse, low angular rotation load application. Ever. 

 

No matter which bearing brand it is, give it the required TLC and it will serve its purpose just perfectly.

 

For further interest, if a bearing fails, it's not just the bearing's fault, could be the riders fault ito lack of maintenance/poor cleaning habits, or the unspoken culprit: poor pivot design. Today I was reading up (again) on the various bearing standards and the pros and cons of each. It becomes very clear that many of the negatives associated with each of the multitude of BB standards stems from compromises to the bearing housing the frame manufacturers incurred to save weight. Bearings are robust mechanical devices, and as such, they do not weigh insignificant amounts.

So keep that somewhere in mind, while you order the correct bearing from any of our local bearing retailers. Don't run after the brands touting themselves as cycling specific. It's all marketeering intended for the gullible.

[Skylark]

Can full complement bearings similar to Enduro's pivot bearings be ordered from bearing man?

 

Makes sense they may be better for pivots. I've always just bought the bearing the manufacturer specs for the pivot and got that from bearing man and I've never noticed them failing prematurely or having issues.

 

I've mentioned this before but when at the bearing shop getting prices for Hope hub bearings and the guy gives me the price of the Chinese cheapies(cost peanuts literally) and then says that the local bike shop, mentions the name(the local ultra premium super duper shop), uses them for all their wheel bearing replacements and no doubt charges the earth for them.

[dev null]

Which is why I prefer to do this myself. I use SKF, NTN or NSK at least, whatever I can find at BMG.  Then if they tell me they can't help me, I look at Enduro, and then lastly get the manufacturer bearing.

 

I have 2 flanged outer race bearings I need to find.  The ID is 10mm, the OD is 22, with a flange measuring 25mm with a thickness of 1.5mm.  Can't find it in Enduro's catalogue.  The bearing is 6mm wide.

[Heel Drop]

Enduro are not that much more expensive compared to good quality bearings that you get from BMG like NSK and SKF.  Try to stay away from the Chinese cheapies though.

 

For suspension pivots you will want to use max compliment bearings, which is why Enduro offers their MAX line of bearings for this purpose.  Then for the other applications I would look at getting as high an ABEC rating as possible within budget, but still high quality.  Here I try to get NSK if available, then look to see what Enduro has.  The price difference is usually not more than 15% anyway.  Also keep in mind the rating of the seal.  I used 2 NSK bearings with an LLU seals in my hubs.  They usually offer the best protection against water and mud.

 

If you really want to, you could also open the bearings up and then replace the grease with the best quality marine grease you can find.  However, the lubrication in the bearings becomes a contentious point for the downhill racers, who will want the least amount of resistance in their bearings.

 

EDIT:  NTN are also a good quality brand.

talking about resistance - if I spin my crank it wont make one full rotation - how would one know if the resistance is to much or is that normal , nothing wrong with the bearings no roughness juts very very "resistant" ie.the crank is not spinning freely at all 

[dev null]

talking about resistance - if I spin my crank it wont make one full rotation - how would one know if the resistance is to much or is that normal , nothing wrong with the bearings no roughness juts very very "resistant" ie.the crank is not spinning freely at all 

 

With or without the chain on the chainring?

[hayleyearth]

talking about resistance - if I spin my crank it wont make one full rotation - how would one know if the resistance is to much or is that normal , nothing wrong with the bearings no roughness juts very very "resistant" ie.the crank is not spinning freely at all 

 

I have the same problem with my saints. I've put new BBs in, with grease, without grease, didn't tighten the crank bolts or flower thingy, etc etc and still at best I get 1.5 -  2 turns with a good spin (without chain of course). I have NO idea what it is. When I had the Truvitiv cracks on the same bike it would spin for days. I get out of breath just thinking how inefficient my pedaling is due to this, but like I said, I don't know what it can be anymore (did tests with and without pedals too). 

 

Edit: what cranks do you have? 

[Skylark]

My gxp Sram crank is the same, with the chain off and freshly serviced, doesn't go round more than a few times even after a hard spin, also made me wonder. I think the rubber sealing system is quite aggressive on both sides. Cranks don't go through nearly as many revolutions relative to wheels so the drag/affect is probably marginal.

[Heel Drop]

With or without the chain on the chainring?

without 

[Heel Drop]

I have the same problem with my saints. I've put new BBs in, with grease, without grease, didn't tighten the crank bolts or flower thingy, etc etc and still at best I get 1.5 -  2 turns with a good spin (without chain of course). I have NO idea what it is. When I had the Truvitiv cracks on the same bike it would spin for days. I get out of breath just thinking how inefficient my pedaling is due to this, but like I said, I don't know what it can be anymore (did tests with and without pedals too). 

 

Edit: what cranks do you have? 

I have a X01 crank - most feedback so far its not really gonna have an impact 

[TheJ]

Get my bearings from Bearings International. Super cheap and feel great. My logic is a wheel has so much rotational mass that if the bearing is smooth you shouldn't see much of a difference. Its not like a small jockey wheel where drag could be a factor.

[dev null]

without 

 

Weird.  Something is odd.  Which BB?  Does it use angular contact bearings with a pre-load system?

[Heel Drop]

Weird.  Something is odd.  Which BB?  Does it use angular contact bearings with a pre-load system?

 

Its Enduro 6806 LLB pressed into the BB  shell with cups ( not the standard PF30 cups)

( specialized frame) 

[dev null]

Its Enduro 6806 LLB pressed into the BB  shell with cups ( not the standard PF30 cups)

( specialized frame) 

 

That is a hybrid ceramic bearing.  You should be able to easily spin your crank with one finger. I can easily do that with my son's bike which uses the XD-15 bearings after it has been pre-loaded.  Your bearings don't require preloading.

 

I suggest you get someone to look at it.

[droo]

Enduro bearings are distributed by a crowd in PMB. Will only supply bike shops. I would buy from bearing man if I could but they cannot get me cannondale headset bearings and the bike shop wants over R300 each. Enduro bearings are good though but I would prefer to be able to get direct.

 

There is no agent who will supply the public direct. Try buying a phone directly from Samsung at dealer cost, you'll get the same answer. Or a bike from the distributor. Or a Polo from the plant in Uitenhage.

 

If you want 1000 bearings, I'm sure Rush will be happy to oblige.

[droo]

As far as the brands go - for wheel bearings, any brand will work but rather stay clear of the super cheap ones. They'll end up costing more in the long run.

 

For suspension pivots, full complement all the way. There are a few hundred threads detailing the details, but basically they just last longer. AFAIK Enduro are the only brand that do them locally.

[_im_from_earth]

Alrighty, so here are two blog articles I posted:

 

WHAT DO THOSE CODES ON A BEARING MEAN?

 

ENDURO BEARING TECH: WHAT ARE YOU MADE OF?

 

Those are both a good starting point to wrap your head around bearings, and what to look out for.