Is there any functional point of using alloy jockey wheels? Jockey wheels seem like the most pointless thing to upgrade on a bike. I can see swapping out the usual grey ceramic jockey wheels for an anodized alloy one to match the look of the rest of the bike, but I can't see any possible performance related reason to do so. Do they aid in shifting quality at all? I know that dura-ace and ultegra derailleurs use jockey wheels with bearings instead of bushings to improve durability, but they still use ceramics. Is there any benefit of using the alloy jockey wheels?!enter image description here

The material itself is not so important, I think, but for sure the alloy jockeys last longer than plastic ones.

Besides that, the main adventage comes with the (often coming together with alloy pulleys) BEARING you already mentioned. Besides eliminating lateral play and so improving shifting precision (in my perception), they also decrease rolling resistance and improve drivetrain efficiency. Finally, these bearings ~~work better~~ suffer less without lube (don't wear out inside like plastic pulleys), and require much less lubing in the first place.

Well, these are my insights. Hope it helps.