|
|
|
| Bearing Reviews (4976 Posts)
|
| Bearing |
Review |
|
new ceramics bearings
|
|
On 12/16/2005
ovelha
wrote in from
Brazil
(200.138.nnn.nnn)
About the "new tipes of ceramic bearings Chris Miller posted, I bought a set of the first type, the one with metal runners, I think they lack a little precision, but they are better than bones swiss and faster in long downhills. I've been using them for 5 months and I can't complain.
|
|
|
|
|
re-re
|
|
On 12/15/2005 Andy
wrote in from
United Kingdom
(193.129.nnn.nnn)
Oh yeah.....! Thats a very good point that i didn't have the good wit to think of.
Now im pretty stumped, cause they didn't run that bad before i took the all apart! You're right though, surely even if they did wear diferently, it would have made the clearances bigger, not smaller. Though at the end i did have a few real tight ones, and a few loose ones. strange. - before anyone asks, yes I did put 8 in each, not 7 in one, 9 in another.
Ah well.
they bad ones have been in my bag for a few months so are now completly filled with sand.
They can stay there! that'll learn em!
|
|
|
|
|
re andy
|
|
On 12/15/2005 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
how can balls get bigger?,unless you got one super six in there:) there is also a possibility that your bearings where really finally shot and you just assembled the worse of the worse parts.
|
|
|
|
|
cleaning balls
|
|
On 12/14/2005 Andy
wrote in from
United Kingdom
(193.129.nnn.nnn)
Hey, thought i'd share this with you guys, as i ruined a good set of bones reds a while back by going over the top on cleaning.
I've been riding the same reds for a few years, cleaning them once in a while. My normal technique is to completly dismantle the bearings. Take off the sheilds and retainers, soak them in some sort of mineralised glass cleaning fluid. (i forget the name) After this I take each bearing individually, and pop out the actual ball bearings so i can make sure there is no left over dirt in the running groves, and all the balls.
It's a bit troublesome getting all the balls back into the bearing with the center running groove.
You may find yourself swearing alot, but its possible.... (I don't really recomend it)
They normally run like a dream after this... but one day...
I decided to save a bit of time, by removing all the ball bearings at the same time, cleaning them all toghether, and then reassembling all the bearings at the same time, mixing up the ball bearings between their origanal cases.
This killed my bearings. I guess over the years they had all worn differently, and while some of my reassembled bearings ran OK (about 4-6), a couple were completly stuck, and would bearly spin.
I think that some of the ball bearings must have worn to a slightly differnt size over the years, by being under different stresses in different wheels. Which was tolerated when in thier origanal housings, but which acted up when mixed in different housings.
Those 8 little balls are happy in their families, so don't mix them up. They won't tolerate it.
Or at least thats what i found.
So don't follow in my footsteps
|
|
|
|
|
Ceramic bearings
|
|
On 12/9/2005 Chuck Gill
wrote in from
United States
(192.249.nnn.nnn)
Cheap-@$$ ceramics are coated steel. Quality ceramics have ceramic rolling elements through and through.
If there is no tight fight on the races, either at the OD or the ID, there is no reason they can't be ceramic too. And they will be nearly as strong as the rolling elements (and only nearly, in this case anyhow, because they are a slightly lower-strength material).
Speaking of strong, in the development days of a certain space application of ceramic bearings, we all thought the "glass" balls would be really brittle and weak. One of my coleagues took one, put it on a piece of hardened nickel/steel superalloy, and hit it as hard as he could with another, heavy piece of steel. Both metal pieces had dents from the ball. The ball wasn't even scuffed. Strong enough?
|
|
|
|
|
bigger bearings or mountainboard bearings
|
|
On 12/9/2005
vince rowland
wrote in from
United States
(209.105.nnn.nnn)
just purchased "beyond" mountainboard trucks and the regular skateboard bearings are too small 'cause the ends of the trucks are too big around and need bigger bearings, please respond to help to where might i find them thank you
|
|
|
|
|
ceramics
|
|
On 12/9/2005 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
are ceramic bearings (the balls) entirely ceramic, i was under the impression they were coated aluminum like ceramic braking surfaces on top end bike rims. So how about the races on those full ceramic bearings. I heard there were cheap ceramic coated steel bearings. Those full ceramics look kind of fragile,just my impression.
|
|
|
|
|
Spaced out
|
|
On 12/8/2005
Mr. Mystery Spacer
wrote in from
United States
(70.249.nnn.nnn)
Hadn't checked this forum in quite some time, so I'm late chiming in. Paul, thanks for the compliment. I'm glad to hear those spacers are working the way we hoped they would. It's also gratifying to hear Mr. Verdone say that he does virtually the same thing.
