Loose bearings vs. Sealed bearings hubs
- Thread starter buck0
- Start date
Frickard
New Member
Loose bearings are better, but caged or sealed bearings aren't bad. Loose bearings are a bit trickier, but if you use enough grease, it's pretty easy. I just overhauled by hubs and they have loose bearings. They are smooth as butter. I think they last a bit longer than caged/sealed bearings as well (but I could be wrong).
BarelyAWake
New Member
It could well be preference lol, I prefer sealed bearings as they seem to require no maintenance/adjustment at all... although I do gently pry out the dust covers & repack w/a quality marine grade bearing grease when I first get 'em 
It could also be a quality thing *shrug* The loose/caged bearings in my (chinese) Schwinn's bottom bracket & hubs require fairly regular maintenance, they get loose & it's not uncommon to have sand/grit in them - whereas the BB cartridge & SA hubs (upgrades & all sealed bearings) on my Rollfast never seem to need any lovin' from me...
It could also be a quality thing *shrug* The loose/caged bearings in my (chinese) Schwinn's bottom bracket & hubs require fairly regular maintenance, they get loose & it's not uncommon to have sand/grit in them - whereas the BB cartridge & SA hubs (upgrades & all sealed bearings) on my Rollfast never seem to need any lovin' from me...
The_Aleman
Active Member
I agree, sealed hub bearings are better. They have more support and retain lubrication longer.
As far as bearing cages on 1pc bottom brackets go, I consider them a joke. I haven't ridden one I haven't deformed. Knocking starts within a week unless I take it easy. The scary part? I don't get off the seat to pedal hard
As far as bearing cages on 1pc bottom brackets go, I consider them a joke. I haven't ridden one I haven't deformed. Knocking starts within a week unless I take it easy. The scary part? I don't get off the seat to pedal hard
bairdco
a guy who makes cool bikes
i have the standard, open-caged bearings in my bottom bracket, and to be honest, i don't really care how well they're greased, as long as my cranks spin. unless you plan on pedaling the bike, it doesn't have to be all top of the line, sealed, etc.
on a motor bike, the BB hardly gets used, so if the bearings are a little gritty, i don't care. i've heard of some people actually over-tightening them so the cranks don't spin as easily.
obviously, this applies only to motored bikes. all my pedalers are super smooth.
an open, non-caged bearing is faster than a sealed bearing, as there's very little drag, but the trade-off is maintenance and bearing life.
in my coaster brakes i remove all the balls from the cages, then add more bearings so they spin super-awesome. this is kinda a pain in the a** but i don't really mind. my headset and BB are caged bearings, and they're actually 70 years old or so. and they still work fine.
it really comes down to how much maintenance you want to do, and what the quality of the hub, BB, headset, whatever you're using is. a cheap sealed bearing hub usually has cheap sealed bearings, so they're not much better than open bearings.
there's also a lot of high-end parts using ceramic bearings now. they ain't cheap.
on a motor bike, the BB hardly gets used, so if the bearings are a little gritty, i don't care. i've heard of some people actually over-tightening them so the cranks don't spin as easily.
obviously, this applies only to motored bikes. all my pedalers are super smooth.
an open, non-caged bearing is faster than a sealed bearing, as there's very little drag, but the trade-off is maintenance and bearing life.
in my coaster brakes i remove all the balls from the cages, then add more bearings so they spin super-awesome. this is kinda a pain in the a** but i don't really mind. my headset and BB are caged bearings, and they're actually 70 years old or so. and they still work fine.
it really comes down to how much maintenance you want to do, and what the quality of the hub, BB, headset, whatever you're using is. a cheap sealed bearing hub usually has cheap sealed bearings, so they're not much better than open bearings.
there's also a lot of high-end parts using ceramic bearings now. they ain't cheap.
buck0
New Member
Would you keep the same size bearings when you add more?
In general which is better, smaller bearings are big bearings?
bairdco
a guy who makes cool bikes
i use the same size and just rip them out of old hubs i have lying around. and if you go this route, always leave one bearing out, so there's a little space. they need a little room to move around.
the assembly isn't that tough, 'cause the grease will hold them in, but taking the hub apart is another story. best to do it over a towel or something, 'cause bearings will be falling out everywhere.
i think what matters is that they're the right size, not if they're larger or smaller. they just need to fit right.
the assembly isn't that tough, 'cause the grease will hold them in, but taking the hub apart is another story. best to do it over a towel or something, 'cause bearings will be falling out everywhere.
i think what matters is that they're the right size, not if they're larger or smaller. they just need to fit right.
