Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
Balls are arguably less than ideal for handling the thrust loads that a headset endures. Roller bearings are a superior choice for headsets, IMO.
The guy behind Bullseye components evidently believed that conventional bottom bracket bearing designs were similarly less than optimal, so he designed a bottom bracket that included axial and radial bearings in separate retainers, for a total of four sets of (smaller than 1/4") caged bearing balls in each bottom bracket.
I know that only because the sales rep brought a sample to show us, since we were already buying the Bullseye sealed hubs. (At the time, Phil hubs had to be sent back to the factory for maintenance, whereas Bullseye hubs required only an Allen key to remove the collars that held the bearings in place on the axle.)
Just did a search; looks like that Bullseye BB may never have made it into production, since all I can find are Bullseye BMX bottom brackets, which appear to be a hot item in the world of high-end BMX equipment. Guessing that when the sales reps showed that radical bottom bracket design to bike shop guys like me without a background in materials engineering, they got a shrug and a "no thanks."