Jason Mitchell, Seismic Nationals 2007, Hybrid Slalom.  Photo by Greg Fadell Northern California Downhill Skateboarding Association
Now in our 28th year! -- 1996-2024

Skateboard Bearing Reviews

 
HOME: Home  
EQUIPMENT: Decks   Trucks   Wheels   Bearings   Completes   Misc Equipment   Home Made Boards   Vintage Gear  
VENDORS: Vendor's Corner   Buy-Sell-Trade   Skate Shops   Our Advertisers  
DISCIPLINES: Slalom   Cyber Slalom   Speedboarding   Soulriding   Pools & Parks   Banks & Ditches   Freestyle   Buttboarding   Street Luge   Skatecar   All-Terrain   Sandboarding   Riding Techniques   Sidewalk Surfing   Longboarding   Freecarving   Distance & LDP   Sliding & Stopping   High Jump  
GROUPS: Womens   Juniors & Teens   Masters 45+   Shoe Buddies  
Q&A: Race School   GANG OF GERMANY   Slalom Pro Mike Maysey   The Gong Show with Kenny 'Nature Boy' Mollica   Michael Brooke - Publisher, Concrete Wave Magazine   McKendry on Speed   Cliff Coleman on Sliding and Safety   HACKETT & OLSON on RIDING   Going Downhill with David Rogers   Chris Yandall on Skogging  
ORGS: California Republic Stand Up   GSI   IGSA   ISSA   TSR   COSS   UKSSA   DHB   Coast   CSA   SRA   NorCal   ASSA   Tex   Other  
REGIONAL: CAN   UK   EU   Brazil   Asia/Pacific   South America   Africa  
SAFETY: Dr David Hartman on Head Injuries   Crashing   Riding Safety   Safety Equipment   Join the No Helmet Campaign!  
GATHERINGS: Contest Calendar   Events   The Trap   Cyber Slalom Challenge   Cyber Slalom HOF   SAA  
IMAGES: Pics   Pics Preview   Video   Scans  
INFO: Skateboard History   Lords of Dogtown Movie   Skateboarding Law   Riding Locations   Bulletin Board   Interviews   Guest Book   Links  
TOOLS: Search    Summary   30-Day Summary   Pageview Totals  
SITE: Posting Guidelines   User Agreement   Visitors Chart   About This Site   Add URL  

Since 1999: 660172 pageviews on this page, 38717363 pageviews on the whole site.
Since 1996: 42734455 visitors to ncdsa.com, 263802 posts.
Log your best time!
  Contest Calendar!
 

Page to oldest posts   Page backwards 25 posts   Page forwards 25 posts   Page to newest posts     Posts 4902-4926 of 4976 Add your own post! 
 
Bearing Reviews (4976 Posts)
Bearing Review
Andrew
On 1/7/2008 Needs new shorts? wrote in from (78.86.nnn.nnn)

Andrew, the phrase " allowing a better air flow to the balls ..." just cracked me up! Sorry to be frivolous, you can carry on with the serious stuff now!

 
  Rate post 291416 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
David / Andrew
On 1/6/2008 BHN wrote in from United States  (68.121.nnn.nnn)

Dear Andrew,

"I waswondering if 8mm bearings will work on a 10mm axel"

No. They will not work. You need 10mm bearings for a 10mm axle.



Dear David,

If you are not going to be racing, you do not need the ceramics. The steel bearings will handle 45mph just fine, and will save you a chunk of change.

 
  Rate post 291361 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
reason for durometers
On 1/4/2008 herbn wrote in from United States  (71.255.nnn.nnn)

if a street is a bit rough, which is not a good discription,smoothness can be a bit subjective. 88a definitely needs a fairly smooth surface to be optimal,even 84a big zigs(the hardest wheels i'm using regularly) need a smooth surface to be truely faster than 81a the harder ,it's close,on the typical street in my area, the harder wheels have sort of a quicker push off but the softer wheels hold the speed better. On a harder smooth surface the harder wheels are better in all ways the softer wheels feel like flat tires by comparison.

