elcyc

So I'll get to the bottom line first: I need to replace front and rear Shimano Deore hub bearings.
The rear hub uses a freehub/cassette. Researching the topic, I got as far as what's on the Harris Cyclery page:
Harris Cyclery Bicycle Ball Bearings

Succinctly...

1/4" (rear)
3/16" (front)
Grade 25 is best; Wheel Mfg. is a good brand.
One can order order Wheel Mfg. from Harris, Amazon or from Wheelmfg.com (price: $5.00-7.00 for a tub of qty 25).

Questions:
Is there a better option than above? E.g., a brand/source with better batch tolerances?
What about material: carbon steel, chrome steel, ceramic, etc.?
How about cheap, high-qty sources like Alibaba or eBay? (many sellers on ebay claim: grade 25, precision, etc. in qtys of 100 for the same price as Amazon/Wheel Mfg. tubs)

dedhed

Bicycle Balls : Bearing Ball Store, Wholesale Bearing Balls

I usually just go to my local industrial bearing house like "Motion Ind."

Plimogz

You can get 150 count bottles (of Wheels Manufacturing, gr.25) for around double what those 25 count packages will cost you. I recently bought bottles in both sizes, and JensonUSA price matched them down to $7.50 and $9.

dwmckee

I just buy the quantity I need from my LBS and a couple extras for when I drop one. No shipping and no waiting.

dsbrantjr

Just buy Grade 25 in steel; higher grade precision is no advantage. Ceramic balls' strong points, high speed and high temperature, are not needed either so the expense is pointless.

wschruba

Local bearing supplier, as above (ie: Grainger or the like). Chrome steel balls, grade 25, nothing fancy...you should be able to grab a bag of 100-150 for around $12-13. Even a moderately sized town will have someplace to buy them immediately vs. waiting for shipping.

Ceramic is useless in the application of a bicycle, apart from corrosion resistance; you wind up paying an obscene amount (~$4 a ball) for high grade balls that have no great effect. You won't want non-chromed balls, as they have poor corrosion resistance, but are similar in other respects. When selecting bearings, realize that the grade (100, 500, 25, ABEC 1-9, etc...) is the indicator of batch quality.

Buy from a reputable source; you have no way of measuring whether or not balls are accurate short of gross defects--even a good quality micrometer will only be able to check to the thousandth, whereas grade 25 bearings are measured to a tolerance of millionths. Without such tools, making a claim against a vendor would be worthless...

elcyc

Thx for all the replies!

The OEM bearings in my Deore hubs, after 10+ yrs/6k miles, are still good. Only a very, very minor unsmoothness noted when I turn by hand. So, it could be the race or needs new grease.

LBS checked so far don't sell to customer.
Ordering directly from WheelMfg will cost me $16.00 ($6 for Priority Mail, std. ship or even envelope not an option -- 1st class could be $2!)

Harris/SheldonBrown site notes:

"Bearing balls are made to extremely high precision within each production batch, but there are typically slight size variations between one production run and another of the same nominal size.
For this reason, you should never mix batches of bearing balls. If you have some that are a little bit bigger and some that are a little bit smaller, the bigger ones will be doing all of the work, and the smaller ones might as well not be there."

If that's accurate then the WheelMfg tubs/bottles seem like a wise investment...

wschruba

The statement from Sheldon Brown's website is accurate; replace them all, or don't replace them.

Do a search for a Grainger location around you. For example, there are 10 locations within 25 miles of LA center...Grainger sells consumer direct. I can't believe that a [bike] shop wouldn't sell 30-40 bearings to you, but hey, that's a good indication not to go back there for anything.

elcyc

The Ball bearings store is a GREAT source. Much better prices and cheap S/H. Also, their item description -- FWIW -- is much better than Amazon, Wheel Mfg, etc.
Thx!!!

elcyc

Local Performance Bikes. Years ago, that store was Circle Cycle (before Performance bought them); i could buy loose bearings and other service items. Now, you have to buy the SERVICE. But Bearing Ball Store, Wholesale Bearing Balls noted above by dedhed is perfect!

dedhed

last time I bought bearings from the LBS (years now) they were $.10/ea. so $2-3 a wheel.Then I found out I could get 100 for $5 at the local bearing supply and never looked back. I buy in bulk and keep them in stock now, like cables, so when I need them, I have them. They're so cheap I don't even check them anymore, if I'm servicing a hub it gets new balls.

oddjob2

There are probably less than 1/2 a dozen global manufacturers of ball bearings. Everyone else is a repackaging or distributor of these products. You don't even know if they are buying from the same prime manufacturer with each batch.

How well you adjust your cones will have a greater effect on smoothness and efficiency.

HillRider

If that hub hasn't been cleaned and regreased in over 10 years, that's by far the first thing you should do. Replacing the bearing balls would be a good idea but relubing is the most most pressing issue.

banana rat

I was able to order a set of 500 loose assorted bike bearings from Amazon for about $15 shipped APO. Probably has most any size I will ever need. I figured it's easier to get it right the first time since I live in a remote part of the world and it's 3 weeks minimum for mail here.

Grand Bois

I buy them in quantity and always replace all of them.

When I worked in a shop many years ago, the cheapskate owner had us flush them with WD-40, roll them around on a rag and put them back in.

fietsbob

Bags of 1000.. Industrial sources are cheaper than sources filtered into bike parts retail outlets

( they buy them from similar sources then repackage them)

plonz 

+1. I think the new bearing thing has merit but a bit overhyped. Finding that sweet spot where you've taken the play out and not gone any tighter is a bigger factor in how well the wheel spins after a rebuild.

Ronsonic 

There's a bike shop here that has, for decades, sold ball bearings in packs that are exactly too few to use just one pack. Like 1/4" in packs of 15.

zoom996

Motion Industries doesn't sell them anymore.

elcyc

Almost certainly. Way too $$ re-tool -- or heck, even further assay -- for Wheel Mfg or "Elite Bicycle Parts Brand Name". Most are sourced from a few bearing manf. facilities throughout the world. Mil. spec, and aerospace have their pick of the litter.
Just go with a good industrial distributor (Grainger, or whatever the case may be in your country).
I was going to say avoid cheap Chinese deals...but ... China factories are often very new and highly automated. So QC may actually be comparable.