Thank you for mentioning us (the 1%) who love maintaining our bikes until to the smallest loose ball bearing you can find on a bike. Some of us have might OCD on maintainance but by the end of the everyone loves to ride a smooth bike. Great content! 😊
I had no idea what i was doing when I first built up my bike, and got a deal on wheels with NJS hubs. Thanks to youtube university, servicing them is pretty easy and chill.
Another super informative video I myself am partial to loose ball bearing components… I rode Walmart bikes growing up and always wanted them to run as best as possible
Yo man idk if u already made a vid like this, but what about one on crashing or getting in an accident. I recently had a couple of bad back to back crashes that took me from feeling fantastic to looking and feeling like a zombie. Unable to ride well and just thinking about it alot so yeah
One thing to keep in mind is that road shock will eliminate all the benefits of buttery smooth mechanics. I would like to see you do a video on Mr. Tuffy's. The best way to eliminate flats and lighter than tubless.
Just repacked a Campy BB from the early 90s, again, like 2 days before this video. Start to finish, 15 minutes max if you know where your tools and degreaser are (I use plain mineral spirits) and have a jar of new 1/4” ball bearings so you don’t have to fiddle with cleaning 22 individual parts. ( Campy bottom brackets take 11 balls per side uncaged). Depending upon condition I may soak and re-use the ball bearings, but this time there was some kitty litter present in the bottom bracket, so they went to recycle bin.
My fixie is about reliability & simplicity, so I prefer good sealed. It’s my transportation. My fussmaster roadbike is for long sunday rides with friends (often with real hills). It requires some kind of tuning every few weeks. ugh.
I grew up working on my bikes. The old 1980's Deore had unsealed bearings. As did the parts on my BMX bikes, and my Monty trials bike! However. The older I got, the lazier I got.
Maybe a little basic, but something that I'd love to see is a beginner's video on how to mount and get your feet into straps/clips on a fixed gear. Still trying to get this down.
or...... Can always go with a Phil Wood BB..... short of that, I do agree, alot of loose ball BB's are just Soooooooo nice. It's what I ride, and will continue to ride.
I hate unsealed loose ballbearing components :| I had to deal with them as a student because I rode my bike a lot the whole year around and consequently had to regrease and clean them quite often. That said it did make me a better mechanic… My favorite compromise are sealed loose ballbearing hubs like most Shimano hubs :) When it comes to bottom brackets I will always pick sealed industrial bearings tho… I’ve worn out so many loose ballbearing BBs while the sealed ones just lasted for years and they are quite smooth as well (Miche Pistard, Shimano Dura Ace, Shimano XT, Race Face ISIS FR (been on my MTB for 17 years and still smooth :) and Race Face Cadence all last a Long time and serve me very well). I’d always go for sealed bearings nowadays because I need my bikes to be reliable. I don’t that adjusting loose ballbearings is hard but then again I’ve done it on so many bikes in the past that I’m used to servicing them…
well. steel balls running in a steel race being drowned in grease. same principle for both types. with the difference that the races/grease/seal is all put together in the factory already in a handy package. if (!) you adjust a loose bearing properly, there will be no difference in smoothness, but i agree, in some cases the loose one might feel a tiny bit more smooth than the sealed one, if adjusted properly. but the energy you loose here happens only in your head, i doubt you could even measure it easily as it will be hidden in the noise. i have bicycles from the 70s with loose bearings and modern sealed fixed gear hubs, feel exactly the same.
I’ll be devils advocate as a Filipino from Kentucky. Try Shimano dura ace grease, it’s expensive but it is smooth as butter while also lasting really long. I hate adjusting my dura ace pedals but I repack them regularly because of how smooth they feel after a fresh overhaul.
1973 Atala Competizione custom. Magistroni faceted hs w/44 loose ball bearings. Galli high flange front hub, 24 loose. Campagnolo Record bottom bracket, 18. Maillard high flange helicomatic, 26. MKS BM7 pedals, 20 but not sure. Total 130?
The question is out of topic but does semi horizontal dropouts make a difference when skidding? Besides tightening it, are they reliable or are the traditional ones?
Seriously, they sell sealed loose ball bearing components. They have rubber seals to keep dirt out and good thick grease will keep the water out. If you add a lot of good thick grease (trust me it more than you think you need) you will not have to service them again for years and they will be super smooth. The complaint you have is not about loose or cage bearings it's about unsealed bearings or not using enough grease for longevity.
Start a “What grease do you use?” segment. After building up a bunch of answers, make a video. Personally own zero loose ball bearing but can understand the Zen one would get from getting it perfect! For a day or two😜.
