SKF or FAG bearings is it worth paying the extra

Need some new suspension linkage bearings. Is it worth paying the extra (~£12) for FAG or SKF bearings, over the standard bike /skateboard ABEC 5 bearings (~£3.50).

Always got the cheaper ones in the past, but the main swing arm ones on the current bike are semi-blind pressed into the carbon seat tube, so don’t want to repeat the violence associated with a bearing puller more often than is necessary!

For me it’s like buying a clutch for a car or a boiler for your house, there’s so much work involved over and above the buying of thing that is seems a no-brainer to spend the extra even if it’s debateable whether they’ll be any better or last any longer.

If it was an easy job and you had the tools maybe save a quid, otherwise you know what to do.

Need some new suspension linkage bearings. Is it worth paying the extra (~£12) for FAG or SKF bearings, over the standard bike /skateboard ABEC 5 bearings (~£3.50).

This is speculation based on hearsay from several years ago, but there is a logic there so bear with me!

The FAG / SKFs will be better sealed. Skateboard bearings are meant to roll well and not really see a lot of water, so aren’t designed/spec’d to get wet.

i’d go for the SKFs.

A lot of bikes are OEMed with Enduro bearings but I never seem to read good things about them. Any thoughts?

I once bought a cheap set of bearings from Ebay, I think I got ten bearings for something like £12 at a time when SKF bearings were about a tenner each.

After maybe half a dozen rides, I could feel that the bearings had failed, so I replaced them. Or at least, I tried – the bearing collapsed entirely and the outer race was left wedged at the bottom of my freehub where I couldn’t get it out. Cost me £30-odd fora new freehub. I’ve stuck with the name brand stuff ever since,

Bike came specced with Enduro bearings. Can’t say I was too impressed with them. The first bearing change after about 4 months of fairly dry riding.

The cheaper replacements have lasted a year plus. Was just wondering whether the branded bearing come with harder races and balls, or are better suited to the small movement range of suspension systems – or maybe they are not and you are paying the extra for high speed bearing performance?

When I designed crop sprayers all I ever used was SKF bearings. Not point pissing in the wind with the ebay rubbish.

Basically it depends on 2 things- how they fail, and how easy they are to replace. If it’s something simple, like say a trek linkage bearing that you can change in 5 minutes with a hammer, a socket and 2 allen keys, then an early soft failure isn’t that big a deal. Is it blind, is it easy to get to, how much dismantling do you need to do, do you need special tools, is it generally a pain in the arse.

The other is how it fails- bearings can fail catastrophically and disable or even damage the bike. Any bearing can do that with neglect but rubbish bearings can go from seeming fine to falling to bits in a moment. Then again, they probably won’t.

Sh*tty conditions & only partial rotations = short life.

I’ve used good bearings & average bearings, they all seem to last the same amount of time.

I stick with average stuff now – pointless spunking twice as much on a branded bearing that lasts no longer.

Caveat being unless it’s a very specific sized bearing for a bike.

http://www.machinedesign.com/motion-control/dangers-fake-bearings

TRADING STANDARDS SEIZE FAKE BEARINGS

I must say I love the idea that there’s a company out there designing bearings just for skateboards! 😆
I bet there are only two companies making sealed bearings and they just put a different stamp on the side for the customer of the day. Some of those customers then tell their customers they are special skate/bike/car/vibrator bearings and double the price. The really good bearings they triple the price…

I usually fit decent ones (i.e. named ones) but the last set of SKFs failed in no time, so it isn’t always sunshine and laughter. Ditto the last lot of Hope headset bearings. Cheaper Nukeproofs have been hardier.

http://www.machinedesign.com/motion-control/dangers-fake-bearings

http://www.catmag.co.uk/trading-standards-sieze-fake-bearings
Honestly, for mountain bikes, the shittiest quality bearings are more than good enough and this includes fakes. Where you are much more likely to come adrift is in the quality of the seals as, once you get shit into the races, they wear out in no time at all.

As others have said here, I’d always tend towards spending a few quid extra on better bearings if you know it’s going to be a shitty horrible job. And of course, those of you with Santa Cruz frames get lifetime free bearings 🙂

I bet there are only two companies making sealed bearings and they just put a different stamp on the side for the customer of the day.

Are they neighbours of the only 3 factories that make carbon frames? 🙄

I’m in the cost v hassle camp – spend a few more quid to do the job less often.

I spent a short while at a bearing manufacture setting up a PMA laboratory so we could reverse engineer competitor’s components in the aerospace industry.

SKF and FAG are both really good bearings, I would get which ever is cheapest from a reputable dealer.

The whole point of the PMA department was to make components cheaper to the OEMs as the’re were so many fakes, failed and registered scrapped parts on operational aircraft.

Hiya guys

I don’t mean to hijack this thread, I googled SKF bearings and a link to this thread came up.

Essentially I have come into possition of a huge amount of new SKF bearings of all different sizes. A factory I work in at some stage bought another factory and somehow I have got their stockpile of bearings.

I am just trying to find out abit about them and what they are used for. What sizes are the bearings ye guys are referring to in this thread, or are there set sizes for bikes

I’m a maintenance engineer and we would never dream of using Enduro bearings on any of our equipment. They are a budget brand in the industry.

FAG, SKF, INA, RHP are much superior brands.

The problem is that Enduro makes some very specific bike bearings that the premium brands don’t.

An example of this would be a 3802 double angular contact bearing for a Transition frame. These simply don’t exist in SKF’s portfolio.

This is purely speculation here but I would imagine that Enduro puts forward the cheapest manufacturing costs to the Bike manufacturers when a specific non standard bearing is required.

I’m also speculating that the likes of SKF & FAG aren’t too concerned and choose to remain focused on supplying the engineering industry.

