Ceramic wheel bearings

[89fj]

anybody ever use them? any better than conventional?

 

[afm199]

anybody ever use them? any better than conventional?

If you're racing you might want them. They do have less friction. i can't imagine spending the money on them for street riding.

 

[Tom G]

Tesla uses them in their traction motors which spin at up to 18,000 RPM. Not sure you need them in your bike though.

 

[stangmx13]

Pushing the bike around in the pits is a lot easier with ceramic wheel bearings. And I've heard you get a couple of MPH at the end of the straight with them. But there's no way I'd pay that much for a street bike.

 

[dravnx]

Marc Salvisburg of Factory Pro demo'ed a ceramic bearing to me once. He held it in his hand and spun it. You could make a sandwich and eat it before that thing slowed down.

 

[ST Guy]

Nice technology but no way I'd spend for some on a street bike. Nor most race bikes. The only place they make sense is on very high end race bikes ridden by top national riders.

 

[dravnx]

That's what I told Marc.

 

[ST Guy]

Marc Salvisburg of Factory Pro demo'ed a ceramic bearing to me once. He held it in his hand and spun it. You could make a sandwich and eat it before that thing slowed down.

Yes. But take two identical wheels with identical rubber where there are dust seals, grease etc on both, spin both up to identical speed and the difference isn't nearly so dramatic.

 

[afm199]

If you do long wheelies on a straight like Thunderhill, you'll notice ceramic because the wheel won't have slowed down nearly as much as steel bearings and won't upset the bike much.

 

[stever]

Yes I’ve used them and yes they are better. Roughly 4 times the cost of steel bearings for my bike but reportedly will last 3 to 5 times longer. Even with seals and brake pad drag they spin ridiculously longer than conventional. Personally don’t think you have to be racing to benefit from them but everyone has different priorities.

 

[Enchanter]

Marc Salvisburg of Factory Pro demo'ed a ceramic bearing to me once. He held it in his hand and spun it. You could make a sandwich and eat it before that thing slowed down.

A few years ago my kid wanted a fidget-spinner. We were browsing Amazon to find one that she liked, I saw there was one with a ceramic bearing. My curiosity got the better of me and I ordered it for 'me' and ordered the rainbow anodized one for her. While not an apple-to-apple comparison, the difference is dramatic.

If I hadn't sold my RS125, I definitely would have swapped to ceramic wheel bearings and eventually transmission / crank bearings too. On that 30hp bike, I'm sure there would have been a noticeable difference. Or maybe I'm just getting a jump start on confirmation bias.

I'm not opposed to putting them on a streetbike, but I'll make that decision when my current bearings fail / need replacement. Not going to spend the $ on something that isn't broken (yet).

I'd only do it on a bike that I planned to keep indefinitely. The geek in me would test the differences though. Static spin test, rate of acceleration, coast down, dyno, etc.

Currently I have other things to spend my $500.

 

[Hooli]

If you do long wheelies on a straight like Thunderhill, you'll notice ceramic because the wheel won't have slowed down nearly as much as steel bearings and won't upset the bike much.

And then Turbo's grumpy ass kicks you out.

 

[kuksul08]

Yes. But take two identical wheels with identical rubber where there are dust seals, grease etc on both, spin both up to identical speed and the difference isn't nearly so dramatic.

This.

Even the cheapest bearings have low friction. You start factoring in grease type, grease fill percentage, rubber seals, and preload, and suddenly there are way more variables than how hard the balls are.

 

[Tom G]

This.

Even the cheapest bearings have low friction. You start factoring in grease type, grease fill percentage, rubber seals, and preload, and suddenly there are way more variables than how hard the balls are.

Absolutely. The only difference is longevity of the bearings.