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| Bearing Reviews (4976 Posts)
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abec ratings
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On 1/16/2006
slim
wrote in from
United States
(69.108.nnn.nnn)
If you'll read back through this topic, I think you'll find that most of us don't put much weight behind claims of Abec this or that. If your bearings were made in China, most likely they don't meet the Abec rating they claim they do anyway. The bearing you think is Abec 7 is probably exactly the same as the Abec 5 and Abec 3 with just a different shield/seal on it! But in the end, the Abec rating isn't the most important thing anyway. Here's what Bones has to say about it, for example:
"All Bones Bearings are Skate Rated™ to withstand the destructive forces created by high performance skating. This is our way of saying that just using a bearing with an ABEC rating is not enough to ensure that a bearing will perform well for skating, since ABEC ratings were intended for electric motor bearings, not skate bearings. We have adjusted the tolerances, clearances, lubricant, and component materials to optimize Bones Bearings for use in dirty, high impact environments… where you skate. That’s why they roll faster and last longer than mere ABEC rated bearings."
Rockin Ron of California Bearing who designed the Rocket bearings would tell you the same thing.
So if you want good bearings, don't just buy from the Abec rating. You can read the posts here to see what everyone recommends. Me? I like Rockets, Bones Swiss, and the ceramic Pleasure Tools for serious skating, and the Bones Reds and Pleasure Tools for everyday street crusing use.
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Blazer bearings
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On 1/11/2006 Jony
wrote in from
United States
(69.174.nnn.nnn)
hey guys,
Has anyone heard of Blazer bearings?
Are they of good quality?
I got a pair of Blazer abec 7's on my complete last christmas and they ride ok, but i dont like them, and im not sure if i got a bad set of bearings, or if they really do suck. my bro got abec 5 blazers and got even worse bearings, but because he was supposed to get blazer abec 7's, they said they would send him abec 7's free of charge. they forgot and 2 weeks later i emailed them. i had a prompt response saying that they apologize for the wait, and they ended up sending out 2 set of Blazer abec 9's!!!! the abec 9's work damn good, but it could be just because of the new wheels i purchased, and not the bearings, but im going fast enough for now so no worries. www.gearguys.com has good customer service!!!
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are not ate
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On 1/10/2006 Derik
wrote in from
Germany
(193.7.nnn.nnn)
sorry for my bad english ...
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Jonys speed
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On 1/10/2006 Derik
wrote in from
Germany
(193.7.nnn.nnn)
Hi Jony,
The abecs ate a lot faster!
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bearing stuff
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On 1/9/2006 jony
wrote in from
United States
(69.174.nnn.nnn)
thanx guys,
i ride on some smooth surfaces and my bones arent as fast as some friends of mine. my friend kevin has riot gear abec 7's and grippins 70mm 75a. i currently have Bones Swiss and Kryptonics 70mm 78a. He has Randall 180s and i have exkate torsion trucks, and we have similar body weight (within 5pounds) . What part of my board makes mine slower than his?
Would Goddess of Speed wheels (76mm 75A) make a great speed difference?
With the GOS wheels, SHOULD my board be faster than his?
Just wondering what would help me out.
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for Jony
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On 1/9/2006
K-LEE
wrote in from
United States
(172.190.nnn.nnn)
Looks like Derik answered your Bones-related questions for the most part. My personal experience is that oiled bearings like the Bones don't really need to be broken in all that much, just cleaned regularly. I don't like to spend so much time cleaning my bearings all that much, especially since I live in the desert and ride in some really dusty/dirty conditions on a regular basis. For the money, I like to just get Pleasure Tool sealed/greased bearings. They are a bit slower than their shielded/oiled brothers and do take some time to break in to full speed, but I never have to mess with them. I can run a set for about a full year without any crunchy sounds or reduciton in speed. Once they begin to dry out and seize up, I just replace the individual bearings that are dead with new ones of the same kind. I've been getting Sealed Abec 3's from Pleasure Tool for $4.50/set, and I'm very happy. But, if you live in more of a dust-free area and don't mind cleaning your bearings more often, I know that shielded/oiled bearings can give you a bit more speed. Even then, though, I'd still recommend the shielded/oiled Pleasure Tools for the same price, and they're cleanable to boot. Heck, for near the price you paid for those Swiss, you could get some shielded ceramics from Pleasure Tools. But take that with a grain of salt, I'm a stingy penny-pincher when it comes to bearings; I'd rather buy 3 sets of inexpensive bearings and just change them out when needed than buying one expensive set and worrying about how clean they are all the time.
