Reletedly, and regarding earlier thread that @
brooklyn6640 started about BB30 bearings, I sent an email to enduro with quetions about their bearings and seals. Hambini doesn't like Enduro because they use larger clearance (c3) on their bearings than does NTN (which uses standard CN clearance). Also, in the other thread, @
brooklyn6640 had asked about angular contact bearings, which got me wondering about that issue. Below are my questions and Enduro's response:
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My note to Enduro:
I am in the market for replacement bearings for my BB30 bike. I am using SRAM Red cranks.
I am looking for a good balance between performance (low drag) and durability and am a bit overwhelmed by the choices you offer in the 6806 size.
I don’t think angular is right for me because crank loads are mainly radial and I am not confident my cranks allow sufficient preload adjustment.
I am drawn to ABEC 5 with the SRS seals because they seem to offer low drag but with adequate protection from the elements. Is that a fair assessment? How do they compare to ABEC 3 with LLB on drag and the degree to which the seals contact the inner race?
Also, which of your 6806 bearings are C3 and which are CN. Which do you recommend for BB30 applications. Seems like ABEC5 are CN, while others are C3. Is that correct?
Enduro response
Your email was forwarded to me and I’ll be glad to help. Not be contrarian, but speaking from experience, angular contact bearings have clearly proven to outlast their radial counterparts in bottom bracket applications. Bearing warranties plummeted after we switched nearly all of our bottom bracket offerings to angular contact bearings. And, importantly, customers have been equally impressed with the performance. The Enduro A/C bearings that we use are more of a hybrid angular/radial bearing with just 15-degree angle. The fact is that almost every bottom bracket, when the free play of the crank is adjusted out, ends up slightly pre-loading the bearings. Your SRAM Red crank is absolutely set up to provide the proper amount of preload for our angular contact offerings.
Almost all bearings we sell (and Enduro produce) are C-3. Some sellers conflate internal bearing clearance ratings such as “CN” with a precision machining rating, or in other words, insinuate that a CN is a higher quality bearing than C-3. Internal clearances and precision tolerances have nothing to do with each other. Simply put, the C-3 and CN ratings are strictly about how much free space is around the ball bearings. Unless a manufacturer has a specific design reason for wanting less clearance around the ball bearings, there is no inherent value in less clearance. In fact, depending upon how tight of press fit a bearing is, having less clearance could lead to binding inside the cartridge and premature failure.
If you have had no corrosion issues with your bottom bracket bearings in the past and are looking for the best performance value with a limited budget, the ABEC 5 angular contact chromium steel bearing option is best:
https://www.enduroforkseals.com/prod.../71806LLB.html
If you have had no corrosion issues in the past and are looking for the least rolling resistance, I recommend the ABEC 5 “CH” series angular contact ceramic hybrid option:
https://www.enduroforkseals.com/prod...H71806LLB.html
If you have had corrosion issues with previous bottom bracket bearings, then I recommend the ABEC 5 440C stainless steel angular contact option:
https://www.enduroforkseals.com/prod...71806-LLB.html
If you have a direct fit bottom bracket and need new seals or retaining rings, we have these bearings available in kits as well:
https://www.enduroforkseals.com/prod...ing_kits/bb30/