CC: truth below:
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[email protected]> wrote in message
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[email protected]...
>I am a fan of hubs, headsets and BB that use sealed cartridge bearings.
> They are not that common most of the top range hubs etc use loose
> balls. I find the minimum maintainence and easy adjustablity of sealed
> cartridge bearings much easier to use and longer lasting.
The top-end hubs like Campagnolo Record, Shimano Dura-Ace and XTR used
sealed cup and cone bearings. These manufacterers do this because it is a
superior design that handles lateral loads well (as in the force of the
quick release). The small fry hub makers depend on cartridge bearings
because they cannot afford the tooling to mass-produce custom-made forged
parts, such as cones and cups. As far as sealing, the mid-range + Shimano
hubs are sealed very well indeed, and will outlast the high-priced bouthique
junk. Most cartridge bearing hubs are poorly sealed, as a single rubber
gasket exposed to the environment is guaranteed to let water in.
>
> I had some bombproof Specialised hubs over 20 years ago that had the
> best seal in any hubs I have ever used and they say the cartridge
> bearings in my Schmidt dynamo hub will last 40 -50,000km before
> replacement.
>
These were made by Sanshin, and were the same as the Suntour hubs of the
same era. This was one of the best implementations of a cartridge bearing
hub, but I have destroyed two of them. One due to an ovalized hub shell in
which the cartridge bearing would no longer seat correctly, and another in
which the cartridge bearing corroded into the shell, and would not come when
it needed replacement. As far as longevity, I recently sold my old wheels
that used 1972 Campagnolo Tipo hubs. These hubs were on their 4th set of
rims - no impacts, the rims just wore out from '000's of miles of braking.
Original cones, cups and bearings.
> Up until recently Shimano Ultegra 1" headset had replaceable cartidge
> bearings, cheaper and easier to just replace them than the whole
> headset when worn out.
The current generation of Shimano headsets uses angular contact cartridges
not for ease of replacement, but to allow a design that avoids brinelling,
which kills most headsets. And to allow the bearings to float within the
cups - which allows this headset to accomodate poorly faced headtubes. A
brilliant design. Best headset ever.
>
> I recently changed the front hub bearings in my mtn bike, pop the worn
> ones out, $20 for two new ones at the bearing shop and pop them in.
Sure, if you can find these. I spent several hours and 5 bike shops the
last time I tried to find standard-issue 6001 cartridge replacments. And
the shop wanted $25 for a pair of cartridge bearings that you should be able
to source wholesale for $3. If you were willing to order 1000....
In contrast, when you have a problem with a Shimano hub your options are
open with respect to replacement parts. Generally bearings and cones are
the things to need replacment. If I need parts, I scavenge from other hubs
left behind by folks who destroyed their rims, and left everything behind at
the shop. Most shops will have buckets of replacement parts. And as a last
resort, stuff can be catalogue ordered. I inherited a thrashed set of
Campagnolo wheels last year. The owner must have been using these for
underwater bicycle polo. Without rebuilding the wheel, I was able to
replace the cones, the balls and even the cups. Knocking out the cups was
as difficult as removing cartridge bearings - same tool. I used replacement
cups from a cheap set of Shimano hubs - almost all old-style hubs have the
same cup dimensions.
>
> Some high quality hubs such as Hope use such bearings.
I've got some Hope hubs. And SRAM, Specialized, Suntour, Sanshin, Ringle,
Syncros, Hugi, WTB and a bunch of others. They sit in boxes because $25
Shimano hubs are better made, and will last longer.
>
> Why is it not more common?
>
> CC
>
Because they are a poor design and flogged by hand-to-mouth manufacturers.
These hubs are inexplicably supported by elitists that think that uncommon
or expensive stuff is always better, or are running some vindictive crusade
against Shimano. Sometimes big manufacturers with market power just make
good stuff.
