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#2 ·
EZO are bottom of the barrel in the industrial bearing landscape - which is still a few notches above what most bikes will have stock. My giant had EZO pivot bearings. They died quite fast, although I think that was more about the sizing and spec and not the brand. I have F.A.G bearings in it now, cause they were handy. that bike wont get much riding though anymore, so, it cant fairly compare.
 
#4 ·
The endure bearing things is funny. If I knew I could rebadge cheap junk Chinese bearings and convince mountain bikers they were an expensive upgrade, id be rich!

I have a $12 shimano BB52 bottom bracket, and a $129 hope bottom bracket, with endure bearings....

Guess which one's bearings goes gritty after 6 rides, and which one's dead smooth after 5 Canadian salt filled winters?

*sigh*

EZO may be bottom on the precision industrial scale, endure doesn't rate that scale (nor does dura-ace btw)
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
^ Agreed. Enduro bearings are trash! Every single one I've ever had has failed, usually quickly... but the grease isnt contaminated, its purely a quality issue. In most hub sizes, they're only about $7, but cheap doesn't work out if they fail close to instantly.

SKF has been great to me, but they're pretty expensive. I usually pay $15 a piece, plus shipping. Randomly I'll get lucky and find them for <$10 from reliable not-china sources. Everyone rants about INA/*** and NTN, but im not paying $30+ for a single cartridge bearing... I got two 6802's for $16 shipped from ezo. I'll report back, but I think these will be good.
 
#6 ·
Misumi does ntn, nsk, nachi and ezo (anything Japanese really).
You may need to log in to see pricing.

NSK: $26 for stainless, $21 for steel and $13 for a different option of steel (cages, seal types, grease types vary)

NTN: $63 for standard grade 0. oof!

These are the common industrial models they sell though, they may or may not be severe overkill for bike hubs or have special grease and seal types. you need to check the catalogue for the right specs. *8** sized bearigns are somewhat rare for industrial applications too, as they tend to be pretty weak and no one cares about the grams in factory automation :)
 
#7 ·
One Pivot said:
^ Agreed. Enduro bearings are trash! Every single one I've ever had has failed, usually quickly... but the grease isnt contaminated, its purely a quality issue. In most hub sizes, they're only about $7, but cheap doesn't work out if they fail close to instantly.

SKF has been great to me, but they're pretty expensive. I usually pay $15 a piece, plus shipping. Randomly I'll get lucky and find them for <$10 from reliable not-china sources. Everyone rants about INA/*** and NTN, but im not paying $30+ for a single cartridge bearing... I got two 6802's for $16 shipped from ezo. I'll report back, but I think these will be good.
Click to expand...
Any issues with EZO ezo 6902-2rs? I am buying Hunt wheels and proactively I am thinking about a few of them to include with wheels since no extra shipping OR wait until they actually fail and get it elswhere assuming its genuine from Japan.
 
#9 ·
I bought EZO bearings through McMasterCarr to replace the pivot bearings in a rockshock super deluxe. The factory bearings were clearly low quality but not enduro and sized in under a year. I bought two pairs of EZO bearings. That was 3 years and 1 bike ago. The spare bearings are still unused.
 
#10 ·
smashysmashy said:
The endure bearing things is funny. If I knew I could rebadge cheap junk Chinese bearings and convince mountain bikers they were an expensive upgrade, id be rich!

I have a $12 shimano BB52 bottom bracket, and a $129 hope bottom bracket, with endure bearings....

Guess which one's bearings goes gritty after 6 rides, and which one's dead smooth after 5 Canadian salt filled winters?

sigh

EZO may be bottom on the precision industrial scale, endure doesn't rate that scale (nor does dura-ace btw)
Click to expand...
I got the same thing. $150 White Ind bb.....with enduro bearings wtf reeely?
 
#12 ·
sselhtrim said:
Even came creek and wheels mfg also use Enduro.. 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
Cause they like money.

Unbranded "decent" quality chinese bb bearings - $1
Exact same bearings with Enduro brand name sticker - $3, but then you mark it up $20.
NSK lowest grade 0 "10x better than enduro" japanese bb bearings - $30, and now your bb is too much money to make any profit.
NSK grade 4 bb bearings - $400.... yup. And we haven't even got to ceramic models.

Luckily we have no need for grade 4, we just need good quality hard corrosion resistant steel and good contact seals backed up by a part design with its own contact seals.

But it is tricky to navigate unbranded bearings. Many of the sellers straight up lie about spec. It is easier to pick enduro as some sort of trusted name than actually find better spec bearings that are "cheap enough for high end bike parts". I can accept this I guess. What I object to is calling that lazy choice an "upgrade" or "high end". They are just generic chinese bearings. Even worse sometimes, because of the terrible seals.
 
#13 ·
smashysmashy said:
The endure bearing things is funny. If I knew I could rebadge cheap junk Chinese bearings and convince mountain bikers they were an expensive upgrade, id be rich!

I have a $12 shimano BB52 bottom bracket, and a $129 hope bottom bracket, with endure bearings....

Guess which one's bearings goes gritty after 6 rides, and which one's dead smooth after 5 Canadian salt filled winters?

sigh

EZO may be bottom on the precision industrial scale, endure doesn't rate that scale (nor does dura-ace btw)
Click to expand...
This is spot on regarding enduro bearings. I have EZOs in a set of 2011 Ringle Hubs. 15k+ miles and still going as of 2023. They’ve even been submerged in water a couple times.

EZO bottom of the Barrel my ass. Smoothest hubs I own have EZOs, they are Ringle dirty fleas, and TNT revolver BMX hubs.
 
#15 ·
I haven’t had any issues with EZO in the few hubs I’ve used them in.

keep in my Enduro have several different types of bearings. The stainless steel stuff and integrated solutions are really nice, but the “bulk” 6000-series, for example, are not worth the premium. The seals are not good and let grease out and water in too easily. It helps if you fill them with grease but it’s a hassle to do on a new bearing that should last from the factory.

You pay a small premium for NTN, NSK, ***, SKF and they will be totally worth it, especially for hubs. For suspension pivots full-compliment bearings are better, but the big brands don’t make them as something like a 6902 full-compliment will be more or less bike specific. I’ve used bearinga from the German dealer kugellager-shop for pivots and they have been good. Obviously Chinese, but full of grease from the factory with good seals.
 
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