Bearings

[briansnail]

When i was younger I pushed a load on a trolley. Someone easily went passed me with a much heavier load. They explained it was an expensive trolley with better bearings.
We all know lighter bikes are faster but how do bearings influence?. When you get a top range bike are the bearings much better than a cheap bike?
I know the oil and grease needed needs to be a higher spec on the former.

[Jdsk]

Drag caused by friction at bearings is a small part of the rolling resistance, and a very small part of the total power consumption. Bicycling Science quotes bearing friction of one wheel being about 0.01 N and rolling resistance of one tyre being 1 to 3 N.

Jonathan

[Jamesh]

I would suggest seals make a bigger difference.

Some wheels have very weather proof laberinth seals.

Whilst others use cheap sealed bearing with hardly any seals at all.

No guessing which ones are faster and which ones are more weather resistant.

[rogerzilla]

Better bearings are more about sealing and durability.

For loose ball bearings, there are a few reports of the very best-made hubs (e.g. old Campag Record) requiring matched sets of at least Grade 25 balls to achieve a smooth adjustment with no play. Certainly avoid Grade 1000 balls, except in the nastiest components, which can't be adjusted properly anyway.

[briansnail]

Thanks for replies.I was reading years and years ago Sweden made the best bearings.Then the Japanese companies came in.One story was one manufacturer issued chopsticks with their sample bearings.With a note "Please find attached free sample.However they will not work on our ball bearings as they are of such high quality"

Now where did I put my oil can

[Jdsk]

I was reading years and years ago Sweden made the best bearings.

I don't know about the best, but Swedish inventors and manufacturers played a major rôle in their modern development:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven_Gustaf_Wingqvist
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKF

Jonathan

[Biospace]

The figures above relating bearing drag to tyre drag makes it appear that 'good' bearings aren't worth bothering with, friction-wise. Yet any machine with high quality bearings fitted throughout, which have had time to wear in, usually feels a compete delight to use compared with something similar without.

I reckon that with human-powered transport, the psychological aspect of such a feeling is especially important, in the same way good wheels make a difference greater than their improved physical properties.

[Jdsk]

The figures above relating bearing drag to tyre drag makes it appear that 'good' bearings aren't worth bothering with, friction-wise.

Bicycling Science discusses the possible use of plain bearings with modern lubricants!

Jonathan

[Jamesh]

The figures above relating bearing drag to tyre drag makes it appear that 'good' bearings aren't worth bothering with, friction-wise.

Bicycling Science discusses the possible use of plain bearings with modern lubricants!

Jonathan

Probably used by ineos for the last few years ..!

[mumbojumbo]

Ball-bearings are out and rollers in, helping to ease friction

[simonineaston]

Well all I know is that I just swapped the old & original Zeus hubs for second-hand Royce hubs (and a pre-loved Royce bb, as well) on a Moulton dating from '84 and the difference is like chalk and cheese...

[Audax67]

Thanks for replies.I was reading years and years ago Sweden made the best bearings.

Brinell was Swedish.

[Biospace]

The figures above relating bearing drag to tyre drag makes it appear that 'good' bearings aren't worth bothering with, friction-wise.

Bicycling Science discusses the possible use of plain bearings with modern lubricants!

Jonathan

Have you a link? My instincts would go for a better machined bearing running on regular lube any day over relying on a high-tech lubricant to make up for poor bearings, but I'm always keen to be proved wrong!

[Jdsk]

Bicycling Science
David Gordon Wilson
https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/bicyclin ... rd-edition

Jonathan

[pwa]

The wheel bearings on my bikes have always been the traditional cup-and-cone type, and therefore adjustable. I believe that a moderate amount of maintenance with these will give you an easier ride and longer lasting wheels. There is absolutely no point in putting up with unnecessary friction when easy running bearings are attainable with a few minutes of fine tuning. And I definitely can feel it when bearings are dragging. A really badly set up bearing does slow you down. I have ridden a borrowed bike a short distance and been able to spot something was dragging. I got off and investigated, expecting a dragging brake but instead finding the wheels did not spin freely when the brake was not touching.

Good wheel bearings can be had in the middle part of the price range. You don't have to pay top whack for them. But I'd be suspicious of very cheap hubs. I have adjusted cheap and nasty hubs to get them to their best, and found that perfect adjustment was not possible. I could either have free running combined with excessive side to side play, or no play combined with high friction. Given that choice I have settled for free running with excessive play. Such cheap and nasty hubs also tend to have poor seals, so need frequent re-packing with grease.