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Old 04-19-25 | 12:09 PM
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rccardr
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Generally speaking, virtually all bearings used in bike wheels are some variation on balls contained within races. Cup and cone hubs have adjustable races. The races in sealed bearings are not adjustable. The RPM for bikes wheels is so low that almost any kind of bearing will do the job for a long time if properly maintained. One could conceivably make the argument that large balls (cup and cone) are more efficient and have less rolling resistance than small balls (sealed bearing) but I’m no engineer.

The answer to your question is: it depends. Neither design is inherently superior to the other with regard to rolling resistance. How clean and well adjusted is the cup and cone hub? How tight are the seals on the sealed bearing hub? For all practiical purposes, either kind of bearing design could roll further than the other given enough maladjustment, dirt, or seal tension.
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