So I’ve had my Cascade for months now but I haven’t been using it consistently. However, the bearing still plays like one that hasn’t broken in. Just how long is the break in period for this bearing? I know it doesn’t need cleaning because I just cleaned it recently. It is quiet quickly after cleaning but then sounds a little buzzy and is a bit responsive after a some play, also crunchy at times. I don’t have this problem with any other bearing I have. I know how to look after and maintain bearings properly.
i dont know where this "Break in" misconception comes from. Bearings dont break in. only when there is too much lube or thick lube applied to the bearing the responsiveness will drop over time due to a liitle loss of lube while playing.
after unshielding and cleaning a bearing with solvent and checking the cage and balls it should work properly. thin lube can add some extra smoothness but will cause responsiveness if too much.
when a bearing makes pulsating noises instead of consistent even noise there is maybe a fault somewhere.
there are btw two symptoms: bearing is always resposive or some bearings only get problems at high RPMs but act normal during low rpms.
try to watch yourself a little bit. hard to tell from distance
“Break-in” doesn’t have to be a misconception, leop999. Let’s say there’s some sort of debris that seems to make it into these particular bearings due to the manufacturing process… debris can get pulverized or otherwise broken down, and it can be pushed out of the way so that it doesn’t interfere with where the balls contact the race.
Could indeed be scratching up the inside of the race, which is normally a bad thing, until it happens enough that it goes full circle all the way to being an even (but treated) surface.
Just speaking hypothetically… I don’t know if these things happen. I have no patience for OD 10-balls, unfortunately. But enough people say that their OD 10-balls “break in” that it’s not likely to be a total fabrication. Occam’s razor shows us that “something” is happening, and people tend to call that “something” the break-in period.
My experience is that they are initially quiet for a few hours then go loud. I give it about an hour and if it’s still loud I use a small drop of lube. It usually stays quiet for a long time after that. The reason I wait a little while after it makes noise is that it often will go quiet again on its own. Some might reprimand me for not cleaning, but I’ve been using this method for a long time without issues. I spend very little time messing with them.