ENDURO ABEC 3

What Does ABEC 3 Mean? ABEC ratings are standards which require each bearing to pass many tests in order to meet the scheduled requirements. This includes noise testing at high RPM, extremely tight tolerances for the internal diameter, outer diameter, roundness of ball, trueness of races, and surface finish of all of the above. The ABEC 3 rating is a good rating for use in bicycles. The ABEC standards increase as the number goes up. In other words, ABEC 5 is a higher standard than ABEC 3, even though only differing by 2 digits in rating.

THE BALLS are made from chromium steel. These high precision Grade 10 balls are 10/1,000,000” from exactly round in sphericity. For comparison, Shimano and Campagnolo use grade 25 balls in their top-level components. When talking ball grade, the smaller the number, the "rounder" the ball.

THE RACES are vacuum de-gassed 52100 high carbon chromium alloy steel, hardened to Rockwell C-62.

THE RETAINERS are riveted steel for superior strength.

THE SEALS will be LLU or LLB: 2RS literally means Two Rubber Seals. Many bearing manufacturers use the "2RS" designation to indicate that their seal is made from rubber and has one sealing lip rubbing on any flat part of the inner race. For us, 2RS means a proper rubber seal on each side of the bearing. On the ABEC 3 series, the seals are either LLB (well suited for hubs) or LLU (better for suspension pivots).