Ball Bearings The ball bearing was originally invented as a bicycle component. You still need balls to make things go round. Each packet of bearings comes with sufficient ball bearings for 1 job and a wee tube of grease. For instance, the packet of 1/4" bearings will come with at least 22 balls - enough to do your bottom bracket or rear wheel. While all the balls in a packet will be a consistent size, balls from a future batch may not be identical. Do not mix batches - e.g. don't overhaul your hub with 9 balls from one packet and 9 balls from another. Don't worry if your original worn out bottom bracket or headset bearings originally came in a clip. You can replace the clipped bearing with loose balls. Clips are only used for fast assembly in bicycle factories. Clips can be merrily discarded. Options: 1/4" - most traditional bottom brackets require 11 x 1/4" ball bearings on each side. Most rear hubs require 9 on each side. 3/16" - most front hubs require 10 x 3/16" bearings on each side. 1/8" - freewheels and some pedals. 5/32" - some headsets and some pedals. 7/32 - some Campagnolo front hubs (Nuovo Record, Super Record, Record).