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Jonys Bones
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On 1/8/2006
Derik
wrote in from
Germany
(193.7.nnn.nnn)
Hi Jony,
I have the old Bones Red, only one side shielded. They don't really need to be broken in, like greased, lip sealed bearings do. The performance gets only a little better. Ride them for 15 Miles, clean them (like explained in the manual delivered with the bones or on the bones homepage) and lube them with Bones Speed Cream or another high speed bearing oil. (You can grease them as well, but that makes them slower) Don't use WD40 or Silicon - that stuff will be blown away by the rotation speed an the balls pressure against the race.
After the cleanig/relubing the bearing is a little faster, but you can not feel it. You can measure it, because your roll out is a little longer.
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new swiss bones?
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On 1/7/2006 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
does the bow say "laberynth seals"(sp)? the latest bones are double sealed, the old ones used to have the retainer out in the open,i got a set to check out but ended up selling them, and now they've been kind of unavailable,from my distributer anyway,maybe from powell direct they'd be more available,sold out from christmas. I got pig and element swiss,havn't tried them out yet,it's cold and on fast hills i skate mostly by myself, so my impressions of bearings arn't really that comparitive,very objective. I do like my oust's but really,i couldn't blindly tell them apart from flip abec 7's
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Bearing Questions
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On 1/7/2006 Jony
wrote in from
United States
(69.174.nnn.nnn)
Hi yall,
i just got some Bones Swiss, and i have rode them for a 3-4 hours (of course 2/3 of that time was walking), and they havent shown much improvement over time. I know that they arent completely broken in, but i need some tips on how to get them faster.
on Bones, are the shields removable?
Where should lube be placed? (inner or outer shield?)
Should i use synthetic lubes (silicon, teflon) or oil based lubes (WD-40 & friends)?
How long does it normally take for bearings to brake in?
How often should bearings be cleaned? lubed? replaced?
THANX FOR YALLS HELP!!! IT IS DEFINATLY APPRECIATED, AND IS AIDING ME IN MY QUEST TO INDEFINATLY CRUSH MY FOES IN A LONGBOARDING CHALLENGE!!!!
actually, i just like to go fast. ;)
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precision ceramic shielded bearings abec9
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On 1/7/2006
Tai
wrote in from
United States
(207.69.nnn.nnn)
Hey all,
If you want to try out some precision ceramic bearings I have a couple sets for sale. These are shielded bearings and abec9s. I used to have a set of bones swiss and these ceramics are lightening fast and smooth like none other.
Please email me: taikinney@hotmail.com
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herbn
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On 1/6/2006 dt
wrote in from
United States
(68.5.nnn.nnn)
Thanks 4 the info. Please email me your email. I sent out an email re: gravity sliders but it came back from the cybernet address - failed.
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bones
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On 1/6/2006 pvd
wrote in from
United States
(130.212.nnn.nnn)
general info is available here:
http://www.peterverdonedesigns.com/skatebearings.htm
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Bones Swiss
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On 1/5/2006 Jony
wrote in from
United States
(69.174.nnn.nnn)
i just bought some Bones Swiss and they are real fast, but i gotta ask some questions because for a first run and for 40 dollars, i was expecting something a little slower than lightning fast.
Do Bones Swiss get better the more you ride them?
Due to there bearing having one open side, and one closed side, do you just apply lubricant in the open side as needed?
What should i use as a lubricant?
What is the easiest way to clean Bones Swiss?
Is there anything i can do besides cleaning my bearings periodically that will increase their speed over time?
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minmizers
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On 1/4/2006 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
8mm x 16mm x 5mm, pretty sure,
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ninja mini misers
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On 12/31/2005 dt
wrote in from
United States
(68.5.nnn.nnn)
does anyone know the exact specs on these bearings?
i tried looking on the ninja website but had no luck.
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Bones...
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On 12/30/2005
xapa
wrote in from
Portugal
(84.90.nnn.nnn)
uuuuuuuu yeeeeeee I have bones swiss bearings and they are getting faster each time I ride them... maybe 2 years from now I can be a champion to... bhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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So What?
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On 12/29/2005 Cotton Hill
wrote in from
United States
(163.176.nnn.nnn)
That's ridiculous.