Steel is heavier but can flex a little for better ride quality, and poor quality ones can rust. Alu is lighter but you really don't want it to flex because it can fatigue the metal.
hey zack i hope you notice this comment and i have a question i was going to buy a fixie bike i’m debating to buy a brand new bike from moose bikes and they use 4130 cromo and i saw this felt tk3 from 2011 on marketplace i’m debating what to get please help me and hope you notice my comment cheers to you and your channel!
If a sealed bearing BB doesn't creak and doesn't run too roughly then leave it! Nothing worse than a noisy fixed gear. My rear hub has SKF industrial bearings and the front hub needs the same treatment. The grease in those bearings is thick and fluid friction is high but that really will last a long time! That drive side rear hub bearing carries more load than any other on a bicycle.
The main thing is "if set up correctly." You need to fill only about 1/3rd the total volume of the bearing space with grease for the maximum performance. If you ride in the wet... a waterpoof grease and packing the bearing works. THAT SAID not all areas benefit from premium loose ball components. A cheap headset, well-adjusted, is really all you need unless doing tricks or taking the bike into harsh impacts. You will not really get any benefit from a premium headset besides style points, because it's a barely-moving part. Hell you could probably use a bushing headset if such a system were available! Even cheap loose ball hubs are fine and rarely need tweaking if set proper, but as you found the BB can be a pain. Some systems fix the "lockring made of cheese" issue and are very easy to adjust. Outside of square taper you also have loose BBs in the OPC realm which are super easy to maintain, though only found on cheap or ancient frames. The BB is under so much stress that you really do need to pay attention to it, and a sealed BB can fix a lot of the problems especially due to how many pieces you need to take apart to get to it.
There’s a difference between the caged bearings you have versus loose ball bearings… just saying. For me, with Phil Wood grease, I only have to service my Sugino bottom bracket twice a year
For me, I think it's just psychological the fact loose bearings being smother, you just can't feel fiscally the difference on the road!... specially on old tarmac!
No. Shimano still uses cup and cone bearings What Zach says is true. Not much dirt in a velodrome. For the rest of the world sealed bearings are better.
loose bearing anything can be serviced for $5-10 because 99.9% of the time it'll be only the bearings that need replacement. cartridge bearing, sealed bearings...you could be looking at up to $100s
Reminds me of the book 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" which I know Zach mentioned a few times before. I've been building bikes of all kinds, especially old school bmx/and vintage stuff and I've repacked/refreshed many loose bearing BB's, headsets and hubs... and Zach is right, it's fun to rebuild and have success at the end when its all put back together and functional. BUT, The superiority of sealed bearings is undebatable. Nothing spins like a sealed BB... not even the nicest loose bearing BB with the worlds best grease lol Anyway, Technically sealed bearing cartridges are still ball bearings but assembled and built to much tighter clearances and superior construction which equals less friction, wear, and noises. BTW sealed Bearing cartridges' are serviceable! Cheers
Aye maybe if you only cycle seldomly for leisure loose ball bearings are cool. Try working 100 km shifts 5 days a week as messenger than come back and tell me aboug loose ball bearings. Can't think of anything worse than repacking by bottum bracket every 2nd shift.
You dont need to be an elitist 1%er to enjoy maintaining your bike. Wearing a turtle neck and talking about being 1%ers - I'm enjoying the troll. I wipe down, polish my bike, wash and relube my drivetrain on a weekly basis but does not having a loose BB or hubs make me a filthy pleb? But hey, at least I too have my turtle neck. Chuffed!
Loose ball bearing parts are trash, let's be real. Yeah, they can be smooth if adjusted properly, but can never be smoother than good sealed bearings. Also, they stop working properly if you like look at them the wrong way, so you'll need to grease and adjust them for like 4 hours. Totally not worth it.
I can adjust my wheel hub bearings in like 10 minutes but that's just because I'm some kind of savant at doing it by feel. My LBS was actually surprised by how smooth when I had them check a wheel after a crash. But the BB is a nightmare to deal with if you use a loose one though, sealed for that all the way.
@Bebo I was meaning for both wheels. What I do is I get the cone nut finger tight and then hold it with the wrench while tightening the lock nut. I check for play and if none is there I give it a spin. Usually there isn't any and it freely spins unless something's damaged.
@Bebo I found that that causes weird issues and never could get it to run as smooth til I learned the way I do it now. Probably a YMMV thing because hubs have so many strange variations on the designs
No don’t! Grease is messy and build condensation, soon you will have grease on your pants and socks. And eventually grease will run out and you’ll have squeaky noise at your feet. Also could fail you and you chain could come off at the wrong time and cause a serious accident. So no just don’t!
