Campagnolo Crankset Bearings

[campy man]

Looking to change the bearings on Campagnolo 10S Ultra Torque crankset.

Any suggestions on upgrading to ceramic bearings currently on 11S?

How difficult to pull old and install new bearings?

[thirdgenbird]

I wouldn't bother with ceramic. The cost is high and what does it really get you?


Bearings are easy to replace. I've got the park tool. It isn't what I would call high quality, but it worked well.

[CaptStash]

I bought the Park tool also and upgraded to ceramic bearings from Real World Cycling (http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id229.html). Reasonable price and good guys to work with. Ceramic bearings feel like gliding on ice. I have ceramics on three road bikes.

CaptStash....

[thirdgenbird]

Ceramic bearings feel like gliding on ice. I have ceramics on three road bikes.

CaptStash....

Can you tell the difference while riding?

[CaptStash]

Can you tell the difference while riding?

It's subtle, but yeah you can. The cranks are like ice on ice. Very very smooth. The Campy bearings were around $50, so it was worth it to me. I seriously doubt though that there is an actual useful performance boost. I just like how they feel.

CaptStash....

[thirdgenbird]

Where was OP getting bearings? Didn't he did some domestic ones?

[ultraman6970]

Anybody have tried the rwc BB tools??? wonder how well they work, the design is just different, do they slip or something?

[tigoat]

UT bearings are easy to pull if you have the right tool. Unless you are a mechanic, it is not something that anybody do very often so it would be wise to get a less expensive and still reliable tool for the job. The Park tool will work just fine.

As for upgrading to ceramic bearings, it is certainly worthy if you don't mind paying the extra. Ceramic bearings are not just smoothness, they are more reliable, last longer, and will require less maintenance. Some ceramic bearings can run with very little lubricant so you will not likely have to re-grease them very often. If you go this route, then you might as well get the best ceramic bearing available. BTW, I have had bearings (stock bearings) seizing up before with Record UT cranks.

[CNY rider]

Ceramic bearings are not just smoothness, they are more reliable, last longer, and will require less maintenance. .

This is your belief, or do you have data to support this?

[oldpotatoe]

Looking to change the bearings on Campagnolo 10S Ultra Torque crankset.

Any suggestions on upgrading to ceramic bearings currently on 11S?

How difficult to pull old and install new bearings?

-Remember to pull the c-clip off the right side, none on the left..c-clip right above the bearing
-any decent bearing puller or the one by park, samo with a nstaller, I use a Cyclus one..a press rather than a 'hammer onto' type tool.
-DO NOT waste your $ on ceramics, even the Campagnolo ones. They do nothing, cost a bundle, if they aren't in hardened steel races, they wear more quickly.

Editorial-ceramic bearings were designed for high speed, high temps, high pressure or applications where non conductivity is important..none of these things exist in bicycles. Ceramics are one of the biggest scams ever on bike stuff. In addition, the vast majority are ceramic balls in normal steel cones/cups..get some dirt in there and yes the balls last forever as they grind the steel parts to dust. sram 'ceramics', BB and pulleys, are famous for this..one ride in the wet, and you throw they away.

BUT if ya want to spend YOUR money, spend away just know what you are getting...find some sort of objective reviews of these not just,

"Something so simple as changing your bearings can make such a difference to the speed and quality of your riding."

maybe if you trained with the $ spent in pennies in your pockets and both bottles, then took them out to race....IMHO

For the below post, I think the 'performance' difference is after the wet ride, the next ride with trashed bearings, made the effort much higher.

[FlashUNC]

Wasn't there a recent study highlighted by a Velonews article that there is no substantive difference in resistance and performance between steel and ceramic bearings?

[fuzzalow]

Ceramics are one of the biggest scams ever on bike stuff. In addition, the vast majority are ceramic balls in normal steel cones/cups..get some dirt in there and yes the balls last forever as they grind the steel parts to dust.

Yes, it is all in the details, isn't it? But the cycling buying public that steadfastly want to believe in techno-superiority and will read "Ceramic blah-blah-blah..." and insist it adds 50 watts to their FTP.

The marketing guys already know this. Sell the concept and make margin on selling the facsimile which can be made for cheaper cost and which only has to work once - as in when the customer pulls it outta the packaging and for a short time after install. Because the average customer doesn't know or care about the detail of what oldpotatoe just told us - they just wanna believe.

[biker72]

The LBS where I work discourages customers from using the ceramic bearings.
However we sell them what they want and rack up a nice margin...:)

[Black Dog]

Editorial-ceramic bearings were designed for high speed, high temps, high pressure or applications where non conductivity is important..none of these things exist in bicycles. Ceramics are one of the biggest scams ever on bike stuff. In addition, the vast majority are ceramic balls in normal steel cones/cups..get some dirt in there and yes the balls last forever as they grind the steel parts to dust. sram 'ceramics', BB and pulleys, are famous for this..one ride in the wet, and you throw they away.

BUT if ya want to spend YOUR money, spend away just know what you are getting...find some sort of objective reviews of these not just,

"Something so simple as changing your bearings can make such a difference to the speed and quality of your riding."

maybe if you trained with the $ spent in pennies in your pockets and both bottles, then took them out to race....IMHO

For the below post, I think the 'performance' difference is after the wet ride, the next ride with trashed bearings, made the effort much higher.

Lets keep this as the ceramic bearing sticky post! This is cold fact. Also, ceramic bearing spin smoother because of less lube and less effective seals. Given the same amount of lube and same seals no one would be able to tell the difference without looking inside.

[wallymann]

primarily because they're cool and spin forever in your fingers.

i dont make it a habit of riding with my fingers down around the pulleys but still...also, as i understand that being full-ceramic they're lube-free and self-cleaning...being so hard, the ceramic bearings/races tend to grind up whatever might get in there so they dont gum up over time like traditional pulley bearings that require periodic maintenance. that's the story i get from the cyclo-cross scene.

anyways, i picked a few sets up last summer and they're still going well, but we'll see how well they hold up after i do all my flahute rides in the midwest's pissing springtime rain and filthy roads. if they do hold up, that speaks to the benefit of full ceramics back there...on the rides *after* being exposed to water/crud when normal pulleys tend to deteriorate. and i'll behonest -- i *rarely* maintain my derailleur pulley bearings/bushings so the potential benefit to me is real from a maintenance standpoint.

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/2/7/8/1/6/3/webimg/651670596_o.jpg

[JLP]

Well, obviously the answer is what Oldpotatoe said.

And, that thing about not forgetting to pull the c-clip before cranking on the bearing puller... Nobody would ever make that mistake. Nobody. Especially if the clip is well hidden in grease. And then nobody would break his new Park bearing puller and need to buy another.

That would never happen.

[lemondvictoire]

Difference is only .008 watts between best steel bearing and best ceramic bearing tested in article at bikerumor. See: bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/friction-facts-measuring-bottom-bracket-drag-39233/ Now if you have extra $$$ then go for it!!!!!!!!!! :hello:

[oldpotatoe]

Well, obviously the answer is what Oldpotatoe said.

And, that thing about not forgetting to pull the c-clip before cranking on the bearing puller... Nobody would ever make that mistake. Nobody. Especially if the clip is well hidden in grease. And then nobody would break his new Park bearing puller and need to buy another.

That would never happen.

Broke a Park Powertoque arm puller cuz I didn't remove the crank bolt washer first......Doh!!!