The darker months bring out the macabre in each of us; for Gianni it was the extinction of his beloved Park Tool adjustable clamp. For me, I found myself mourning the fact that I recently purchased a headset press. Ignoring the fact that a Velominatus of my stature didn’t already own one, the mourn behind the mourn is where the interest lies.
What could possibly compel anyone to grieve over buying one of the most remarkable tools a person could own? I once installed a headset using only a wooden staircase, a two-by-four, and a hammer. My dad was surprised I managed to get the cups installed properly; my mother was surprised at the state of the steps. Using a press to install a headset is a beautiful process but it also doesn’t surprise anyone the way installing a headset with a hammer and a block of wood does.
In my life as a Cyclist, I have rarely required my own headset press; my dad owned a press when I was growing up and by the time I lived far enough from my dad’s workshop to merrit buying my own tool, headsets had evolved to the modern sealed cartridge bearing which only requires opposable thumbs to install. The headset press was running down the same trail upon which the whippoorwill was last seen right until some bright spark decided that screw-in bottom-bracket cups were too expensive to manufacture and that it would be a good idea to seat them directly into the frame. At which point the headset press made a surprising re-entry into the Velominatus’ toolbox on the same terms that my former headset installation technique impressed my mother.
I mourn this for two reasons. First, BB30 (and its relatives) are based on a sound principle where one increases the support to the fulcrum to keep it from flexing under load while simultaneously increasing the diameter of the crank’s axle to reduce flex there as well. The result is pretty obvious to anyone who has ridden a bike using this system; it’s like riding without a chain the first time you use one. The point missed is that the BB shell is made generically to a loose standard instead of specifically to a manufacturer’s requirements, and the tolerances aren’t nearly tight enough to keep the system from creaking without the application of Loctite or the like, which is an abomination in itself. A bicycle should not require Loctite, ever.
Second – and more concerningly – it brings into mind the point that we have strayed far from The Path.
There was a time when the adjustment of a bearing against its races was an art mastered by the great artisans of our sport. Bearings are designed to reduce the friction between two surfaces that need to rotate around one another and consist of a system of two races (a cup and a cone) and a set of metal or ceramic balls which sit between the races. Each of the races are attached to the rotating surfaces, and the chief business of the balls is to facilitate expedient movement between the two, mostly because balls are good at rolling, and not much else besides chasing if you ask my dog. How effective the bearing is (how much it reduces the friction) is a function of how smooth the surfaces of the races are, how round the balls are, and how little tension exists between the three.
Art is about expressing perfection in a world of flaws; within this definition, adjusting a set of bearings is perhaps the most perfect example of art. No surface is perfectly smooth and no ball is perfectly round, which means that all bearings are flawed. To combat this, we add lubrication which helps smooth out the imperfections but also increases resistance. The master artisan balances these flaws to achieve the state closest to perfection.
The first time I rebuilt a hub, I spent hours adjusting the system; first teh bearings would be so loose that the axle would rattle. Then I’d tighten it to where the bearings felt rough. Back and forth the pendulum swung until the bearings spun smoothly. My pride brimmed over at my own success. The Master takes that as a starting point and works from there until they find perfection. This is the sort of skill that, in the past century, not only demanded the highest pay among mechanics, but secured their reputation and fixed their place in the industry.
Today, we adjust bearings with an allen key. We press them in with a headset press if our opposable thumbs can’t do the trick, and then we use a hex key to tighten the sucker just enough that we can stand how it functions. Its no way to live, although I admit it is a practical way to live.
