There are so many different sellers on eBay, on-line retailers, etc that I really don’t know which ones to go for.
Enduro bearings always seem to last a decent while for a decent price. I’ve used other, cheaper bearings from eBay and the like and definitely had mixed results. For the hassle of stripping a frame, it’s worth spending a few extra quid to get non-crap bearings. Whatever you use, for frame bearings I’d always pop the seal off and re-pack them with the thickest, gloopiest, waterproof-est grease you have in the garage prior to fitting them as this will help stretch out their life as far as possible. No need to worry about rotational friction here – thick, tractor grease is what you want 🙂
As for suppliers, Wych Bearings are pretty good. Drop them an email if you’re not sure what you want – they are knowledgable and helpful and will tell you which bearings are worth a few extra quid and which ones aren’t. Send them a list of sizes / bearing types, explain the use case and budget and they’ll give you pointers to the best bearings for the job.
