Topolino's Bearings

A word on our bearings...

At Topolino, we take our bearings seriously. Proper bearing size and quality is essential to a long lasting, high performance wheelset.

All of our wheels come standard with ultra high precision ABEC-5 bearings, which have greater precision than the ABEC-1 or ABEC-3 bearings commonly available on most other high-end wheels. Our bearings have specially lapped races that cradle extremely high tolerance grade 5 balls, each with a sphericity within only five-millionths of an inch (µ-in). In comparison, most standard loose bicycle bearings are much lower tolerance -- at only grade 300 these bearings have a much looser sphericity tolerance (within 300-millionths of an inch). Our bearings also use a specially formulated grease to further reduce internal bearing drag and maximize water displacement for ultimate weather resistance. A special graphite impregnated nylon retainer is used to additionally reduce any potential friction between the bearing balls.

The superior technology does not stop with the bearing balls. Our bearings have a true deep-groove race profile for genuine ABEC-5 performance. A shallower groove profile can make it easier for a bearing to achieve an ABEC-5 rating, but such a profile significantly reduces bearing longevity.

In a further refinement, these bearings use an axial face seal for even greater reduction in friction. This seal combines a large contact area to shield the bearing’s internals from contaminants with a profile that does not add excess friction. Beware of bearings with non-contact seals or shields – contaminates can easily infiltrate these bearings, quickly degrading their performance.

For the ultimate in performance...

We now offer a factory installed hybrid-ceramic bearing upgrade option for our Carbon Core line. While our precision ABEC-5 bearings are excellent quality and will provide thousands of miles of smooth, trouble-free life, Topolino’s hybrid-ceramic bearings are available for those who desire the ultimate in bearing performance.

These hybrid-ceramic bearings are also high-precision ABEC-5 rated, but incorporate special silicon nitride (ceramic) balls. Silicon nitride is the ultimate in bearing material -- it is lighter and harder than bearing steel. Due to the incredible hardness of these balls, our bearing races are specially treated in a nine-step process involving progressively finer grinding, special lapping of the races, multiple de-magnetization procedures, and a cryogenic treatment after each metalworking step. The cryogenic treatment normalizes the metallic grain structure in the race to minimize any brinnelling due to contact with the extra hard ceramic balls.

We seal these special ceramic bearings with a twin lip seal, which rides within special grooves in the inner race for minimal friction and superb all weather protection.

In the world of bicycle bearings, size matters...

At Topolino, we have chosen to save weight by virtue of our innovative design and use of cutting edge materials. Note that our front hub uses two full size 12mm 6901 bearings, with an even heavier duty 6001 bearing in place on the drive side of the rear hub. These bearings have excellent load ratings and will provide thousands of miles of smooth, worry free riding. However, some wheel companies have chosen to shed grams by reducing bearing size. Beware that these undersized bearings have substantially lower load ratings and significantly shorter life. For example, other “light-weight” wheel companies utilize bearings that have less than half the load rating of our 6901’s. This leads to premature bearing wear and requires frequent replacement.