Ceramic Bearings

[sebunya]

Who knows if it possible to change from steel ball bearing to Ceramic ones and  if it is available in SA, Ceramic Bearings compatible with the Ball Bearing ones fitted on the Mavic cosmic equipe wheels *rear* code 608 2RS BTC

[TitusTi]

There was a company bringing them in last year, not sure if you can get the 608's, can't remember the name though, sorry.

[R2S2]

Ceramic bearings are available from SKF South Africa.  Problem is that they have a minimum order quantity of one tin of bearings (we are talking loose balls here), and since you need two sizes this becomes a fairly expensive excercise.

[R2S2]

Oh, and to answer your other question - steel and ceramic are completely interchangeable, and ceramic will actually increase the lifespan of steel bearing races.

[sebunya]

Thanks for your help, recently I received mail from SA/SKF offering a hybrid bearing 608 bearings rings are made of steel but the balls are made of a ceramic material the SKF designation is 608-2RSLTN9/HC5C3WTF1.

[Immink]

Anybody serviced their XTR pedals,(including replacing the bearings)?

[Immink]

Interesting feedback.

[Goodbadugly]

Anybody serviced their XTR pedals,(including replacing the bearings)?

Why would you like to fiddle with those little balls?

I grease and adjust my M970's every year or so. And I don't see that I would need to replace them any time soon.

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Here's an interesting article on the pro's and con's of ceramic bearings....

 

https://road.cc/content/feature/175644-ceramic-bearings-pros-and-cons

 

And I quote:

 

"Hope’s Alan Weatherill concurs with Paul Lew’s conclusion that ceramic bearings are not suited to the demands of cycling and says their suitability to industrial machinery doesn’t necessarily provide the performance benefit for cyclists that many people and companies claim they do.

“Another issue with using them [ceramic bearings] on bicycles is their hardness,” says Weatherill. “While this again is an advantage in many industrial applications, it's a major drawback on bikes. The shocks from hitting potholes and other road blemishes impact the hard ceramic balls into the softer steel races commonly used. This dent in the race is then felt when the bearing is rotated, giving you rough bearings.”