Kogel's Ball Bearing Adventures
All the components in a bicycle ball bearing (how they interact with each other)
Radial ball bearings, the most common type in bicycle applications, have five components to them: balls, races, cages, seals, and lubrication. The quality of the ball bearing is determined by any single one of them. Ultimately, any one of these 5 components in your bicycle's radial ball bearings not optimized can lead to lower performance and have to purchase new ones sooner than expected. Especially if you don't use the right kind of lubricant for race day. The lesson here is whether you ride mountain, road, gravel, or a triathlon, take care of your bearings - and they'll take care of you.
Derailleur Pulleys Buyer's Guide
Recently we introduced new oversized derailleur pulleys for Shimano and Sram Wifli derailleurs. Adding another option for derailleur pulleys may have made it more challenging choosing the best setup for...
5 ways to reduce drivetrain friction and why it is important
You can install all the fancy ceramic bearings in the world, but the effort is quickly lost if you do not pay attention to ALL parts of your drivetrain and how...
How to install PressFit bottom brackets for home mechanics
Pressing bottom brackets in frames can be a daunting task. It is not necessarily difficult, but if things go south, your ceramic bearings and frame are at risk. For this...
The lowest friction from ceramic bearings
Or: why we are not obsessed with building the lightest running bearings Reading any post about bearings in the cycling media, it seems that the quality of bearings is only...
Problems with ceramic bearings, part two
In part one of this article, we covered the cost and lifespan of ceramic bearings. Part 2 will look at the maintenance and performance benefits. Ceramic bearings require a lot...
Problems with ceramic bearings, part one
Ever since we started Kogel Bearings, I have had the feeling we were fighting an uphill battle. Selling a high quality product, which has a very bad reputation. Just like...
T47: the good, the bad and the availability.
Last year at NAHBS, a new bottom bracket standard was introduced. Dubbed T47, the parameters were set through a collaboration between White Industries and custom bike builder Argonaut Bicycles. Chris...
Four benefits of ceramic bearings for bicycles
Let's face it: ceramic bearings are not for everyone. Some people still believe the durability of ceramic bearings is bad, some don't want to spend any money and some just...
Removing bottom brackets like a boss
Since our post on Installing bottom brackets like a boss, it only seems fair that we write up instruction on how to safely remove a pressed in bottom bracket. The...
Specialized OSBB explained
Specialized bottom brackets have been confusing our customers for some time now. Many frames are carrying the OSBB label, but in reality, this Oversized Bottom Bracket covers a range of...
Ceramic bearings vs. steel bearings. Which ones do you need?
If there is one thing we see a lot in comments sections about ceramic bearings, it is people claiming ceramic bearings do not offer benefits and are not worth their...
