Went back and forth on ceramic vs steel bearings for my bottom bracket rebuild

I went with steel after a buddy warned me ceramic is overkill for a commuter bike that sees rain and grit daily, and six months later the bearings are still spinning smooth with zero noise - has anyone else switched back to steel after chasing that ceramic hype?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.casey29d ago

lol @seanjackson nailed it, steel is just the real world winner for commuting no contest.

seanjackson29d ago

Read a mechanic from some shop in Portland say ceramic bearings in wet conditions turn into gritty sandpaper basically. Switched all my builds back to good quality steel after that, and haven't looked back. Steel lasts way longer in real world conditions from what I have seen. Ceramic is really only worth it for track bikes or race day stuff where every watt matters.

barbarah1929d ago

Nodding along to everything you said. Ran ceramic in a Phil Wood hub for about 8 months here in the PNW. First two weeks felt buttery, then it started sounding like I was grinding sand into the bearings. Finally pulled them out and they were pitted to hell from water intrusion. Switched back to good old Enduro steel bearings, and those things have been running quiet through two straight winters of road salt and rain. No drag I can feel, no noise, no hassle. Ceramic is a solution looking for a problem on a commuter. It just is.