Bearings commonly used on bikes will be double sealed (not single, or metal shielded) radial type for hubs/suspension/bottom bracket duties,with angular contact type for most headsets. serial numbers we frequently use in our workshop are 6902, 6903, 6804, 6805,6001,6002,6800,6803,6900 in radial type, For angular contacts, we normally go by measurements of id, od, depth, and seat angles (and it’s a nightmare, especially when they’re covered in rusty filth).

https://www.kineticbikebearings.com/%5B/url%5D

is it worth paying the extra? Yes IMO. I always use quality bearings and get good life from them

There is a good reason we only use the likes of SKF or FAG in industry..

Bike suspension applications are, in some ways not suited to bearings. This is because rolling element bearings are generally designed for relatively high speed, steady load applications, rather than being effectively static, erratically loaded as they are in suspension swing arms.
The ‘need’ for ceramic bearings in cycle applications is also purely driven by marketing – at work we use ceramic bearings in compressors spinning at 25,000rpm. however we need to change them if they experience a certain number of shock-loadings.

I don’t have a full-sus mountain bike, but if I did, I’d use SKF, just because they’re decent quality.

The sealing is the biggest issue IMO, with bearing being in the firing line from rain/mud/spray and then the constant washing, water gets in and kills the bearing most of the time. Don’t think I’ve ever replaced a bearing because its been running ok and has play in it, always has some sort of corrosion/contamination which leads to seizure.

Have tried premium bearings (SKF/FAG/INA), middle of the road (enduro) and cheap stuff, premium ones last a little longer as the quality of grease and sealing tends to be better.
I have found the biggest difference to increasing bearing life for pivots is to carefully pick the seals off, flush out the grease, then repack with Mobil xhp222. Then periodically pull the frame apart and re-grease the bearings.

I have found the biggest difference to increasing bearing life for pivots is to carefully pick the seals off, flush out the grease

A point about Enduro bearings – they make a model that comes with extra seals but also fully stuffed with grease instead of only partly. This means you don’t need to prize the seals off and pack them yourself. It should help with longevity. I originally doubted that packing them with grease was a good idea but I have been convinced by the form since bike bearings are low speed applications; however I reckon the seals shouldn’t be disturbed.

I have some enduro grease-packed ones in the garage somewhere for my BB, cannot find them though 🙁

Bike suspension applications are, in some ways not suited to bearings

this is: true!

Don’t think I’ve ever replaced a bearing because its been running ok and has play in it, always has some sort of corrosion/contamination which leads to seizure.

this is: true!

In my opinion: the bike designers don’t spend enough effort to design the linkages RIGHT. Standard, sealed bearings are an (too) easy route…
And we have the hassle…!

IMO the corrosion you see is from failed seals. the seal fails, water gets in and the bearing corrodes. this is why I never unpick seals. Only wheel bearings for me but I get really long life from bearings using good quality bearings and not touching the seals

this is why I never unpick seals

however I reckon the seals shouldn’t be disturbed.

Its vitally important not to go anywhere near the lip on the seal, very easily damaged if using a pick or other sharp implement. I use a sewing needle on the thicker sections where the metal support structure is. Patience is key!

I’ve started paying more attention to the seals than th bearings now and it seems to be working. Either SRS or LLB on anything I use.

Don’t think I’ve ever replaced a bearing because its been running ok and has play in it, always has some sort of corrosion/contamination which leads to seizure.

For me, it’s always that it gets crud in it which ruins the grease and starts corrosion, so it goes stiff. Then it’ll free up again maybe but you’ve only got a ride or two before it wears and develops play cos of the lack of lubrication. So they end up sort of free running with play but not very smooth either. They can be ridden like this for a while if you cannot replace them immediately.

winter biking, mud conditions:

I use cheap silicone spray as “anti stick”. Not as lubrication. I spray plenty before every mud ride onto all bearing locations. Keeps the crap (better) out.

After mud biking: I don’t spray water direcly onto the linkage locations. Better to let it dry plush brush the crap off later.

Summer, dry dust: I don’t do the silicone thing. Worst: to do something where the dry dust likes to stick on. Dry dust likes to stick on silicone as well…

Enduro make MAX[/url] bearings:

Designed specifically for suspension pivots, Enduro Bearings pioneered MAX type bearings almost 20 years ago for bicycles to address the challenges associated with mountain bike pivots. These bearings have 35-40% more load capacity than standard radial bearings. We accomplish this with a special design where the maximum number of balls are inserted into the bearing. The race grooves are deeper on these bearings for more lateral support for the twisting and multiple forces associated with mountain bike pivots. LLU seals give maximum protection against the elements, while keeping the 90% fill of Almagard Extra High Pressure Grease inside.

Wonder if other manufacturers also do this? I bought some of these for my BB and they were definitely stiffer with all that grease in.

Enduro make MAX bearings:

I might giving them a try the next time.
Thanks.

What I think is important as well: not to wait too long with suspension bearing change/service. Hassle when the outer race starts seizing to the frame…
Best maybe, if doing lots of mud biking: not to bike longer than 1 year without changing the bearings…

And: put some anti-seize onto the machined frame parts before putting the bearings in again.

Wonder if other manufacturers also do this?

All the big manufacturers do full compliment bearings. Nothing new there. Enduro also advertise the ABEC3 rating like it’s some sort of miracle that they can make them to that tolerance.
Again, nothing special about that compared to premium brands.

I’ve been buying Superstar’s hi-fill bearings when they have their frequent offers (they are a fair price anyway).

Going well so far and their explanation of why they offer them makes sense…
https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/hi-fill-replacement-cartridge-bearings.htm

Any idea what these large SKF bearings would be used for?
11210
11207
11208
6014
1208

All the big manufacturers do full compliment bearings.

And fully packed?