 
  Rate post 291207 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
ceramic
On 1/4/2008 andrew wrote in from United States  (75.64.nnn.nnn)

I am using bones ceramic swiss and they didnt work very well for me at the start so I removed the shields allowing a better air flow to the balls and now they are the fastest bearings ive ever had and I waswondering if 8mm bearings will work on a 10mm axel

 
  Rate post 291141 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Correction
On 1/4/2008 Rob in VA wrote in from United States  (138.162.nnn.nnn)

meant to say definitely "NOT" very accurate

 
  Rate post 291137 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Bearing Dilemma
On 1/4/2008 Rob in VA wrote in from United States  (138.162.nnn.nnn)

HerbN, I concur...my comparison is definitely very accurate but the riding conditions/location/activity have been identical.
The ABEC 7 Biltins are older but I cleaned and oiled them with no improvement in performance. Put in a brand new set of Pleasure Tools ABEC 7 sealed bearings and the ride isn't much better. Trucks are Tracker Sixtracks in very good condition.
Switching wheels for a much closer comparison....
I have a set of ABEC 11 70's Flashbacks, older, 81a with a year old set of ABEC 3 Pleasure Tools and they ride great. Put a set of ABEC 11 70's Flashbacks, newer, in 88a, on the same deck (Gravity Logan with Tracker Fulltrack re-issues) with a year old set of Pleasure Tools ABEC 7 sealed bearings and the ride is significantly slower with the harder wheels and better bearings.
I will continue my quest!
Rob

 
  Rate post 291136 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
ABEC 7 vs ABEC 3
On 1/4/2008 Bob wrote in from United States  (132.250.nnn.nnn)

If the speed difference can be "felt", you have a problem with the ABEC 7's

It should have nothing to do with weight. Each 608 bearing is rated to near 3,000 psi each. times that by 8 ... the bearings don't even feel ya.

 
  Rate post 291135 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
different different
On 1/4/2008 herbn wrote in from United States  (67.83.nnn.nnn)

you have soooo many variables,why don't you limit things to one set of wheels on one board set up,and ride all the bearings on the same street with the same wind and weather conditions. 88a wheels on a warped set of axles on a rough road on a cold day could make any abec 7 bearings seem slow. How old are the bearings that are being compared i don't suppose they're all the same.

 
  Rate post 291133 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
ABEC 7 vs ABEC 3
On 12/30/2007 Rob in VA wrote in from United States  (70.160.nnn.nnn)

I have a dumb question...does the rider's weight have any impact on the performance of bearings? I weight approx 210 pounds and felt that my ABEC 7 Biltins were riding pretty slow so I tried one of my other boards with a set of Pleasure Tools ABEC 3 bearings and they (the ABEC 3's) were significantly faster. OK, the Pleasure Tools were in a set of 70mm 70's Flashbacks and the Biltins were in a set of 65mm No Skoolz so the wider diameter would held a little. Stick with me...
So I had another set of 70's Flashbacks on yet another board and these wheels have ABEC 7 Pleasure Tools in them and the duro was a little harder (88 vs 81) so I figured that these wheels would be even faster than the softer wheels with ABEC 3s in them. Guess what? They were slower!! So, going back to my original question, why would I go faster with ABEC 3 bearings than ABEC 7? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Rob

 
  Rate post 290753 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
RocknRons Nuclear Missile Ceramic Bearings
On 12/29/2007 David wrote in from United States  (75.6.nnn.nnn)

Does anyone have any experience with these bearings? Are they TRUELY THE FASTEST like the company claims? These bearings would go into an all around longboard that will see speeds up to 45mph but will mostly be used for riding around town and pumping or carving. Are the Nuclear Missile Ceramics much of an upgrade from the steel Missiles? The price isn't a factor but if I can save $50 I would prefer to take that rout. What are the advanteges of the Ceramic missiles vs. the nuclear missiles? I read somewhere that the steel millises are faster than the ceramic missiles but that seems counterintuitive to me.

