Do Ceramic Bearings Get Better With Use

Ceramic is the perfect material for any application seeking to achieve higher rpm s reduce overall weight or for extremely harsh environments where high temperatures and corrosive substances are present.

Do ceramic bearings get better with use.

For the simplicity of this article we only look at hybrid ceramic bearings with steel races. If there is one thing we see a lot in comments sections about ceramic bearings it is people claiming ceramic bearings do not offer benefits and are not worth their cost. The higher the bearing s rating the better the performance it will have. With the exception of one product the entire line of kogel bearings runs on hybrid ceramic bearings.

Full ceramic bearings have races and balls that are made entirely of ceramic material and are superior to common steel bearings in many ways. Ceramic deals with heat better so. This is different from a full ceramic bearing which would have both the balls and the races made of ceramics. They are known to be much stronger than steel but lighter at the same time.

A number of benefits can be found in the use ceramic bearings light weight and vacuum compatible ceramic bearings provide a weight saving and are. Less friction equals more power and less heat build up resulting in significantly higher efficiency and. Of course this is reflected in the higher costs of ceramic bearings in comparison. Ceramic hybrid ball bearings perform with 40 less friction than a comparable steel ball bearing.

There are a number of commercially available ceramic bearing types grouped into one of two categories. Ceramic bearings can be found in a number of space applications from space flight to satellites to unmanned exploration vehicles. It s in the professional peloton a place obsessed with marginal gains that ceramic bearings have become popular in the past couple of years. Unsealed ceramic bearings can be used to upgrade components that don t use cartridge type bearings like cup and cone hubs.

Hybrid means that the balls are made of a ceramic material but the races or rings are made of a hardened steel. Two types of ceramic materials there are two materials that are common. Their potential to resist fatigue high temperature and loss of lubrication is better than for metals making ceramics attractive for ball and roller bearings. Ceramic hybrid ball bearings last up to ten times longer according to skf the largest and most respected bearing manufacturer in the world.

In the humble opinion of kogel bearings outside of derailleur pulleys full ceramic. In our higher end cult bearings ceramic balls and races lighter lubrication is needed so they roll much quicker with less drag than standard steel bearings. Why do ceramic bearings produce a better performance. Space poses a combination of many high stress applications in one.

They don t need to. Many experienced cyclists and professionals use ceramic bearings or perhaps ceramic hybrid bearings for a superior performance. Let s analyze the pros cons and applications.