Originally Posted by
reddog3
The replacement bearings in better grade hubs and loose ball headsets are stainless, so you don't have to choose between carbon or chromium.
There are indeed stainless steel bearing balls available (usually 440C) but they are a specialty item used only where their corrosion resistance is of value. I don't know of any bicycle component that uses them either OEM or as replacements.
Campy claims their bearing sets are individually matched and therefore charges much more for their name on them. But they aren't stainless steel and, if there is any performance benefit to the extra "matching", no one has really demonstrated it.