Who Is C-Bear?
C-Bear Ceramic: How it all began?
It all started with Bart Schouten’s (founder and general manager of C-bear ceramic) passion for cycling. Born in the Netherlands, Bart, like many Dutch, was practically born with two wheels. He experienced and firm believer of ceramic performance advantages. As his N+1 bike collection grew, upgrading to ceramic bearings became prohibitively expensive. Without compromising quality and performance, he began to explore alternatives, seeking a more cost-effective solution. What started as personal tinkering quickly evolved, by the end of 2007, C-Bear officially started on paper, turned into a global trusted name among cyclists.
From Humble Beginnings to World Recognition
With no prior industry connections or insider information, Bart launched C-Bear from scratch. His first customer was a local bike shop—but it wasn’t long before professional teams took notice. Shortly, a few months after the official startup on paper, in 2008, C-Bear bearings were already being used by the Lotto WorldTour Team, delivering performance while withstanding the powerful thrust by riders like André Greipel and Caleb Ewan, plus others not to be officially named. C-Bear products have been tested and proven by pro cyclists ever since.
C-Bear Ceramic, Pioneer and Trendsetter
Bart’s foresight allowed C-Bear to stay ahead of industry trends #befirst #leadnotfollow. C-Bear took the lead to offer all its bottom brackets only in precisioned cnc machined aluminium (light weight) bottom bracket housings moving away from plastic housings and makeshift spacers here and there band-aid solutions. This offered a more durable, creak-free, and high-performance alternative.
This bold move and custom fit designed bottom bracket, setting a new benchmark in the industry.
From the start in 2007, C-Bear introduced 2 types of bearings, both dual sealed, unlike the one-size-fits-all approach .
• Race (R) for road use.
• All-Conditions (AC) for off road : MTB, gravel, cyclocross, endurance… and wet/humid environments
Known as the “Bottom Bracket Silencer”
C-Bear’s global reputation took center stage during the Specialized OSBB creaking saga. While many riders struggled with noise and even went to great length of costly custom solutions, with no avail —especially Campagnolo users—C-Bear provided a quiet, reliable fix, earning a reputation among trade who refer C-bear ceramic as “the bottom bracket silencer”, a name that still hold up today.
Continual Innovation to Evolving Bottom Bracket Standards
As bottom bracket standards exploded—PF41, BB30, BB30A, PF30, PF30A, 386EVO—C-Bear continued to innovate. Its BBR technology places bearings close to the crank arm for maximum power transfer and stiffness.
When faced with creaking issues in Cannondale BB30 and Specialized bikes direct-mount bb30 bearing systems, C-Bear introduced the PF42-30 bottom bracket, instead of direct BB30 bearings, BB30 bearings are installed within a pressfit housing and then into the bb shell, tackling deformity, flex and improved stiffness.
Israel Premier Tech (formerly Israel Cycling Academy) team mechanic chose C-Bear for their then sponsored Cannondale bikes, knowing from past actual experience and C-bear reputation of simple straight-forward custom designed bottom brackets. The team turned again to C-bear ceramic for their De Rosa bikes with FSA components, C-Bear delivered tailored 386 EVO (24, 30, DUB) options—again cementing its role as a #befirst leader in ceramic bottom bracket solutions.
Supporting New Trends: T47 and SRAM DUB
During the early adoption of the T47 bottom bracket standard, C-Bear was among the few companies that supported it, recognizing the craftsmanship and dedication of frame builders. This foresight paid off as major brands like Trek and others eventually followed suit. Today, C-Bear’s range of threaded bottom brackets has expanded from 2 to 7 columns , see C-bear bottom bracket chart, continuing its custom fit commitment to meet consumer’s silent speed performance expectation.
When SRAM DUB entered the market, C-Bear didn’t just follow and offer the same but led again with the DUB Gen2 bottom bracket—featuring an integrated spacer design, fewer loose parts, eliminating one of the culprits of creaking, increased stiffness and stability, again bring bearing right next to crank arm, avoid unnecessary loss of power transfer via various connecting medium. C-BEAR K.I.S.S, one complete piece rather than a universal set – one size fits all , band-aid spacers approach to fit various frame + crank combinations. Though this increases production complexity, it delivers better performance—true to their #BeFirst #LeadNotFollow C-Bear operating and design principles.
Discover and experience the C-Bear Difference
C-Bear Ceramic has consistently set the standard for quality, performance, simplicity and innovation in the cycling component industry. From their humble beginnings to becoming a globally recognized brand, C-Bear continues to lead with products that enhance performance and reliability for cyclists worldwide. From weekend warriors to WorldTour pros, cyclists choose C-Bear for silent, efficient, and high-quality bottom brackets that deliver on every ride.
Why Choose C-Bear?
- Trusted by WorldTour teams and pro mechanics
- #befirst #leadnotfollow, with simple, custom, performing products
- Road & off-road specific bearing types. Majority of C-bear 30 crank bottom brackets are with stainless steel ceramic bearings, at least 15 years ago.
- Custom solutions for complex frame standards plus crank combinations
- Proven performance with ceramic efficiency
🔗 Learn more and explore the full range at C-Bear’s products and innovations, visit our website.