The Future of Bike Bearings???

Think how these would be in your wheels:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/05/22/forget-ceramic-coo-space-loses-the-grease-to-get-10x-less-bearing-friction/#more-102205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/05/22/for ... ore-102205</a>

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The claim is a bit much. Friction cannot be eliminated, only reduced. While they've reduced it a LOT, they cannot, and have not, eliminated it since even air will produce friction, and any two surfaces in contact with each other will have friction, even if one is Teflon.

Truth in advertising, people!!

And what's the cost?

 

Regardless... This appears to me a quantum leap and very applicable! :clap:

 

Modern bearings on bikes use retainers made from low friction materials, like graphite. The grease is there to protect the bearings. They spin more freely without the grease, but that demonstration shows how a little resistance can stop a light input like a finger flick in no time. This would probably help light machinery that requires precision and sensitivity. Wouldn't be surprised to see this spark some more low friction bike component innovation, to minimize watt loss or whatever, especially on the roadie side. The mtb side cares more for reliability. With the kind of loads and inertia mtn bikes see, riders probably wouldn't miss it if they tried it and went back to current tech, unless it were no more expensive.

 

. . . I, often ride medical equipment... :wtf:

 

You rode that hospital bed at least that one time.

 

Yeah, but I rode it hard! :roll:

Now, BACK to superior bearings! :lol:

 

The video is not even showing a bearing made by that phony baloney pack of Japanese hucksters. Look closely. The video shows a bearing made by NTN that has been attacked by a drunken monkey with a dremel tool. The retainer has been removed, and the bearing put together with no grease. That's why it appears to run with little friction. Look at the picture again, and you'll see some of the balls all jammed up on one side, and spaced far apart on the other side-just what this "new technology" aims to prevent. Of course this doesn't even matter, because after a short time of running without lubrication, the stainless balls and races will suffer from micro-spalling and eventual catastrophic failure.

 

Looks more like they took a common Japanese cartridge bearing and grinded it a bit so they can disassemble and reassemble it, and also grind out that indentation in the outer ring, that slows down the balls to show off their design as a prototype. So basically the bearing is slow in 1 spot, but fast for the other 90% of the revolution. It achieved their goal of reducing frictional losses.

 

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Blasphemer!