Glad you've finally reached this point. I remember when you hated doing maintenance
thank you zach you inspired me to ride a fixed gear loving my first project fixed gear build been watching this channel since 2017
for more content i suggest do bike checks with people whom you ride with
Come and check our fixies in Brazil for more content. Ask about Caixinha
Zac has become the steve jobs of fixies.
especially with the turtle neck..
Thank you for mentioning us (the 1%) who love maintaining our bikes until to the smallest loose ball bearing you can find on a bike. Some of us have might OCD on maintainance but by the end of the everyone loves to ride a smooth bike.
Great content! 😊
We are few.
Congratulations on 100k subscribers!!! Thanks for the lots of awesome fixed gear content. Keep it up!
I had no idea what i was doing when I first built up my bike, and got a deal on wheels with NJS hubs. Thanks to youtube university, servicing them is pretty easy and chill.
Another super informative video I myself am partial to loose ball bearing components… I rode Walmart bikes growing up and always wanted them to run as best as possible
A few years from now- "my transformation into a bicycle to get the ultimate ride experience"
100K CONGRATS MAN!!
PLEEEEEEEASE BRING BACK FIXIE POINTS. the commentary from you was so legendary!
How do I keep my steel bike frame from rusting on the inside?
just bought superlap bb. can’t wait for my next build
You'll hit 100k soon Zachy
Yo man idk if u already made a vid like this, but what about one on crashing or getting in an accident. I recently had a couple of bad back to back crashes that took me from feeling fantastic to looking and feeling like a zombie. Unable to ride well and just thinking about it alot so yeah
One thing to keep in mind is that road shock will eliminate all the benefits of buttery smooth mechanics.
I would like to see you do a video on Mr. Tuffy's. The best way to eliminate flats and lighter than tubless.
let's go, road to 100k subs 👌
watching from the Philippines
Just repacked a Campy BB from the early 90s, again, like 2 days before this video.
Start to finish, 15 minutes max if you know where your tools and degreaser are (I use plain mineral spirits) and have a jar of new 1/4” ball bearings so you don’t have to fiddle with cleaning 22 individual parts. ( Campy bottom brackets take 11 balls per side uncaged).
Depending upon condition I may soak and re-use the ball bearings, but this time there was some kitty litter present in the bottom bracket, so they went to recycle bin.
At this point I have a feeling pretty much everything is covered and from now on we'll go in circles around smoothness and 1%
Or just ride along videos. He could be making best bikes to buy this year for the money at least
“Nice turtleneck”
-The Rock
2:53 what does the sleeve actually do?
Protects the grease from getting mixed with dirt or water coming in from the seat tube or bottle cage holes.
My fixie is about reliability & simplicity, so I prefer good sealed. It’s my transportation. My fussmaster roadbike is for long sunday rides with friends (often with real hills). It requires some kind of tuning every few weeks. ugh.
Spline drive fixed gear is the best bottom bracket/crankset setup. Literally the smoothest and 100% power transfer
Thanks for your content.
Can you do an episode on chain sizes?
Cheers Stevie from Scotland
I grew up working on my bikes. The old 1980's Deore had unsealed bearings. As did the parts on my BMX bikes, and my Monty trials bike! However. The older I got, the lazier I got.
Can you review the salsa stormchaser?! Please
Good day Zach....can you please do a review or give your opinion about tsunami fixed gear frames?😁
I've repacked my dura ace hubs and it's still has that drag, what should I do??
Maybe a weird comment, but. Ive noticed that your skin is looking great! Whats your routine?
He went to Mexico and got nice skin
Why is my interior tube always get snake bite because of the rim? Since i already have a rim tape
Awesome vid zach god bless
M0st dedicated riders in NYC are their 0wn mechs.
Maybe a little basic, but something that I'd love to see is a beginner's video on how to mount and get your feet into straps/clips on a fixed gear. Still trying to get this down.
You really do like a smooth ride.
It's more maintenance, but it feels smoother for quite a bit. I prefer low maintenance, but if I had more time to ride, would probably do it, too.
Can I use 1/8 cog with a 3/32 chainring? IE sram s300
or...... Can always go with a Phil Wood BB..... short of that, I do agree, alot of loose ball BB's are just Soooooooo nice. It's what I ride, and will continue to ride.
I hate unsealed loose ballbearing components :| I had to deal with them as a student because I rode my bike a lot the whole year around and consequently had to regrease and clean them quite often.
