Alien8
Senior Moment
- Location
- (A little bit north of) Cambridge
Why have sealed cartridge bearings not come to dominate the hub market? They seem to have much more going for them than the traditional loose bearings and cone arrangement.
Loose Vs Sealed Cartridge Bearings
- Thread starter Alien8
- Start date
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accountantpete
OAP
Loose bearings are cheaper and easier to maintain.
I suppose there is a debate as to which roll better but suspect there is little in it - you would need to examine them operating under load to find out.
I suppose there is a debate as to which roll better but suspect there is little in it - you would need to examine them operating under load to find out.
snailracer
Über Member
Cup-and-cone allows more and bigger balls. Plus, a smoothly tapered cup is stronger than the stepped one needed for sealed cartridge bearings.
gwhite
Über Member
- Location
- Auchtermuchty Fife
Having replaced a FSA triple with outboard bearings for a Campag Chorus triple with a cup and cone Record BB, I find a world of difference. The cup and cone rotates much more easily and smoothly than the original sealed bearing. I also know from experience that these will go on for ever with little wear.
I wish they weren't called 'cartridge' bearings. They are 'Precision ball races'.
A pair of precision ball races in a bicycle hub have to be mounted exactly square and parallel. In skateboard wheels, fast 'washed' precision races have an amount of 'slop' and the wheel can be rocked from side to side. This doesn't matter in skateboard wheels but it would in bike wheels.
As a matter of fact, track hubs were assembled by hand ( on the loose side with a tiny, tiny amount of play ) with just the tiniest amount of light machine oil. Less resistance to rotation.
Skateboard wheel bearings were boiled in a washing up liquid solution to completely remove the grease. They were used 'bone dry' and the blue tile was conquered with no effort at all.
A pair of precision ball races in a bicycle hub have to be mounted exactly square and parallel. In skateboard wheels, fast 'washed' precision races have an amount of 'slop' and the wheel can be rocked from side to side. This doesn't matter in skateboard wheels but it would in bike wheels.
As a matter of fact, track hubs were assembled by hand ( on the loose side with a tiny, tiny amount of play ) with just the tiniest amount of light machine oil. Less resistance to rotation.
Skateboard wheel bearings were boiled in a washing up liquid solution to completely remove the grease. They were used 'bone dry' and the blue tile was conquered with no effort at all.
Cup and cone are fine as long as you are anal with your maintanance, if you leave them to long and pit the race pressed into the hub thats it hub knackered, you can leave a cartridge bearing as long as you like you just punch the old one out and press in a new one and your hub is as good as new.
