Are Sealed Bearing Wheels Slower?
05-21-12, 12:49 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,479
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 966 Post(s)
Liked 1,629 Times
in
1,045 Posts
Are Sealed Bearing Wheels Slower?
Just got my second set of sealed bearing wheels 27 1.25 - I am very happy with the set - However - I have noticed I don't glide as far downhill as without sealed bearings - Is it just me - Or are sealed bearings slower than loose ball... Is this another case of Loose Balls Rule...
Update 07/04/2012: Yes they are slower at first - It was at about 225 miles that they loosened up a bit and were of NO NOTICEABLE difference than unsealed cones - I really like my new wheels now but have to admit - Loose Balls Rule...
Update 07/04/2012: Yes they are slower at first - It was at about 225 miles that they loosened up a bit and were of NO NOTICEABLE difference than unsealed cones - I really like my new wheels now but have to admit - Loose Balls Rule...
__________________
No matter where you're at... There you are... Δf:=f(1/2)-f(-1/2)
Last edited by zandoval; 07-04-12 at 12:35 PM.
05-21-12, 01:02 PM
#2
Wookie Jesus inspires me.
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 2,215
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
There is additional seal drag, but I don't imagine anyone could tell a difference. Take 2 exact wheels (one is cartridge the other is looseball), put them on the same bike, roll down the hill in a 100% controlled setting, and voila!
05-21-12, 01:05 PM
#3
Bianchi Goddess
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 27,858
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
Mentioned: 192 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2930 Post(s)
Liked 2,923 Times
in
1,491 Posts
Are they cartridge style sealed bearing or sealed with a rubber grommet around the dustcap and cone?
I think a trued sealed cartridge bearing hub mught have a bit more friction but I don't think it would be that noticable.
I think a trued sealed cartridge bearing hub mught have a bit more friction but I don't think it would be that noticable.
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
05-21-12, 01:15 PM
#5
Senior Member
The only sealed bearing wheels I have are American Classic hubs, which right away seemed really smooth to me, even compared with just-tuned vintage Campy. I once gave the front wheel a modest spin on the workstand and it was literally 5 minutes before it stopped. So in my extremely limited anecdotal experience, no.
05-21-12, 01:37 PM
#6
What??? Only 2 wheels?
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,434
Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
Mentioned: 189 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1222 Post(s)
Liked 645 Times
in
232 Posts
I would expect a dust seal to loosen up with use. The closest I get to what the OP asked is cartridge bearing Mavic 501 which seem to roll forever.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
05-21-12, 01:54 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 2,162
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
In the late '70's I used to remove the inner seals from my skateboard wheel bearings, soak the bearings in solvent, blow them out with compressed air and then use a few drops of light oil or wd40. They HAULED @$$ like you would not believe, the seal drag was significant.
Ahh... Road Rider wheels! I miss those days....
Ahh... Road Rider wheels! I miss those days....
05-21-12, 02:38 PM
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,479
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 966 Post(s)
Liked 1,629 Times
in
1,045 Posts
Thanks - It is barely noticeable with the cartridge style sealed bearing - I have a down hill glide steep and rolling - I am now slowing to a stall about 30 feet shorter than with my old wheels - Its not really significant - Thats why I asked...
I am very happy with my new wheels...
https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=3135
I am very happy with my new wheels...
https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=3135
05-21-12, 02:55 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317
Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times
in
313 Posts
Thanks - It is barely noticeable with the cartridge style sealed bearing - I have a down hill glide steep and rolling - I am now slowing to a stall about 30 feet shorter than with my old wheels - Its not really significant - Thats why I asked...
I am very happy with my new wheels...
https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=3135
I am very happy with my new wheels...
https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=3135
05-21-12, 02:57 PM
#10
Senior Member
The answer is no.
I have a sealed bearing wheelset that you can put in the truing stand, spin by hand, and come back a minute later and it's still spinning. I can't do that with any loose bearing wheelsets of mine.
I have a sealed bearing wheelset that you can put in the truing stand, spin by hand, and come back a minute later and it's still spinning. I can't do that with any loose bearing wheelsets of mine.
05-21-12, 03:20 PM
#11
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,479
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 966 Post(s)
Liked 1,629 Times
in
1,045 Posts
05-21-12, 03:20 PM
#12
Bianchi Goddess
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 27,858
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
Mentioned: 192 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2930 Post(s)
Liked 2,923 Times
in
1,491 Posts
Are the tires the same? Pressure? Was the road resurfaced recently?