But we aren’t professionals; we are disciples. I don’t care about practical, I care about the experience. My Campa Record hubs still have loose bearings, but that’s the only bicycle I own which still holds this relic. And I don’t even own the tools to properly adjust them. So for 2015, I set for myself the following goal: I endeavor to rebuild at least one of my bikes with a full compliment of adjustable, loose ball-bearings – the headset, the wheels, the bottom bracket. That is my mission, that is my rite. I shall embrace the cartridge bearing as part of the modern bicycle, but I will journey down the path to maintain my skill in adjusting a true bearing.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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View Comments
@Bruce Lee
Ouch...Cartridge bearings are faster??....sorry..you got that one wrong. Loose ball systems have far less friction than cartridge bearings. Even the ceramic ones. The ceramic (sealed) bearings came along to try and compete with the smoothness of loose ball but still fall short. There is a reason that the upper end Campy and Shimano hubs and wheels are still loose ball...faster rolling!
BB's made the switch to cartridge style for ease on maintenance, hubs followed suit. Then hub manufacturers realized they could make stronger hub shells and therefore stiffer wheels( needed for suspension forks to help stabilize the legs) with cartridge bearings. The upside on the BB side of things was that larger bearings could support larger spindles and therefore add stiffness. But smoother rolling is NOT part of the equation. As I posted earlier...the top level trackies, a breed eternally seeking stiffness to lay down the V, still use cup and cone bottom brackets...why? When doing 200+ rpm...friction is a bigger enemy....
And sadly..working on cup and cone is a dying art as @Frank mentioned. It pained me to be at Interbike this year and see that Park Tool had to have a seminar that taught current mechanics how to properly adjust cup and cone systems. I was horrified to see that a clinic like that was needed at an industry event. I can assure you...the shop I work at...all the young guys have been taught how to work on cup and cone!
I love how an article on ball bearings instantly reminds people of Ole Ritter and his Giro TT. One of the most sublime cycling films ever.
I love the sentiment of this article. The winter months are there for contemplation. Christmas marks the approach of a new year and a chance to receive what you most covet for your Bel Mezzo.
Faaaaack. I ruined a few Stronglight bottom brackets in my day. Too loose and it would be ruined, too tight and it would be ruined. Too wet and it would be ruined.
Who doesn't own cone wrenches? Oh right, anyone that is not an old fuck. I'll loan you my campa cone wrenches when you want to fulfill your destiny, luke.
No forgetting free ball bearings in the pedals too. Which reminds me I need to service mine.
Though the thing that always seems to get me is carefully removing forks and making sure the bearings don't drop out but there is always one from the bottom set that sticks in the head tube race just till your back is turned as you put the forks down and......ping....tink....bing. One bearing always seems to drop out and miss your carefully placed catch pan and bounce unseen across the floor. Lost count of the times I have spend ages finger tip and torch searching the conservatory floor for the darned escapee.
@ChrisO I do wonder about ceramic and sand. Doesn't sound like a good combination. Ceramic is hard but hard things almost by definition are brittle. Silica is also hard and so has similar characteristics. Could a shattered bearing be more likely than with steel.
Dura Ace and Record hubs are still a premium buy and they do come with great ball and cone bearing set ups. Do not discount the sealed bearings in many other brands, it is just a different way to do the same thing. Both sealed and ball bearings can be replaced and rebuilt by anyone that has the gumption to learn how. But nostalgia, which this is all about, dictates that ball and cone rocks. And it does if you know what you are doing.
Haven' t had a problem with Dura Ace hubs on the C24 wheels no adjustments in 8500km... unlike the cassette....
@Teocalli
Can still see said bearings stuck between the floorboards in the shed at my folks. See them can't get them.
Pedals with free-ball bearings. Had more of a hard time getting them done over the other free-balls.
As a kid working at my LBS, once we got the hubs running nice, we then balance the wheel with thick solder around the spokes. When you hold the wheel in your hands and spin them, there's none of the bouncing sensation.
@Teocalli My Speedplays were never quite the same* after the London Cogal. Fortunately, for my patience and skill levels, the cartridge bearings are fairly easy to replace.
*never quite the same can be translated from the Queen's English to murican as "completely fucked, wouldn't turn and only really worked after replacing the bearings seals and spindles".
@piwakawaka
What breed C24's ? DA9000 ? If so watch for delamination, had to send mine back for warranty and word is its a known issue with the clear coat !