| Life would be so easy if we all had unlimited dollars or | | | | ball bearing. |
| a tooth fairy to gift us all the best in bike part | | | | Weight Reduction: |
| technology, but the truth is we must make choices. So | | | | Silicon nitride ceramic balls are only about 40% of the |
| what we really want to know is whether the hype | | | | weight of bearing steel. Less weight equals less |
| about ceramic ball bearings in bottom brackets, hubs | | | | rotating mass, making speed, acceleration and |
| and headsets are really worth the added expense or | | | | deceleration possible with less effort. |
| is this just another expensive gadget that is great to | | | | Modulus of Elasticity: |
| talk about at the bar? | | | | That's just a fancy way to test how easy it is to |
| Ceramics are pretty new to the bicycle industry but | | | | deform something. Ceramic is 50% harder, so it takes |
| have been used for many years industrially for cutting | | | | a lot of work to alter its original shape. |
| tools, turbines and even in satellites and Formula 1 | | | | So what does this mean to a company like FSA that |
| Racing. | | | | has chosen to make some of its bike parts with |
| So what's the big deal? | | | | ceramic bearing? Studies by a number of cycling |
| Thermal Expansion: | | | | magazines, FSA and even bearing companies like SKF |
| Ceramic expands and contracts with changes in | | | | have repeatedly shown extended life expectancy and |
| temperature 35% less than steel, so the various | | | | reduced drag. The actual test results are posted at |
| components of a traditional bearing can be made to | | | | So what's not to like? Only the higher pricing. Ceramic |
| tighter tolerance, offering cyclist less vibration and | | | | Bearings are easy to justify with longer life, more |
| smoother motion. | | | | speed and vibration free operation but at maybe five |
| Less Conductivity: | | | | times the price of traditional bearings the questions still |
| Ceramics are electrically NON-conductive, and | | | | remains as to whether your level of cycling can justify |
| chemically inert, thus do not suffer from oxidation and | | | | the added cost of this particular bicycle part? |
| the rust that degrades the surface of a traditional steel | | | | |