One of the most important parts of a bike is its bearing, a device that not only helps a bike keep rolling on, but helps it maintain optimal levels of friction and action. However, most bearings require a substantial amount of grease in order to keep working effectively. Nobody wants to apply grease to their bike bearings though.
That's why it's so nice that a company called Coo Space redesigned the ball bearing so that the user doesn't have to regrease it. This new bearing, which DigInfo TV called the "autonomous decentralized bearing" (or ADB for short) eliminates the simple need for grease by significantly reducing the parts and internal friction inside the device.
"Bearings have balls that roll between an inner ring and an outer ring. There are retainers to stop the balls sticking to each other.......The problem with bearings is that sliding occurs between the retainers and the balls, so grease has been essential," Coo Space said. "But the ADB, or autonomous decentralized bearing, that we've developed doesn't need retainers."
The ADB uses a series of indentations in the bearing to create the barriers necessary for the balls to work properly. "Ordinary bearing balls roll while in contact with the ring directly underneath," Coo Space explained. "If you make holes in the part directly underneath, so the balls roll while making contact horizontally, the amount of forward motion per revolution is less. That makes the balls slow down, and then speed up, so behind an accelerated ball, there's always a gap. That's the principle here: The balls are separated by slowing them down and speeding them up very slightly."
This slight change in the bearing is supposed to reduce the bearing's internal friction by a factor of ten. It also reduces the possibility of an early failure because of inadequate lubrication or low attachment precision.
It's unclear at this time when this new bearing will be market-produced or incorporated into everyday products.
