Cyclists far from technology believe that there is nothing better than “kermicheskie bearings”, implying that they are completely made of ceramic. However, in reality, fully ceramic bearings are not used in bicycles due to their fragility and inability to absorb shock loads. In fact, we are talking about hybrid bearings that have chromed or stainless steel rings and ceramic balls.

  Hybrid bearings from leading brands are not accidentally called an engineering masterpiece. These bearings can rotate at very high speeds and with minimal friction and heat. It is because of this that they are very popular in professional cycling, where the bill goes for milliseconds.

Data collected by Schaeffler show that when switching from steel to hybrid ceramic bearings in bicycles, friction is reduced by 3%. The advantage may seem insignificant, but even it can dramatically affect the result in the time trial at the Olympic Games.

However, these measurements are only about high-quality Japanese hybrid bearings, which are very expensive. Chinese cheap counterparts are not so good at all and with them all the advantage is lost.

In addition, for a hybrid ball bearing to be superior to steel, it must have a suitable low-torque lubricant. High viscosity grease will increase rolling resistance and destroy the advantage. Ceramic balls are very hard, so they will more quickly abrade the raceways of steel bearings without proper lubrication.

A quality separator is also important. Ceramic hybrid bearings can have steel or polyamide cages. A low-quality cage can increase torque and vibration, so the friction of a cheap hybrid bearing can be even greater than a high-quality steel bearing.

So, good quality steel bearings still allow cyclists to get the most out of their workouts and their bike. However, high-quality hybrid bearings from leading manufacturers make it possible to win a few milliseconds, which will lead to victory in the competition.