Regarding a new batch of those über-spacers: since I've been busy with many other things, and since it's the "off-season," at least in the northern hemisphere, I haven't put a lot of effort into getting more made. Eventually I will probably get back to it, but if anyone else wants to step in and do it in the meantime--PVD? Chaput? Fluitt?--the field is wide open.
|
|
|
|
|
CERAMIC RACES!!??!!??
|
|
On 12/6/2005 Chuck Gill
wrote in from
United States
(192.249.nnn.nnn)
What the...?
Hmmm....no tight fit at the bore or OD, so why not?
Cage is teflon, not ceramic.
|
|
|
|
|
Pic of the ceramics
|
|
On 12/6/2005 Chris Miller
wrote in from
United States
(216.243.nnn.nnn)
Here are pics of the ceramic bearing:
And here are pics of the nylon cage bearing with teflon seals:
|
|
|
|
|
I have never heard of these, have you?
|
|
On 12/6/2005
Chris Miller
wrote in from
United States
(216.243.nnn.nnn)
I just found 2 "new" kinds of bearings.
The 1st is steel balls with a nylon cage and teflon seals.
* Item: 608 Skateboard Bearings 8x22x7 mm
* Type: Deep groove ball bearings
* Cage: Nylon high speed balls retainer
* Closures: Teflon sealed (could be easily removed and reinstalled)
* Quantity: 8 Bearings
* Bearing Size: 8 mm x 22mm x 7mm
They also say they are "gas sealed". What is that? And they are "self-lubricating". Huh??
The 2nd is all ceramic. Ceramic races, bearings and cage. Very expensive.
* Item: 608 skate bearings
* Type: Full Ceramic
* Bearing Size: 8 mm x 22mm x 7mm
* Inner/outer races: ZrO2 Ceramic
* Balls: Si3n4 Ceramic
* Cage: PTFE
Has anyone tried bearings like these?
|
|
|
|
|
wheel tolerances
|
|
On 12/5/2005 pvd
wrote in from
United States
(130.212.nnn.nnn)
forget the wheel.
i use a free float system. i space the bearings so that they are between .005 and .010" wider than the wheel spacing. a film of grease is put on the outer race between the bearing and wheel. this way the bearing finds the right spot in the wheel during use without ever binding.
it is not perfect. without having machined metal hubs, this is the best we will ever do.
|
|
|
|
|
Wheel tolerance: bearing binding
|
|
On 12/5/2005
Bob
wrote in from
United States
(65.112.nnn.nnn)
Many people have investigated (and corrected) the faces of the trucks that are not true, as well as installing nice axles, but how true are the wheels? The ones with a hard core (3DM, ABEC11 and other slalom wheels) should be superior in terms of tolerance, but I've been having some trouble with Bones Bowl Bombers because they have no core. I suspect the wheel faces that hold the barings are less than square but don't have a really accurate way of measuring this right now. Can a manufacturer hold a tight tolerance on a non-core wheel or are we taking what we can get?
|
|
|
|
|
grease
|
|
On 12/4/2005 pvd
wrote in from
United States
(24.5.nnn.nnn)
SKF low temperature, extremely
high speed bearing grease LGLT 2
http://www.peterverdonedesigns.com/files/LGLT2_datasheet.pdf
http://www.peterverdonedesigns.com/skatebearings.htm
20-40% fill works very well.
|
|
|
|
|
grease
|
|
On 12/4/2005
Bob
wrote in from
United States
(24.19.nnn.nnn)
PVD,
What is the grease of choice? I have been experimenting with this and don't have a favorite yet. I always go back to Powell Speed Cream.
Bob
|
|
|
|
|
Correction by Pauliwog
|
|
On 12/3/2005 Paul Howard
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
On 11-26-05 I said "100 machinist made bearings" when I meant to say "100 machinist made bearing spacers".
PETER VER DONNE(sp?)- Thank you very much for your confirmation/backing up of what I previously wrote. I've used "Speed Metal abec 3's" set up with straight axles, correct spacers, squared off hanger-ends and axle nuts and they kicked ass in terms of speed and wheel traction and slide control over any spendy bearing set up in the usual half-ass way that stock trucks tend towards(in addition to the useless practice of not putting spacers between one's bearings) though I do like good bearings.
