Cups – Our cups are made of either aircraft-grade 7075 alloy or Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V titanium.
Anodizing – Our Type 2 Anodizing is done right here in Connecticut and we offer a wide range of stock color options. Custom options are available upon request (fee applies). Anodizing is important for aluminum alloy cups because it creates a corrosion-resistant oxide barrier on the outside of the material. Anodizing also protects against thread galling and adds some scratch resistance.
Bearings – We start with the best Japanese bearings from NTN or NSK and upgrade their performance through an in-house service. We painstakingly remove the balls, cages, seals, and stock lubricant. After disassembly and cleaning we inspect, re-assemble, and refill the bearing with one of our application-specific greases. If selected during checkout, we also can add ceramic balls and super finish the bearing rings.
Super finished bearings – We offer polished bearings in both traditional and ceramic hybrid versions. Our proprietary isotropic polishing process uses chemicals to soften the rough areas in the bearing raceways left over from machining and grinding, then a ceramic media removes the high spots. The process is repeated until the surface is super finished and micro textured. The polishing process decreases rolling resistance and
allows the lubricant to be better retained inside the raceways. This option is available on both types of bearings (ceramic hybrid & standard 52100).
Ceramic hybrid or Standard 52100 bearings – We offer both ceramic hybrid bearings and standard 52100 high chromium content bearings. Both of our options are of the highest quality available. The ceramic hybrid bearings free spin slightly faster because of the ceramic balls’ superior roundness. They also tolerate corrosive/dirty environments better
than the standard 52100 bearing. Ceramic balls can pulverize small amounts of media that have penetrated the bearing seals. This feature allows them to effectively protect themselves from some internal abrasive wear.
Bearing seal options – We offer non-contact and full-contact bearing seal options. The full-contact seals will better resist wash-out and contamination, while the non-contact seals will free spin faster but need more maintenance. Choose based on application.
Bearing spindle reducers/insulators – We use a delrin polymer reducer/insulators for two reasons:
- It allows us to use a huge bearing in all our Bottom Brackets. Big bearings mean cross compatibility with more crank spindle diameters and higher loads can be managed without premature wear.
- It allows us to protect the crank spindle from the (much harder) inside bearing ring. If the crank spindle sits directly on the inner bearing ring, fretting and premature wear can occur.