That said it did make me a better mechanic…
My favorite compromise are sealed loose ballbearing hubs like most Shimano hubs :)
When it comes to bottom brackets I will always pick sealed industrial bearings tho… I’ve worn out so many loose ballbearing BBs while the sealed ones just lasted for years and they are quite smooth as well (Miche Pistard, Shimano Dura Ace, Shimano XT, Race Face ISIS FR (been on my MTB for 17 years and still smooth :) and Race Face Cadence all last a Long time and serve me very well).
I’d always go for sealed bearings nowadays because I need my bikes to be reliable.
I don’t that adjusting loose ballbearings is hard but then again I’ve done it on so many bikes in the past that I’m used to servicing them…
well. steel balls running in a steel race being drowned in grease. same principle for both types. with the difference that the races/grease/seal is all put together in the factory already in a handy package. if (!) you adjust a loose bearing properly, there will be no difference in smoothness, but i agree, in some cases the loose one might feel a tiny bit more smooth than the sealed one, if adjusted properly. but the energy you loose here happens only in your head, i doubt you could even measure it easily as it will be hidden in the noise. i have bicycles from the 70s with loose bearings and modern sealed fixed gear hubs, feel exactly the same.
I’ll be devils advocate as a Filipino from Kentucky. Try Shimano dura ace grease, it’s expensive but it is smooth as butter while also lasting really long. I hate adjusting my dura ace pedals but I repack them regularly because of how smooth they feel after a fresh overhaul.
1973 Atala Competizione custom. Magistroni faceted hs w/44 loose ball bearings. Galli high flange front hub, 24 loose. Campagnolo Record bottom bracket, 18. Maillard high flange helicomatic, 26. MKS BM7 pedals, 20 but not sure. Total 130?
The question is out of topic but does semi horizontal dropouts make a difference when skidding? Besides tightening it, are they reliable or are the traditional ones?
I foking love dura ace hubs but also sad about the part that it only have one side fix.
Zach, since you are in Mexico, have you tried mexican made bike frames. You can find Valentina bikes and Valerio frames on mexico city.
I was about 8 and my pedaling got real rough and ball bearings started falling out in the street.
Seriously, they sell sealed loose ball bearing components. They have rubber seals to keep dirt out and good thick grease will keep the water out. If you add a lot of good thick grease (trust me it more than you think you need) you will not have to service them again for years and they will be super smooth. The complaint you have is not about loose or cage bearings it's about unsealed bearings or not using enough grease for longevity.
Start a “What grease do you use?” segment. After building up a bunch of answers, make a video. Personally own zero loose ball bearing but can understand the Zen one would get from getting it perfect! For a day or two😜.
just got my Chris King hubs this summer and I agree--nothing smoother...
Imma be honest, I'm lazy AF😅😂
Dude youve come a long ass way from doing reviews of USB rechargeable bike lights😘
Try rating fixed gears from the Philippines
fg or fw?
Hey Zack, is there any noticeable different between an aluminum and a steel quill stem? Weight, ride quality, etc ?
Totally just spelled Zach wrong
Steel is heavier but can flex a little for better ride quality, and poor quality ones can rust. Alu is lighter but you really don't want it to flex because it can fatigue the metal.
Idea.. full sealed bearing rain bike and full loose fast/smooth bike
hey zack i hope you notice this comment and i have a question i was going to buy a fixie bike i’m debating to buy a brand new bike from moose bikes and they use 4130 cromo and i saw this felt tk3 from 2011 on marketplace i’m debating what to get please help me and hope you notice my comment cheers to you and your channel!
If a sealed bearing BB doesn't creak and doesn't run too roughly then leave it! Nothing worse than a noisy fixed gear. My rear hub has SKF industrial bearings and the front hub needs the same treatment. The grease in those bearings is thick and fluid friction is high but that really will last a long time! That drive side rear hub bearing carries more load than any other on a bicycle.
The main thing is "if set up correctly." You need to fill only about 1/3rd the total volume of the bearing space with grease for the maximum performance. If you ride in the wet... a waterpoof grease and packing the bearing works. THAT SAID not all areas benefit from premium loose ball components. A cheap headset, well-adjusted, is really all you need unless doing tricks or taking the bike into harsh impacts. You will not really get any benefit from a premium headset besides style points, because it's a barely-moving part. Hell you could probably use a bushing headset if such a system were available! Even cheap loose ball hubs are fine and rarely need tweaking if set proper, but as you found the BB can be a pain. Some systems fix the "lockring made of cheese" issue and are very easy to adjust. Outside of square taper you also have loose BBs in the OPC realm which are super easy to maintain, though only found on cheap or ancient frames. The BB is under so much stress that you really do need to pay attention to it, and a sealed BB can fix a lot of the problems especially due to how many pieces you need to take apart to get to it.