MotorBicycleRacing
Well-Known Member
This is a timely topic as the heavy duty wheel I just
bought has loose balls.
Was fairly rough so I pulled it apart.
9 balls on each side.
What is the best grease if I keep the loose balls?
Can I convert this wheel to sealed bearings?
It has a 7 speed mega range Shimano freewheel which
would have to be removed to access the bearing on that side
also has 12 gauge stainless spokes five of which were bent
due to the chain derailing behind the Chinese 56 tooth sprocket.
I straightened the spokes out pretty good but a few are loose
and need tightening.
Came with a MM sprocket adapter that was tightened way too much.
Had to use a 9" cheater bar to Crack the bolts loose.
bought has loose balls.
Was fairly rough so I pulled it apart.
9 balls on each side.
What is the best grease if I keep the loose balls?
Can I convert this wheel to sealed bearings?
It has a 7 speed mega range Shimano freewheel which
would have to be removed to access the bearing on that side
also has 12 gauge stainless spokes five of which were bent
due to the chain derailing behind the Chinese 56 tooth sprocket.
I straightened the spokes out pretty good but a few are loose
and need tightening.
Came with a MM sprocket adapter that was tightened way too much.
Had to use a 9" cheater bar to Crack the bolts loose.
Last edited:
happyvalley
New Member
Cartridge wheel bearings (and BBs) certainly are the trend in bikes today but what is the quality of the bearings used in the cartridges? Cheap china stuff that can't be greased? Bike shops like them and so do some manufacturers because they are quick to replace/assemble.
I still like high quality loose ball bearings and maintain cartridge bearing do not handle side loading like cup and cone wheel bearings that were designed for bicycle wheels.
I still like high quality loose ball bearings and maintain cartridge bearing do not handle side loading like cup and cone wheel bearings that were designed for bicycle wheels.
BarelyAWake
New Member
Jus' as a FYI - "sealed" bearings can be greased, ya jus' need to very gently pry out the dust covers to repack, then obv putting the covers back in (I reco not trimming yer thumbnails b'for attempting lol).
...however, other than the initial repack w/a quality marine grade grease to displace the factory "whatever" grease I've found that once that's done, there's no need to repack them after that despite thousands of miles of use & abuse.
It's again no doubt all personal preference, but I've found no cause to substantiate any "side load" concerns w/sealed bearings - if anything just the opposite. All of the sealed bearings I run (shift kit, hubs, BB cartrages etc) have required absolutely no maintenance, replacement or adjustment at all with no looseness or play developing whatsoever.... the marine bearing grease may have had something to do w/this - but whatever the case I now go out of my way to use sealed bearings wherever/whenever possible.
I do live in an extremely sandy/salty area... that may have something to do w/my displeasure with "loose" bearings *shrug* still, I'd not say that sealed or loose bearings are any easier/harder to replace by shops, generally sealed units are pressed so they sometimes take a lil effort to replace & w/loose ones, all it takes is dropping one to make it an awkward procedure lol - I figure it's six of one & a half dozen of the other in regards to the time it takes to replace them
...however, other than the initial repack w/a quality marine grade grease to displace the factory "whatever" grease I've found that once that's done, there's no need to repack them after that despite thousands of miles of use & abuse.
It's again no doubt all personal preference, but I've found no cause to substantiate any "side load" concerns w/sealed bearings - if anything just the opposite. All of the sealed bearings I run (shift kit, hubs, BB cartrages etc) have required absolutely no maintenance, replacement or adjustment at all with no looseness or play developing whatsoever.... the marine bearing grease may have had something to do w/this - but whatever the case I now go out of my way to use sealed bearings wherever/whenever possible.
I do live in an extremely sandy/salty area... that may have something to do w/my displeasure with "loose" bearings *shrug* still, I'd not say that sealed or loose bearings are any easier/harder to replace by shops, generally sealed units are pressed so they sometimes take a lil effort to replace & w/loose ones, all it takes is dropping one to make it an awkward procedure lol - I figure it's six of one & a half dozen of the other in regards to the time it takes to replace them
happyvalley
New Member
For further reading, heh heh
Ball bearings (Jobst Brandt)
"Sealed" Bearings by Jobst Brandt
Overhauling & Repacking Hubs
Ball bearings (Jobst Brandt)
"Sealed" Bearings by Jobst Brandt
Overhauling & Repacking Hubs