A question I found on the Home Bicycle Mechanics Facebook group (that, in my experience, gets asked relatively often, with slight variations):
Best bearings for a fat tire bike that can handle a lot of weight?
- Thread starter BikeGremlin
- Start date
TL/DR:
Any decent quality radial cartridge bearing by a renowned manufacturer will do the job - just get the correct size. No need to pay for the "bicycle tax" (Enduro and the likes) - because SKF, FAG, NSK, and NTN (probably the best bang-for-the buck) make decent bearings just to name a few.
Longer explanation:
Exceptions to this are powerful electric bicycles and perhaps tandem bicycles (heavy touring bikes have some extra weight usually, but not the power of more than one rider).
As far as I know, angular contact bearings are a good choice when you have some radial, and a bit of axial load (but not primarily axial load).
You lean a bicycle in a corner, so most of the load that the wheels face is radial (unlike with cars that can't lean into corners). However, when you pedal out of the saddle, rocking the bike left-right, the wheels get some axial load.
Now, I've had great results with cup-and-cone hubs - they have angular contact bearings with relatively large bearing balls compared to cartridge bearing hubs (since the hub itself acts as the outer bearing race, so there is enough room for the relatively large bearings without making the hubs huge or too heavy).
I haven't tested angular contact cartridge bearings as in my city they are not easily sourced in the sizes that fit cartridge bearing hubs.
Still, if you don't pedal out of the saddle for a huge amount of time (and if your hub has cartridge bearings, of course), I suppose any decent quality radial bearings should get the job done.
Any decent quality radial cartridge bearing by a renowned manufacturer will do the job - just get the correct size. No need to pay for the "bicycle tax" (Enduro and the likes) - because SKF, FAG, NSK, and NTN (probably the best bang-for-the buck) make decent bearings just to name a few.
Longer explanation:
Bicycle bearing durability
Dirt intrusion is the bane of bicycle bearings. Not loads. Not even the water intrusion unless we're talking about pressure-washers or riding through deep water. In other words, any decent bearings are strong enough.Exceptions to this are powerful electric bicycles and perhaps tandem bicycles (heavy touring bikes have some extra weight usually, but not the power of more than one rider).
Radial vs Angular contact (cartridge) bearings
This aspect is also worth discussing.As far as I know, angular contact bearings are a good choice when you have some radial, and a bit of axial load (but not primarily axial load).
You lean a bicycle in a corner, so most of the load that the wheels face is radial (unlike with cars that can't lean into corners). However, when you pedal out of the saddle, rocking the bike left-right, the wheels get some axial load.
Now, I've had great results with cup-and-cone hubs - they have angular contact bearings with relatively large bearing balls compared to cartridge bearing hubs (since the hub itself acts as the outer bearing race, so there is enough room for the relatively large bearings without making the hubs huge or too heavy).
I haven't tested angular contact cartridge bearings as in my city they are not easily sourced in the sizes that fit cartridge bearing hubs.
Still, if you don't pedal out of the saddle for a huge amount of time (and if your hub has cartridge bearings, of course), I suppose any decent quality radial bearings should get the job done.
Last edited:
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