Originally Posted by
veganbikes
Only found on cheap bikes,
If you are calling their stuff cheap you are need to smoke just a little less.).
LOL -- I like PRJ's input at times -- other times he has a
"Ready ! Fire ! Aim ! " approach -- LOL
The advantage of cartridge bearings used to be mostly be just ease of maintenance - not rolling resistance, as it is still a caged bearing system , which has a hard time being as fast or efficient as a loose ball non caged system, which, as mentioned - DOES need more maintenance
Chris King and Phil Wood make beautiful stuff and come closest to bridging the gap i would suspect .
Im a trackie - there is a mix of old and new technology there -- tubulars and toe straps are still widely used . Not because we're dumb -- but because in the real world, a 23c tubular with a cotton casing is still faster than a 28c clincher or tubeless tire despite popular opinion about "wider tires being faster " - and since most of us ride road too, we are well aware of those new fangled clipless pedals Look made famous in 1985, but truth be told , there still isnt a cost effective one out there that is safe to use for a 200 pound sprinter who is unleashing a 1300 watt sprint. And years ago it was still common knowledge that cup/cone cageless bearing hubs without dust seals were faster than Phil Wood hubs -- but this is also for special purpose racing bicylces that were used once a week
I love Shimano XT and XTR component stuff myself , but can see the advantage of cartridge stuff for a guy with a trail bike who wants to buy it and forget it essentially too . They are not better, but are less a PIA (kinda like tubulars vs clinchers )