By the way, when I was doing my "spin testing" of axles, your trucks were the ONLY ones that consistently had straight axles(as far as the ones I had access to test) with true alignment from start to finish-NICE!. I never owned any of yours but a lot of peaple I run into still swear by them, especially for a rear traction truck. McCree(or Sparky) was close, sometimes dead-on, sometimes not-quite and better with the front than the back for obvious reasons. MMW and Asphalt Playground had some pretty good stuff too, a few times I tweeked them a smidge myself, most often I did'nt need to. I wish Trendependant(getting a little better than 2 years ago) and Tracker would take a hint from ALL of you guys doing slalom trucks and focus on the alighment issues. Adios-Paul
|
|
|
|
|
who cares about quality
|
|
On 12/3/2005 pvd
wrote in from
United States
(24.5.nnn.nnn)
it is so funny to see all the posts regarding this bearing vs. that. it just doesn't matter.
any bearing will work very well for skateboarding if it is aligned correctly and is properly lubed with the right GREASE (unless racing, then oil & clean and lube after each session). if you want added life, get sealed bearings.
i have tested it. oust 9's, powell, builtins, and other cheap bearings. they all work exactly the same when set up properly.
|
|
|
|
|
Faster... tested??
|
|
On 12/3/2005
xapa
wrote in from
Portugal
(84.90.nnn.nnn)
Can someone tell me which one of these bearings is faster...
Bones super swiss 6, speed demons abec 7 or fkd abec 7.
I want tested answers. not just saying because you like one of them.
thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
longboard bearings
|
|
On 11/30/2005 Ben
wrote in from
United States
(24.130.nnn.nnn)
yes you can switch the bearings without damage. pop them out of your old wheels with a screwdriver or bearing remover and shove them into your new wheels. A bearing press makes this easier but it is still simple to do it without one
|
|
|
|
|
longboard bearings
|
|
On 11/29/2005
mason
wrote in from
United States
(71.251.nnn.nnn)
Im originaly a street skater but my mom found a gravity classic cruiser 52"lonboard. I wanted to know if i could take my abec 7 bearings from my other board and put it on this one. Can i do this without damaging the board or it not work right after i exchange them?
|
|
|
|
|
clean bearings
|
|
On 11/28/2005
xapa
wrote in from
Portugal
(84.90.nnn.nnn)
I find a nice way to clean the bearings without aditional costs...
first... get a needle take of the seal.. be carefull not to cripple the seal...
then get a wire... take of the "other part... the one that hold the ball's...
then get some 96% alcool liquid... and let the bearings inside for one night...
then clean them up. This is the secret... get some gun oil and moto 4 strokes oil... and some spray.. the one that removes the rust. mix all together... and then put the bearings inside.. for another night... then just clean them outside, put the seal.. and two drops of gun oil, in each one of them. then see what happens... you have flying bearings. that is what the guys in portugal do... we tried a lot of products... we found out that this was the best way to protect the bearings, and put them flying... PS:put a drop of oil in each one, every time you go run... sorry for the bad english.:)
|
|
|
|
|
NiNjA Ceramix
|
|
On 11/26/2005 silversurfer
wrote in from
United States
(71.192.nnn.nnn)
NiNjA Ceramix are prolly the most expensive and fastest bearings
you can get.
So yeah, I guess you could say they are good.
Rockets and bones ceramics are very good as well.
SiNSyStEmS 9 ball sineramics are nice too.
|
|
|
|
|
Ninja Ceramics
|
|
On 11/26/2005 Darren G
wrote in from
United States
(71.107.nnn.nnn)
Are the Ninja Ceramics any good?
|
|
|
|
|
More Deep thoughts on Bearings by P.Wog
|
|
On 11/26/2005 Paul Howard
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Oh by the way, those 100 machinist made bearings were made with the intent to sell at $3.00 each, I think I bought 4 sets = 16 spacers X $3.00 =$48.00 in spacers and since I race at some of the "big" races, it was DEFINATELY worth it, even for noncompetitive riding it was worth it. I'm sure that Mr Mystery Spacer put out a chunk of money to have them made and I doubt he made much if any money out to the deal.
Also, as far as misaligned hanger-ends is concerned, same problem with a LOT of the axle locknuts. To cure this malady, you can do several things:
a)Go to the Truck Forum and contact Geezer/MMW to fix your trucks
b)If your axles look pretty good as they are, and you're not really counting on optimal traction and racing slalom really hardcore, then you can fix this yourself by making an improvised lathe with an electric drill(with variable speed with a "hands-off" lock trigger and speed control), a wheel with bearings, some clamps and a metal file. Take the hanger off of your baseplate, put the axle into the chuck of the drill, put the other axle into a wheel (with bearings in it), clamp the wheel and drill securely onto a workbench or table top, get the drill at a nice not-too-slow/not-too-fast spin and CAREFULLY use the metal file to file the hanger end so it's nice and squared or slightly coned or a combination of coned and squared, be careful to NOT PRESS THE FILE INTO THE AXLE. You can take a bolt of the same size as axles(5/16"??? with the same threads so it matches your axle locknuts), and use that as a base to "square-off" your axle locknuts as well.