There’s a difference between the caged bearings you have versus loose ball bearings… just saying. For me, with Phil Wood grease, I only have to service my Sugino bottom bracket twice a year
There is also 3rd category. Old cheap loose ball bearings. Does it grind? Yes. Does it wobble? Also yes. Deal with it.
two thumbs up for loose ball bearings
Did you get better at maintaining a BB though?
You can wear the threads down by constant tinkering. If it's reasonably smooth, leave it!
No, but you do get that elite 1%er status.
I can't wait for magnetic bearings to become viable for bicycles.
For me, I think it's just psychological the fact loose bearings being smother, you just can't feel fiscally the difference on the road!... specially on old tarmac!
Zack said "Ball" (or "loose ball") exactly 10 times in this video. Is it deliberate? Moving on.
I thought Dura Ace hubs were sealed bearing?
Road Dura Ace hubs are. IIRC Track Dura Ace hubs are loose cup and cone bearings.
No. Shimano still uses cup and cone bearings What Zach says is true. Not much dirt in a velodrome. For the rest of the world sealed bearings are better.
What's up Zach
Интересно. Тесты проводились.
Ну там на время хотя бы.
loose bearing anything can be serviced for $5-10 because 99.9% of the time it'll be only the bearings that need replacement. cartridge bearing, sealed bearings...you could be looking at up to $100s
One Gear Monday
Two Minute Tuesday
Wabi Wednesday
Three Minute Thursday
Fixie Friday
Saddle Saturday
Fun Ride Sunday
I’ll take your entire stock lol
I uhh, also can’t afford a Sugino bb 😂
🔥
Sealed lang malakasssss.
Is that a tactical turtleneck or?
*#DangerZone*
DANGER ZONE!
How about chains? Also Please also do shoutout for me 😬
Hi sir, sponsor me a fixed gear bike for Advance Christmas Gift 😂
A shot in the dark?
Are you wearing color contacts???
Reminds me of the book 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" which I know Zach mentioned a few times before. I've been building bikes of all kinds, especially old school bmx/and vintage stuff and I've repacked/refreshed many loose bearing BB's, headsets and hubs... and Zach is right, it's fun to rebuild and have success at the end when its all put back together and functional. BUT, The superiority of sealed bearings is undebatable. Nothing spins like a sealed BB... not even the nicest loose bearing BB with the worlds best grease lol Anyway, Technically sealed bearing cartridges are still ball bearings but assembled and built to much tighter clearances and superior construction which equals less friction, wear, and noises. BTW sealed Bearing cartridges' are serviceable! Cheers
Aye maybe if you only cycle seldomly for leisure loose ball bearings are cool. Try working 100 km shifts 5 days a week as messenger than come back and tell me aboug loose ball bearings. Can't think of anything worse than repacking by bottum bracket every 2nd shift.
Three minutes on chains
Mind over natter sprongs to mind its all in your head no way are you notocing to doffrence between both new parts on road
Sounds like it’s time for hambini-gallardo crossover
The real way to make your bike smoother is to wear a turtle neck... Lets be honest
You dont need to be an elitist 1%er to enjoy maintaining your bike.
Wearing a turtle neck and talking about being 1%ers - I'm enjoying the troll.
I wipe down, polish my bike, wash and relube my drivetrain on a weekly basis but does not having a loose BB or hubs make me a filthy pleb? But hey, at least I too have my turtle neck. Chuffed!
Loose ball bearing parts are trash, let's be real. Yeah, they can be smooth if adjusted properly, but can never be smoother than good sealed bearings. Also, they stop working properly if you like look at them the wrong way, so you'll need to grease and adjust them for like 4 hours. Totally not worth it.
I can adjust my wheel hub bearings in like 10 minutes but that's just because I'm some kind of savant at doing it by feel. My LBS was actually surprised by how smooth when I had them check a wheel after a crash.
But the BB is a nightmare to deal with if you use a loose one though, sealed for that all the way.
@Bebo I was meaning for both wheels. What I do is I get the cone nut finger tight and then hold it with the wrench while tightening the lock nut. I check for play and if none is there I give it a spin. Usually there isn't any and it freely spins unless something's damaged.
@Bebo I found that that causes weird issues and never could get it to run as smooth til I learned the way I do it now. Probably a YMMV thing because hubs have so many strange variations on the designs
No don’t! Grease is messy and build condensation, soon you will have grease on your pants and socks. And eventually grease will run out and you’ll have squeaky noise at your feet. Also could fail you and you chain could come off at the wrong time and cause a serious accident. So no just don’t!