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cleaning bearings
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On 12/29/2005 dt
wrote in from
United States
(68.5.nnn.nnn)
i know some of the loyal readers can be obsessive when it comes to cleaning bearings. so dont read anymore of my propaganda.
la dee da, la la la la, dee dee do, do do dee, la la la. Gary Hardwick set the speed record on 2 year old bearings, boring swiss bones, without cleaning them - ever! and without the properly sized bearing spacers, oh come to think of it he never used bearing spacers! la dee da, la la la la, dee dee do, do do dee, la la la
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all ceramic
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On 12/29/2005
dt
wrote in from
United States
(68.5.nnn.nnn)
Chris,
who makes the 2nd set of bearings you described (the all ceramic)?
where do you buy them? and what is the retail cost?
I've waited for years to see something along the lines of a full ceramic, its too bad the races are softer. Its never been a problem as far as technology only price, there are few uses that require such a bearing. Making the prices of fabrication rather unrealistic for such a narrow scope.
Chuck Gill nailed it:
"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? "
I've been saying the same for years, the problem being the weakest point, the races. Bumpy roads, curbs, trailing a board or street luge from a uhaul going back to the top - oh watch out for that bump. All over time yada yada yada. Simply put, the harder balls negatively change the "footprint." but hey i dropped choke money on these ceramics dude they sure FEEL fast!!!
let me paste this in...
On 11/30/2000 DT wrote in from 24.4.xxx.xxx:
from what jarret ewanek has taught me, all it takes is a light jolt or drop to begin the process of distruction. you see, only the balls are ceramic, but the races arent. when a side impact is created the harder ceramic balls chip away the races, causing them to not work as they are intended. and you just wasted alot of money. there are much better and cheaper ways to go faster.
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bearing sizes
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On 12/25/2005 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
i would think since the assembly and disassembly of bearings has so many possibities to mess things up,the bearings in question are probabely kind of messed up,before the cleaning. If the reassembled bearings are tight, varying ball sizes are a bit down the list of probabable suspects. Check the play of a bearing,i've measured the balls in a bearing, they are 2mm metric and in decimal they certainly don't vary enough to tighten up the play in a regular bearing. I pretty sure i've swapped balls between different brands of bearings of different ages, with no terrible side effects. Actually my first suspect in a tight reassembled bearing sounds like a dammaged retainer/cage.
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Good bearings under $30
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On 12/22/2005 Shralpsey
wrote in from
United States
(163.176.nnn.nnn)
Ron's Rockets are the best overall $20-$30 bearing IMHO. Red's are great
for a $15 bearing. Get the red's if you steet skate. They're packed w/grease
so they stay clean for a long time.
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Random Bearing Stuff
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On 12/21/2005 Chuck Gill
wrote in from
United States
(65.141.nnn.nnn)
With high-quality ball bearings, the ball diameters can vary within a given tolerance range however within a single bearing the balls must be size-matched within an extremely narrow tolerance range. So, if you were to remove the balls from a group of bearings to clean, mix them indiscriminately, then re-assemble, you will doubtless end up violating the individual-bearing ball-size tolerance. Plus, I really can't think of any reason you would need to remove the balls to clean a bearing.
If you are talking value-for-the-money, most folks will mention either Bones Reds (~ $15 a set) or Pleasure Tools (~ $11 a set for ABEC 7).
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LITTLE INSIGHT ON BEARING VALUE?
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On 12/20/2005 jony
wrote in from
United States
(69.174.nnn.nnn)
overall what is the easiest way to clean bearings, without having to soak them in some stupid solvent for a weekend, or having to take out each set of balls?
also what are the best bearings for the price (under 30$)
what lube/grease/oil should be used if applied to the bearings if any?
where should the lube/grease/oil be placed?
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More for Andy
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On 12/18/2005
JBH
wrote in from
United States
(70.249.nnn.nnn)
I've spoken with Carl from Oust about whether it's a good idea to remove the balls from the retainers and races for cleaning. He said no, it's not a good idea, unless you can be sure to get each one back in the same "pocket" it was in originally. And even then he still didn't think it was a very good idea.
Interestingly, in the cleaning instructions for Bones bearings, (George?) Powell does recommend popping off the retainers.
But in my experience with removing the balls entirely (one set of "regular" Bones Swiss and one set of ceramic Rockets), they've never ridden entirely smoothly afterwards, whereas other bearings that were at least as dirty before cleaning have ridden quite smoothly after a more moderate cleaning approach.
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