 
  Rate post 290668 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Bearings
On 12/14/2007 JamieM wrote in from Canada  (70.49.nnn.nnn)

Those would be the Enduro MAX bearings. They are a full complement bearing. I tried some of the 608s, and you are right they are slow as molasses in winter!
Good for high load low rotation speeds though. Enduro makes regular ones too, I've used a set of the greased/sealed 608s in the winter, they worked quite well.

 
  Rate post 289205 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
enduro
On 12/13/2007 herbn wrote in from United States  (67.83.nnn.nnn)

Those enduro bearings, i seem to remember those being the bearings with balls packed into the races,no retainer, i've seen them with notches in the sides of the races,to get all the balls in, then the sheilds slide in ,and a snapring holds that in. The balls can only come out when the notches in the races are lined up with each other and the sheild is removed. These are not low friction speed bearings they are strong loads are distributed over more contact points, they are best for bike suspension points and stuff that doesn't spin that much.

 
  Rate post 289119 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Bike Shop
On 12/12/2007 Brett Hunter wrote in from United States  (69.105.nnn.nnn)

I have a set of the LY ceramics they seemed fine for the most part but I noticed a noise coming from one of them and realized later that one of the balls was cracked. Also, some of the shields had minor defects and there was some excess rubber that was coming in contact with the inner ring. I think I'll try out some alternative bearings.

I will see what they have at my local bike shop tomorrow. Hopefully they will have some of those brands.

 
  Rate post 289055 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Bike shop 6900s
On 12/11/2007 JamieM wrote in from Canada  (70.49.nnn.nnn)

Hey Brett, if you go the bike shop bearing route, remove one of the shields and most of the grease, especially on the Enduros. If your local store is a Specialized dealer, check out the 6900s that they offer. They come in 10packs and are made in Japan. Also I have been digging the Enduro Abec 5 61900 SRS . They have super cool low friction shield/seal and nylon ball retainers too.
I have used the Skookums with good success also.
The fastest rolling 10mm bearing that I have tried, so far are the Landy Ceramics.
I'm a longboarding bike mechanic!

 
  Rate post 288927 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
skookum bearings
On 12/11/2007 ross the boss wrote in from Canada  (68.144.nnn.nnn)

i race with skookum bearings. 10mm and that are stainless so will not rust...i went 130 km + in teutonia with dave rogers....you can email me if interested in getting some.

 
  Rate post 288901 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
my ritalins
On 12/11/2007 paul wrote in from United States  (64.12.nnn.nnn)

im going to tell you about what happend to my 8 dollar set of bearings. i went to my local skateshop and picked up some 8 dollar ritalin abec 5s. i skated them for the summer and just touched them today. today, i found them in my desk so i decided why not try them out. when i tried spinning them they wouldent budge. so it took me at least 1.5 hours to get the "sheilds" off. they were completely rusted. i got so mad that i decided to spay them with wd-40 and go for a little hill bombing. so, i was going about 20mphand they were screaming like anything youve ever herd before. they finaly gave out and the balls blew out and all heck broke loose. in all, i through them out. this is a warning not to get ritalins

 
  Rate post 288895 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Bike Shop
On 12/10/2007 Brett Hunter wrote in from United States  (69.105.nnn.nnn)

Great info. I assumed that the bearings I was looking for would be 10x22x7 (impossible to find) but when comparing the LY bearings to some regular 8mm bearings... sure enough they are a bit "thiner". I called a local bike shop and they have them. I'll be picking up a pack later today.

Thanks!

 
  Rate post 288785 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
10mm bearings
On 12/8/2007 truth squad wrote in from United States  (24.20.nnn.nnn)

10mm 6900 series bearings (10x22x6) are an industrial commodity just like 8mm 608 series bearings (8x22x7). They are readily available with all the usual options like shields, double labyrinth seals, ceramic balls etc.. that 608's have.