Grind King makes an axle locknut with a dirtshield and a built in "speed ring" which should work well but I don't know how good their alignment is since I have never used them.
Once you get all these bugs worked out of your system, you'll be able to tighten your axle locknuts down snug and have a really nice clean free-spinning wheel which will give the most speed possible and the most traction possible and will extend the life of your bearings since they will now finally be operating in the condition that they are really designed to be operating in.
CLEANING YOUR BEARINGS- I have used all sorts of petroleum, alcahol and other solvents in my skating past since 1974 and by far the best system I have found is using SIMPLE GREEN, WATER, AND DENATURED OR ISOPROPYL ALCAHOL.
1ST- Remove both inner and outer shields
2nd- Soak and swish bearings in a small container of a mix of 50% SIMPLE GREEN, and 50% WATER, Swish 'em around, then spin the bearings in the mix, and continue until you are convinced all the dust/grit has been removed.
3rd- Rinse the Simple Green/Water mix out of the bearings with HOT WATER
4th- Swish the bearings in a small container of ISOPROPLY or DENATURED ALCAHOL, this will suck the water off/out of the the bearings.
5th- Air dry your bearings or if you are in a hurry and even if you're not, I think it's better to bake the bearings in the oven, or on a pie tin on a stove top or hot plate on LOW HEAT to more completely remove all traces of water and alcahol.
6th- Re-lube your bearings, put the shields back on, and go from there.
7th- You can actually save your SIMPLE GREEN/WATER MIX and your ALCAHOL until both get noticebly dirty. The Simple green can safely be poured down the drain to my knowledge and the alcahol can be dumped onto concrete and either allowed to evaporate or set on fire(with some preplanning so you don't do anything stupid like light the apartment complex on fire). This combination is probably the most environmentally clean way I've cleaned bearings, and I don't have to worry about gasoline soaking into my skin, and THIS GIVES ME THE CLEANEST AND FASTEST USED BEARINGS by using this method.
Ok, that's enough(too much) for now and I need to go back to work, Adios-Paul
|
|
|
|
|
Pauliwog's Bearing Thoughts
|
|
On 11/26/2005 Paul Howard
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
GLENN AND OUST MOC 9'S- I've had 2 sets of these and I'm not impressed. They are fast, but I think my MOC 7's and 5's(with the red plastic seal) are just as fast, and have no more freeplay in them from what I can tell. So, I only buy the Oust MOC 5's and 7's for slalom use.
SPACERS- I won't advertise for a certain individual here since he's sold out stock and it was a big project, but he had a great idea and all 4 sets of my spacers worked great. What Mr Mystery Spacer did was CONTRACT A MACINIST TO MAKE A BIG COST EFFECTIVE BATCH OF SOMETHING LIKE 100 SPACERS SLIGHTLY OVERSIZED TO SOMETHING LIKE .002 to .004 over the standard size. what ever that is suppossed to be(.400" ???- Throw us a bone please Mr Mystery Spacer).
ALMOST ALL STOCK TRUCKS ARE MISALIGNED- The problem with the "Bearing Binding" phenomnon when you tighten your axle locknuts down is from several things:
a)No spacer or a not-quite-big-enough spacer is in use, or it's not "true" on the edges(parallel and 90 degrees to the axle axis)
b)The axles are likely to not be truly straight, almost all axles are slightly bent and thus don't match up 90 degrees relative to the ends of the hanger.
c)The ends of the hanger are angled at some odd angle, so even IF the axle was straight, the hanger ends bad alignment will bind the bearings when they get squeezed down by the axle locknut.
ABEC 11 Builtins are a great idea, they "self-align" better than standard bearings to some extent, are fast but all the sets I have had, had a noticable gap between the inner diameter of the sheild and the inner "hub" so there's a lot of room for dust and grit to get in them. Too bad there isn't a "Builtin" with an "Oust" quality of seal.
POWELL SWISS BONES-I haven't bought a set in a long time so maybe they've improved but I remember them to have some of the worst shields with the biggest dirt gaps on the market. Fast but short lived and WAY overpriced for what I got.
I'm at work, gotta go-P
|
|
|
|
|
