CeramicSpeed Ceramic Race Coated Bottom Bracket - BB90 to GXP (SRAM)

CeramicSpeed Ceramic Race Coated Bottom Bracket - BB90 to GXP (SRAM) Info

This CeramicSpeed Race Coated Bottom Bracket is for mating BB90 bottom brackets to 24mm/22.5mm stepped diameter thru-axle bottom bracket spindles. The kind you find on SRAM and Quarq GXP cranks.

A quick tutorial on the BB90 standard. It’s known as the Trek standard. The name refers to bottom bracket shells 90.5mm in width and 37mm internal diameter. The bearings are pressed into the bottom bracket shell and are flush with the shell. The cups are held in place by a step molded or machined into the bottom bracket shell. BB90 is for road. The same basic design with a 95.5mm bottom bracket width is BB95, the mountain bike version of the same-and this bottom bracket works with bikes that have the BB95 standard.

People are interested in ceramic bearings because the right design can have dramatically less frictional resistance than standard steel bearings. CeramicSpeed is an innovator in bearing technology. They mastered the use of ceramic ball bearings pressed into hardened steel races for both reduced friction and improved durability. You can go faster with less maintenance. Great things both. These are the reasons why pro teams seek out ceramic bearings. CeramicSpeed has the pro teams coming to them, begging for bearings. Even the ones they don’t sponsor might well be using them in order not to be left behind.

If you replace all your bike’s bearings with CeramicSpeed, you could be looking at a savings of 25 seconds in 40km if you’re riding at 48kph. The savings goes up to two minutes if you’re riding at 32kph. Extend that to an Ironman-length ride, and the savings could vary from 1:50, if you’re going 48kph to nine minutes if you’re going 32kph.

CeramicSpeed utilizes Grade 3 Silicon Nitride balls that possess the best possible surface finish and roundness. In testing, the balls are 400% smoother, 128% harder, and 58% lighter than standard steel balls found in most bike components. They’re more than 100% smoother and 15% harder than standard ceramic balls. The balls are installed into hardened steel races in dust-free clean rooms and then checked again before assembly is complete. Not only is low friction the result, but so is increased bearing life. Like three to five times longer than standard bearings.

Another step they take in assuring the lowest-possible frictional drag is using grease they designed as lubricant. It comes in the bearings and a syringe comes with the bearings as well.

Part of CeramicSpeed’s commitment to having the lowest-friction bearings on the market is keeping up their research and development. That led them to finding a special metallic coating that can be applied three microns thick on the races. It makes the treated surface 80% harder than hardened steel. In terms of friction, the already low-friction CeramicSpeed bearings with the treatment see friction reduced by over 50%. In terms of service life, these coated bearings last even longer, like over 60% longer, than the standard CeramicSpeed bearings. Better yet, the coating means the races better resist contamination from water, dirt, degreaser, etc. Aka, the risk of bearing failure due to corrosion has been reduced to near zero. They can even run without grease or oil, though CeramicSpeed recommends their blue all-around grease for regular use, and their TT grease for achieving the lowest-possible friction.

The kit comes with two CeramicSpeed bearings. Also coming with are: dust cover, seals, and a sticker sheet. You must use the spacers included with the packaging.

The CeramicSpeed BB90 Trek SRAM GXP bottom bracket is tech nirvana.