Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Do you offer that advice to motorists? The bearings on bicycles are adapted from bearings found in various spots on motor vehicles. They are most like what you will find in the steering system. Those bearings carry heavier loads and are exposed to more harsh conditions. They, however, last for 10s of thousands to hundreds of thousands of miles with no maintenance at all.
The cartridge bearings used in bicycles aren’t bicycle specific. They have wide applications in many industries that operate under far more harsh conditions that we cyclists put them through. No one seems to be all that concerned about their ability to handle the conditions.
Yeah I definitely go easy with the pressure washer on cars. Although it's a lot harder to directly spray bearing seals in a car. But you can certainly get water into places where it causes trouble. For example I've seen alternators destroyed from pressure washing engine bays.
I presume you pressure wash the crap out of all your bikes and they last forever. I just use a garden hose at most.