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
05-21-12, 03:35 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,305
Mentioned: 130 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3464 Post(s)
Liked 2,829 Times
in
1,995 Posts
Way back on the track we used to pop off the dust shields and run lightweight oil, just a drop. Even crank dust shields are just not that much drag in total.
If one was gunning for an "hour record" it would be worth it, otherwise, not.
05-21-12, 03:37 PM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 7,658
Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball
Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1609 Post(s)
Liked 2,590 Times
in
1,224 Posts
You'd think that sealed bearings would have a wear-in period. I have a friend that always runs his bearings on the loose side, I keep them just short of drag. I'm always faster downhill, but I have him by #100...
05-21-12, 03:51 PM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 13,954
Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 413 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 109 Times
in
78 Posts
Lab testing suggests a 7m difference over the course of a 40KM time trial.....think about that, 7 meters over 40 Kilometers!!!
My guess would be that the wheels have different tires at different pressures. Heck, different inner tubes probably have more affect on resistence.
Last edited by miamijim; 05-21-12 at 04:03 PM.
05-21-12, 07:00 PM
#19
Get off my lawn!
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: The Garden State
Posts: 6,031
Bikes: 1917 Loomis, 1923 Rudge, 1930 Hercules Renown, 1947 Mclean, 1948 JA Holland, 1955 Hetchins, 1957 Carlton Flyer, 1962 Raleigh Sport, 1978&81 Raleigh Gomp GS', 2010 Raliegh Clubman
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 93 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 98 Times
in
48 Posts
They must be slower...that's why I have a hard time keepiing up on group rides!
05-21-12, 09:12 PM
#20
Old fart
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,784
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3588 Post(s)
Liked 3,400 Times
in
1,934 Posts
05-21-12, 11:23 PM
#21
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,479
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 966 Post(s)
Liked 1,629 Times
in
1,045 Posts
Maybe there is a wear in period - Today the wheels took me noticeably farther on my 1/2 mile rolling glide downhill - They do feel different now at about 125 miles (I ride about 18 up and down miles every other day) - On close inspection of the hub I noticed a very minuscule amount of blue grease squeezed out at the cartridge edge and when spinning the front wheel it has less drag - I'll update this post after I get a few more miles on them...
05-22-12, 08:42 AM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 13,954
Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 413 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 109 Times
in
78 Posts
I think the book is called 'High-Tech Cycling. I'll post up more info later.
Although there's drag is very minimal in the big picture. Sealed cartridges probably have less drag the poorly adjusted cup/cone or poor quality cup/cone bearings.
Although there's drag is very minimal in the big picture. Sealed cartridges probably have less drag the poorly adjusted cup/cone or poor quality cup/cone bearings.
Last edited by miamijim; 05-22-12 at 04:23 PM.
05-22-12, 06:09 PM
#25
Banned.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 27,199
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 378 Post(s)
Liked 1,409 Times
in
909 Posts
I think it's a toss-up, but only when you get to upper end sealed bearing hubs.
This is only based on my completely unscientific experience.
I've had Mavic Ksyrium Elites, SSC's, and Cosmic Elites, Campy Eurus 10-sp, Khamsins, and Vento G3 Reaction sealed bearings.
I'd not say any of those are superior to a finely cleaned, lubed, and adjusted set of DA 7400 or tricolor 6400 hubs, or Chorus hubs.
However, I had a set of Hope Technology Ti Glide hubs, which were sealed bearing.
They were better than all of the above, including the DA's and the 10-sp Eurus hubs.
I can't outride the cheapest sealed bearing Chinese wheels, and probably, under way, can't tell the difference.
.....but my ego can.
This is only based on my completely unscientific experience.
I've had Mavic Ksyrium Elites, SSC's, and Cosmic Elites, Campy Eurus 10-sp, Khamsins, and Vento G3 Reaction sealed bearings.
I'd not say any of those are superior to a finely cleaned, lubed, and adjusted set of DA 7400 or tricolor 6400 hubs, or Chorus hubs.
However, I had a set of Hope Technology Ti Glide hubs, which were sealed bearing.
They were better than all of the above, including the DA's and the 10-sp Eurus hubs.
I can't outride the cheapest sealed bearing Chinese wheels, and probably, under way, can't tell the difference.
.....but my ego can.