*Every* bike shop on the planet has them and you can also always get them online at big distributors like VXB.

http://www.thebikebench.com/products.asp?subCatID=342

http://www.bikeparts.com/search_results.asp?ID=BPC101384

http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/10mm/6900-2RS10-1

 
  Rate post 288562 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
10mm Bearings
On 11/28/2007 Brett wrote in from United States  (69.111.nnn.nnn)

So, my theory has prove correct! I have been sending Emails to different companies trying to get them interested in 10mm bearings and it is kinda working.

This is the Email I got back from Pleasure Tools:

"Sorry! But we don't have any plans to carry the 10mm bearings in the
near future. We haven't had any requests for them, well, besides yours...
If that changes, we'll reconsider stocking them, but for now, I'm afraid we
can't help you.


If you have trucks with 10mm bearings it is your duty to bother bearing manufacturers about stocking them, They WILL listen! There needs to be more diversity when it comes to 10mm bearings!

 
  Rate post 287618 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Zero black widows bearings
On 11/25/2007 dman wrote in from United States  (68.56.nnn.nnn)

These bearings are rated abec 7 and titanium. They are so durable and strong. The only thing is the covers are not removable.

 
  Rate post 287282 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Speed Metal abec 5's
On 11/25/2007 dman wrote in from United States  (68.56.nnn.nnn)

speed Metal Abec 5's are GREAT! They don't break the bank and they last like 2 years. They probably would have lasted longer if i lubed and cleaned them regularly. These are kik ass bearings for a kick ass skateboard. IF U WANT TO BUY A GREAT SET OF BEARINGS THESE ARE FOR U.

 
  Rate post 287281 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
10mm Racing Bearings
On 11/24/2007 Brett wrote in from United States  (69.111.nnn.nnn)

Are there any bearing companies who make 10mm bearings aside from LY and SiNsystems? I am having a hard time coming across a quality set of 10mm's. Anyone who has trucks with 10mm axles should email their favorite bearing manufacturer and ask about them. If enough of us bother them about 10mm's eventually they will start making them!

 
  Rate post 287240 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Bearings: Made in....
On 11/5/2007 Matty wrote in from (97.89.nnn.nnn)

None of the manufacturers say on the package where the bearings are made...except swiss (and not all are made in Switzerland?!!) Sometimes it is written on the bearing itself. I want to know which bearings are made where. I'm a musician and recording engineer and have been faithful to many countries as far as products go. I like my gear to last. I tend to avoid China, Taiwan, Indonesea, Korea...not that these countries aren't able to make great stuff. But I tend to trust the craftmanship of USA, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, etc a good bit more. So I would really appreciate finding out who is where in skate bearings. Also, if you know about other gear like wheels and decks made outside of the "sweatshop" countries, I'm interested.

 
  Rate post 285365 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Nitro Bearing Info
On 10/27/2007 Paul Howard wrote in from United States  (65.122.nnn.nnn)

YoYo- Thanks for the infomation - Paul

 
  Rate post 284857 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)
Re: Nitro bearings....
On 10/22/2007 yoyo schulz wrote in from Germany  (62.225.nnn.nnn)

Here is their website: http://www.nitrobearings.com/

 
  Rate post 284317 !
Best-Of Ncdsa (0)
  Informative (0)
  Abuse(0)
  Flag Moderators (0)

Page to oldest posts   Page backwards 25 posts   Page forwards 25 posts   Page to newest posts     Posts 4902-4926 of 4976 Add your own post! 


Add your own Bearing Reviews post using this entry form
Topic:
Your Name:
Your Email: (optional)
Post:
Characters remaining:      Posts containing links are not allowed
Black box number:     (This number expires 11/22/2024 2:42:55 AM California time)
  (Linking to an image? Read this first)
Return to Menu

© Copyright 1996-2024 NCDSA - All Rights Reserved
Site-related comments to
webmaster@ncdsa.com
Site by Norcal Internet LLC