What are bearings made from?

Bearings are made from a huge range of materials. Some examples include chromium steel,
440C stainless steel, XD15 super nitrogen stainless, and silicone nitride (ceramic bearings).

Generally speaking, the harder the material the better, but there is a point of diminishing returns.

Ultimately, too hard means the balls can become brittle, which is no better than too soft.

Balancing the application of the bearing (hub, crank, suspension pivot, etc), how much service
you’re willing to put in, and picking a budget are all consideration brands have to make when
speccing bearings.

How to maintain bearings

Like any moving part on your bike, bearings require servicing. Maintenance intervals will be
longer on higher-quality bearings, but no one bearing is truly ‘fit and forget’.

Proper installation plays a big part in bearing longevity too.

It may seem simple enough, but misalignment from improper installs are a big cause of
premature wear.

Also, if you’re working with angular contact bearings, the seals are different colours for a reason
– Black seals are meant to face the centerline, while red should face outwards.

Proper bearing maintenance ends with proper lubrication, which could be anything from sticky
waterproof grease to thin frictionless lube.

Depending on the application, the type of bearing system used, how often maintenance is done,
and the type of environmental exposure the system experiences will dictate the best lubricant.

Bearings often-overlooked components that actually bring life to your bicycle. You can’t steer,
roll, pedal or have a functioning drivetrain without bearings.
Bearings are found in your hubs, bottom bracket, headset, suspension pivots, pedals, shifters…
the list goes on – basically, anything that moves on your bike will have some kind of bearing in
it.

In this guide we’ll go over the different types of bearings commonly used on a bike, how to
measure the bearings on your bike, what makes one bearing better than another and how to
maintain bearings.

The different types of bearing used on a bike

Loose ball, caged ball, bushings, needle, and cartridge are the main styles of bearing founds in
cycling frames and components. Here, we explain how each type of bearings differs from
another.

Bushings
A bushing (also known as a bush, or sleeve bearing) is a type of plain bearing used in shock
mounts, cheaper pulley wheels and shifters.

A bushing is the simplest type of bearing and is just a sleeve that sits between two surfaces to
reduce friction.

Loose ball bearings

Loose ball bearings (also known as ‘cup and cone’ bearings)
A loose ball bearing system comprises:

Loose ball bearings

A cup that the bearings sit in
A cone, which applies preload to the bearings
The contact surfaces of the cup and cone are machined to a smooth finish that matches the
profile of the bearings, and this is what they run on.

Loose ball bearings are commonly used everywhere on entry-level bikes, including hubs,
bottom brackets and headsets.

At the higher-end, most brands have moved away from loose ball bearings, though Shimano
and Campagnolo are notable holdouts, with both using very high-quality cup and cone bearings
in most of their hubs. Shimano also uses loose bearings in its pedals.

Although they’re the oldest, in many ways they can be superior. They are angular contact (more
on this later), relatively easy to maintain and can perform exceptionally if well-adjusted

Loose ball bearings are sometimes held within a retainer, which is also known as a cage (hence
the named ‘caged bearings’). This is usually made from pressed steel and holds the loose ball
bearings apart from one another.

Though often associated with the low-end, caged bearings aren’t universally bad –
Campagnolo’s CULT bearings, which exhibit excellent performance characteristics, are caged
bearings. Cane Creek’s Hellbender Neo bearings are another interesting take on the concept.

Cartridge bearings
Cartridge bearings are the most common type of bearing used on anything but the very
cheapest bikes.
These are a one-piece unit that is, usually, pressed into a bearing bore.
A typical radial cartridge bearing is made up of:
An outer race
An inner race
Ball bearings
A cage/retainer to hold the bearings in place
And two seals on either face of the bearing to keep the dirt out
These bearings cannot be adjusted or fully disassembled.
Cartridge systems require precision to function well but, as manufacturing technology has
moved on, they have become increasingly used as a result of ever-increasing tolerances in hub,
frame, and component bores.

Needle bearings

Needle bearings, which are also known as roller bearings, are relatively uncommon in the
cycling world.

The exception is pedals and very occasionally in headsets, but even then they’ve lost a lot of
ground to newer and cheaper tech.

In a needle bearing, instead of ball bearings, the bearings themselves are cylindrical.

They can create incredibly smooth rolling and stable platforms, especially under high loads, but
in the cycling industry there’s a tendency to shy away from them due to the expense and
complication of creating good mating surfaces.

When not mated properly, they tend to fatigue quickly. Needle bearings often get replaced by
multiple rows of cartridge bearings to achieve the same effect.

Bike bearing sizes explained

Loose ball bearing sizes

Loose ball-bearing sizes are determined by the diameter of the ball bearing itself. This is usually
expressed as a fraction of an inch: 3/16in (4.7625 mm).

The exact size of bearing required will differ between individual components.

It is usually possible to also replace the cone in a loose ball bearing setup, but the cups
(particularly in hubs) are less commonly replaceable.

Cartridge bearing sizes

A cartridge bearing’s size is determined by its inside diameter (ID), outside diameter (OD) and
width.
The measurements take the form of ‘15x24x5mm’ or similar.

They often have a corresponding universal identifier, which in the case of the aforementioned
bearing, would be 6802, for instance.

With calipers, you can measure a cartridge, enabling you to find a replacement quite easily
Headsets pose a unique characteristic in that they have angled races. Their sizing might read
more like ‘46.9 x 7 x 45°’ to identify the OD, width and angular measurements of the bearing
race, respectively.

In regards to performance, generally speaking, the bigger the ball inside the bearing, the better,
as increasing diameter has an exponential factor for increasing contact. More contact means
more even distribution of forces, and results in better rolling performance and durability.

Several major wheel manufacturers have pushed towards larger bearings in recent years and
there are ever-increasing hub dimensions to show.