Mystery of the Specialized “RCC” hub bearings, or Specialized Twitter support confusion

I could not decipher what was written about the wheel hubs in the official spec sheet for the Specialized AWOL.  For both front and rear hubs, the specs say:

Specialized Hi Lo disc, alloy, RCC bearing system, QR, 32h

What exactly is RCC bearing system?  I could not find anything related to this term anywhere.  So I figured I’d ask Specialized through their dedicated Twitter support account.  The dialogue that ensued was quite comic.

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This didn’t make much sense.  Basic bearing is cup and cone, so what is this guy saying?

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Oh-oh, I don’t like non-serviceable parts.  But somehow this all is not making sense, so I’m persisting.

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Of course, there was no response to my last comment.  To summarize, Specialized invented an unnecessary term to designate something that has existed for ages, and confused the hell out of their customers and even their own support personnel, making themselves look like idiots.  If you feel inclined to read it, here is a discussion thread about this, and here is my exchange on Twitter.

Subsequent opening of the hubs and repacking the bearings after winter riding confirmed that there are normal cup and cone bearings with nine lose 1/4″ balls (no cage) per side, both in the front and rear hubs.

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