CERAMICSPEED BOTTOM BRACKET REVIEW

THE BEST BB AVAILABLE?

Words & Photos by Cole Gregg

When it comes to high performance and long bearing life, CeramicSpeed is undoubtedly the brand that comes to mind for me in the cycling world. In 2023, my first adventure with a CeramicSpeed product began, with their coated ceramic bearing bottom bracket. Is the $479.00 price tag worth the squeeze, and is it actually that much better an entry level bottom bracket? These are the questions I set out to answer with nearly a full year of use on my daily driver, and now it’s time to report back on my findings.

ABOUT THE CERAMICSPEED BOTTOM BRACKET

The internals of the CeramicSpeed bottom bracket are where the difference lies. Unlike traditional steel bearing bottom brackets, CeramicSpeed uses a hybrid approach of hardened steel races and grade 3 Silicon Nitride ceramic balls. The ceramic balls are 59% lighter and roll 30-50% faster than their traditional steel counterparts. The Silicon Nitride balls are claimed to be 15% harder, 100% smoother and able to withstand a 99% higher load than another ceramic ball. This all equates to a long lasting high performance end product.

The bearings are designed and produced in Holstebro, Denmark, with a state of the art testing facility in Colorado. Assembly is done by hand to ensure the highest quality and attention to detail. In 2014 CeramicSpeed received the first and only FDA certification for a bearing. While we may know CeramicSpeed as high end bicycle components, they are also used in a wide variety of industrial applications.

The $479.00 bottom bracket I had on test came with a coated bearing, utilizing the highest quality ceramic balls offered by CeramicSpeed. These bearings sit within a hardened steel race which is given an even harder metallic coating. This coating is a mere 3-microns thick, and makes the steel on the race corrosion resistant; increases hardness by 74% and reduces friction. This leads to increased time between service intervals and ultimately a longer life for the product.

CeramicSpeed has a tall claim of offering the lowest friction and longest product life of any bottom bracket, and they back this up with a lifetime warranty. On their website there is a large database of test data and reports to support their claims, across not just their bottom brackets but their entire MTB product line.

The 73mm version spec’d for my Stumpjumper Evo weighs in at just 57g, while the base level SRAM BB comes in at 73g. Included with the bottom bracket are two 1mm spacers; a 3mm spacer, and 2 dust covers. Also included is a small tube of their long life grease, which is used to service the bearings and keep them running smooth.

THE DIRT

Well first let’s have a chat with the elephant in the article. That $479.00 price tag, or $510 and change after tax here in Washington state. You can get 9 base level Sram BB’s for that price. This is for sure an eye watering number to think about for a part on your bike that you never see and rarely think about.

If you are chasing maximum efficiency or trying to build that sub 32lb enduro bike, the weight saving is there, but only just.

The main justification I believe is the one that leads to sound reasoning for me, and that is longevity. While you may not keep your frame forever, if you keep within the same bottom bracket specs on your next few frames this is something you 100% could bring from bike to bike over the years. Also, if you are doing a frame up build and are the type of rider that stays with one bike for a long time, there may be some value there.

While I know the claims of more efficiency, less drag and so on are a big part of what makes ceramic bearings so good, when you put that on a bike with soft heavy tires; lackadaisical drivetrain cleaning and an old derailleur, that reduction of friction in the bearings is going to be quite hard to distinguish. So I look at this product as an investment in reliability and ease of maintenance, not in getting that extra edge on the climbs. At least for my world.

Of course, everything else remaining equal, you’ll still save energy with lower friction in your BB. And in the endurance world, any watts you can save are going to make you happy. After all, you don’t wear Lyrca for style points, do you?

Back to the maintenance aspect, not one time in 11 months did I take my cranks off to service the bearings. I am in the “wash your bike every ride camp” and am very generous with the amount of soap and water pressure I use. I really did not know what to expect when pulling the seal off. But 11 months on, upon pulling the seal off in preparation for this article, I was greeted with a bearing race fresh with grease. Inside there were only 3 out of the 17 bearings that had some evidence of grease missing, but even these were not fully dried up. There was no debris on the inside of the race where the ceramic bearings live, just on the very outside which is fully exposed behind the dust shield.

With the chain removed, giving the cranks a firm spin still results in an overwhelming number of rotations. With the cranks removed, spinning the bearing resulted in zero perceivable grit or sticky spots. The BB has been completely silent since day one. It’s safe to say I’m very impressed.

When I installed this on my bike I had severely neglected pulley wheels on the 2021 SRAM AXS derailleur that now has been fitted 4 different frames. This was something I did not realize until I installed the bottom bracket, and perhaps proves why the longevity is a bigger benefit for me with the CeramicSpeed BB than the reduction in friction. I would like to note that at the time of install a new chain, cassette and chainring were installed. As the months ticked by and the bike washes racked up I went through three chains, a cassette and 2 chainrings. What did not change was the quiet dependability of the CeramicSpeed bottom bracket.

I plan on removing the old grease per the CeramicSpeed maintenance instructions to help keep this in tip top shape for seasons to come. I purely went no maintenance for the purpose of this review and it without doubt passed the test. The maintenance process is pretty simple and can be done at home by someone with minimal mechanical skills. Once cleaned out, CeramicSpeed offers two levels of grease to re-lube the bearings. Their All-Round Grease should provide a longer lifespan between service, or the Race Day Grease results in the lowest friction possible, but requires shorter service intervals.

Being a realist in my position is hard. I have the product and understand why it is priced the way it is. But in my 10+ years of riding, I estimate that I have only replaced between 6 and 9 bottom brackets at most. If you add in bike changes, that is probably closer to 14 total BB’s used. With that said, I am looking to make a change in my personal bike for next season and other than sizing and ride characteristics I am looking at the bottom bracket in the hopes that this can be brought over to that new frame.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The CeramicSpeed Bottom Bracket is not a product that gives the direct feel of improving performance of an enduro mountain bike in the same way as a damper upgrade or going from an endurance compound tire to a soft compound can. However, if you are looking to build a bike to last many seasons to come, and place high value in quality products, it could be a wise choice, especially if you are adverse to bike maintenance and just want to go pedal.

Price: $479
Website: Ceramicspeed.com

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