Schaeffler bike wheel bearings instrumental in Paralympics medal
Schaeffler supported the track cycling duo of Robert Förstemann and Thomas Ulbricht with tailored technologies on their road to the Paralympics in Paris. Special bike wheel bearings and other innovative components, including a DLC coating to reduce friction, were to help raise their performance in the French capital. And the results were there for all to see in the Parisian Velodrome – both for the cyclists and for Schaeffler.
Pioneering achievements are part of the corporate culture at Schaeffler. Finding new solutions, thinking outside the box and thus shaping the future of mobility are integral to every product and every development. Despite this, and with the company’s history stretching back more than 75 years, new and unprecedented projects still come along frequently. Like the one that arrived on Alexander Grehn’s desk in spring 2024.
“I usually look after customers or take care of series orders,” he says. “However, a job like this is obviously rather special.” Grehn is referring to the assignment to make the tandem used by track cyclists Thomas Ulbricht and Robert Förstemann fit for the Paralympics.
Schaeffler bike ball bearings for a stand-out track cycling duo
The German team is one of the best in the world when it comes to short-track sprinters. Just a few weeks previous, they had finished third in the 1,000-metre sprint with a time of 1:01.752 minutes at the World Championship in Brazil. They were determined to again be among the front-runners at the cycling meet of the 2024 season – the Paralympics in Paris.
And this was where Schaeffler came in. “We are specialists in rolling bearings – that means that anything that rotates is of interest to us,” says Grehn. The expert in application engineering immediately identified multiple areas of the tandem track bicycle, in which Schaeffler technologies could prove beneficial: “We replaced the bike ball bearings on the front and rear wheel with our Gen-C ball bearings, type 6001-C-2Z with special low-resistance lubrication and friction-optimised internal geometry. We also replaced the racing bike bearings on the two bracket shafts. FAG ball bearings, type 61806-2Z, with special low-resistance lubrication are now used. Furthermore, we also provided a set of pinions for the chain drive, which have been specially heat-treated and coated with Triondur C.”
1 | Coated drive pinion
2 | 3x rear wheel bearing, 6001-C-2Z
3 | 2x rear bottom bracket shaft bearing, 61806-2Z
4 | 2x front bottom bracket shaft bearing, 61806-2Z
5 | 2x front wheel bearing, 6001-C-2Z
DLC coating: friction reduced, lap times lowered
Triondur C is a DLC coating—an extremely hard, diamond-like carbon coating—with a friction- and wear-reducing effect.
Even the expert himself was amazed by the difference compared to the ball bearings installed on the racing bike as standard. “I had the wheel bearings for the bike in my own hands and was impressed. They turn much more easily, you can really feel it in your hands. The original ball bearings and bottom brackets on the bike were all-rounders – we have now turned them into specialists for precisely this application.”
In the end, Grehn and his team installed new bearings in nine places. The lower the friction on the bike, the more power invested by the two cyclists is applied to the track. “Reducing friction directly results in faster lap times,” says Grehn “We focussed on ensuring that the bearings run very easily and consciously made small compromises in terms of durability. After all, they must only make it through practice sessions and races.” Instead of the grease usually used, special low-resistance oil was employed as a lubricant on the bike.
Baptism of fire for Thomas Ulbricht and Robert Förstemann in the Parisian Velodrome
During the Paralympics, Grehn had his fingers crossed for the German Paralympians. This is not their first outing at the Paralympics or the Olympics. Ulbricht won bronze in the 100 metres at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. Förstemann won a world title, three European titles and an Olympic bronze medal in the track cycling team sprint, before switching to Para sport in 2019. Since 2021, he has raced with his visually-impaired partner Thomas Ulbricht.
The cycling duo’s bike was given a baptism of fire in Paris. This was the first competitive outing for the bike equipped with Schaeffler technology. And it passed this tough test with flying colours. In qualifying, Förstemann and Ulbricht smashed their German record. A time of 59.480 seconds saw them dip below a minute for the first time, and go more than two seconds faster than at the World Championship in Brazil. They also broke the magic minute mark in the battle for the medals. In the end, they were only beaten by the English tandems and celebrated their bronze medals on the podium.
More track cycling components in the Schaeffler drawer
Watching on TV at home, Alexander Grehn cheered the two cyclists on in the tandem race. “I had hoped for gold and was then very proud, as they clearly beat the German record,” he says.
Maybe he had one eye on everything he and his team had planned, but which did not come to fruition in the Parisian Velodrome due to a last-minute change of tandem. “Among other things, we had drafted a lightweight design for the crank arm and chain ring. However, we were then unable to use it at short notice, due to a change to the race tandem,” says Grehn. “We obviously have kept the designs, perhaps for next time.”
November 2024
