Original manufacturers vs bearings from BMG

[Cam99]

There is an old thread from 2016 regarding this topic but fresh input would be highly appreciated.

Is there any real difference  replacing BB bearings on a bike using  the original manufacturers  bearings  which are much more expensive than  BMG bearings . I am not referring to cheap chinese bearings but a good quality bearing such as INA or NSK to name a few

Is this just marketing or is there any real benefit using the original bearing brand vs BMG bearings  in terms of longevity if correct maint  procedures are followed

[ChrisF]

5 hours ago, Cam99 said:

..... . I am not referring to cheap chinese bearings but a good quality bearing such as INA or NSK to name a few

Is this just marketing or is there any real benefit using the original bearing brand vs BMG bearings  in terms of longevity if correct maint  procedures are followed

 

I previously bought bearings for a project.

 

The salesman asked if I wanted the cheap imports, which are fine for low load applications.  OR if I needed the top quality bearings for high loads and critical applications.

 

 

Clearly not all bearings are manufactured equally.

 

Sadly, how do the ordinary person know if they are actually getting the best quality ....

 

 

Will appreciate feedback from those in the know

[Dexter-morgan]

I would say, Premium brands from BMG like mentioned, INA, NSK, TIMKEN, NTN would be just as good if not better, I would say go for it, I have used many bearings from BMG in my current bike, wheels bearings, Suspension pivot bearing, all work perfect, sometimes the grease they put is is for industrial applications but after a few KM, they settle in.

[WIPEOUT 1000]

To the best of my knowledge most OEM bearings are manufactured by the aforementioned brands (should probably ad SKF). The biggest challenge is just to make sure that you get the correct equivalent, i.e. same material, type and dimensions.

Edited March 24, 2022 by WIPEOUT 1000

[madmarc]

Back in the day during Machine Design classes, bearing selection was mainly based on.

Type of bearing selected from type of load - Axial (thrust), Radial , Angular etc

Max load or force the bearing will experience

Max shaft speed.

If you look at any bearing selection chart the loads and speeds that most bearings are designed for, are far in excess that any application will produce on a bicycle, in fact a bearing is probably the most over designed part of a bicycle today - Back in the old days most bikes had separate balls and races and still today the cheap bikes still use them. This was because, normal bearings were/are expensive and their design far exceeded the application requirements.

Take a standard 6002 deep groove bearing

Dynamic load design is 5.59kN (Approx 571 kg) Design speed is 22000 - 26000 rpm depending on the seal type you select.

By design even the cheapies should last a million years on a bike application.

Bearing failure is mostly moisture, dirt and lack of maintenance. Even the  most expensive will fail at some point as a result - More expensive = better material and will obv last longer than cheaper materials.

Bearings at your LBS like "Enduro" are expensive because of the BS they feed you "Its special" - "they are specifically designed for bicycles" - "they made from special materials".

OEM's also use strange sizes or designs that are not easily available on the open market because replacement parts are big business for them and you are forced to buy from them so they charge you what they want. 

Once you establish the correct size - Any after market bearing of a respectable brand is just as good of not better.  

[117]

Speaking of bearings....

A friend of mine has been quoted R1400 for OEM headset bearings by a dealer shop for a Trek Top Fuel ex 8 frame. 

Is that right? Or has he fallen into the BS of "its special"?

 

Anyone in the know? 

 

[madmarc]

3 minutes ago, 117 said:

Speaking of bearings....

A friend of mine has been quoted R1400 for OEM headset bearings by a dealer shop for a Trek Top Fuel ex 8 frame. 

Is that right? Or has he fallen into the BS of "its special"?

 

Anyone in the know? 

 

This was my point in my previous post - OEM will rip you a new one - with headset bearings its a bit more complicated as most bearing shops wont keep this design and headset bearings come in many different designs and sizes - But there are many after market headset bearing manufacturers like Cane Creek who can offer an exact replacement far cheaper.

[love2fly]

I try to only buy at BMG when I can. To the best of my knowledge they don't keep Max type bearings which are apparently full complement and better for suspension pivots which only rotate back and forth around a 1/4 turn or so. Although unintentionally ive used regular bearings with no issues in the past. I buy BMG for BB where I can but sometimes you need an extended race bearing or a strange size which they don't do. I've even twice replaced the jockey wheel bearings in my Eagle GX RD at a cost of about R100 vs like R400-R500 for new jockey wheels. As an aside, often bearings aren't in a sealed pkt and I've had new Sram OEM BB bearings have too little grease - perhaps due to drying out or underfilling. I tend to "top up" grease on larger bearings before installing.

Edited March 24, 2022 by love2fly

[mecheng89]

29 minutes ago, 117 said:

Speaking of bearings....

A friend of mine has been quoted R1400 for OEM headset bearings by a dealer shop for a Trek Top Fuel ex 8 frame. 

Is that right? Or has he fallen into the BS of "its special"?

 

Anyone in the know? 

 

LBSs purposefully place big mark ups on spare and wear parts. 

[The Ouzo]

6 minutes ago, mecheng89 said:

LBSs purposefully place big mark ups on spare and wear parts. 

is it the bike shops or is it the suppliers ?

[117]

Ok thanks, does any one then know what the headset sizes are for the Top fuel so we can source alternatives? Sorry, a bit of a mad day so my search skills are a tad deficient at the moment

 

 

[117]

31 minutes ago, mecheng89 said:

LBSs purposefully place big mark ups on spare and wear parts. 

Yep, the same shop quoted R4200 for the bearing kit for the suspension arm 

[WaynejG]

I have a friend who works for BMG. Just about every cycle shop buy bearings from BMG. At least here in PE.

[mecheng89]

53 minutes ago, ouzo said:

is it the bike shops or is it the suppliers ?

I'm a former BMG employee. Their mark-ups are customer dependant. But the margins aren't as huge as you might think. 

[mecheng89]

29 minutes ago, 117 said:

Yep, the same shop quoted R4200 for the bearing kit for the suspension arm 

The problem here might be availability. Trek probably sells it to our SA branch at a mark up, then our local Trek agent will sell it at a further margin. 

[The Ouzo]

1 minute ago, mecheng89 said:

I'm a former BMG employee. Their mark-ups are customer dependant. But the margins aren't as huge as you might think. 

I was thinking more along the lines of cycling specific importers making big markups before supplying to LBS.

 

OT, well maybe only slightly.

Had a guy here from SKF the other day saying prices of cars have gone up a fair bit, so I countered with "your bearings arent the same price as they were when you bought your car 4 years ago"

He then proceeds to tell me their bearing prices have not increased in the last 3 years. I call BS on that but decided to rather ask how they managed to do that to which he gave me some more BS answers on foreseeing and planning for the impact that came everyones way.

Fortunately our conversation ended there and he went off to collect his car from service.