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| Bearing Reviews (4976 Posts)
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ABEC
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On 9/14/2000
GBJ
wrote in from
(205.177.nnn.nnn)
As a former distribution manager for a large skateboard equipment manu, I can tell you the following thing about ABEC ratings. ABEC ratings are largely irrelevant to the performance of a bearing unit as a skateboard wheel bearing. The bearings that we skateboarders use were originally engineered for industrial purposes, where they may sit in a piece of machinery, in a constant environment and spin for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of hours before needing to be replaced. ABEC tests quantify the tolerances of bearings in this type of application and for these purposes. When the company I was working for decided to carry a bearing line, and since all the bearings on the market are basically re-packaged and re-sold industrial bearings, we put our possible choices on a bench, pried the shields, banged 'em from the side, got them wet, all kind of things that have nothing to do with the ABEC ratings. In fact, it can be argued that the higher the ABEC rating, the closer the tolerances are in the bearing, and the more susceptible the bearing is to fail while operating under the varied and changeable conditions in which a skateboard bearing must operate.
In skate reality, bearings seem to have personalities of their own, and one is equally likely to get a Ceramic Powell Swiss that goes bad after a few days, as one would be to get an ABEC-3 that seems to dry-out "just right" and rolls, on mirror-like surfaces, for years. I have several cherished sets of bearings (for racing only), that are well over ten years old.
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Dry bearings
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On 9/14/2000 Herbn
wrote in from
(208.192.nnn.nnn)
you slipped,you said "break your bearings,in" instead of "break in your bearings" i generally don't think dry bearings are really that good of an idea,i'm a believer in stock lube in better bearings,Swiss, Chinabones,Speedemons,Ninjas(seem nice)Reflex and perhaps a few others,relube with speed cream or triflon and blow out with air(which can spin them clean to turbine speeds)no solvents,just wipe off accumulating dirt.Maybe thats too simple,doesn't involve fire,or breathing fumes,or some other wacky ritual,with alternative lubricants,so post on.
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BEARINGS
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On 9/13/2000
DOOBIE
wrote in from
(204.52.nnn.nnn)
Here is part of an old post and you can break your bearings in liike this and then use lube... I'm not trying to start the debate again....
A little advice-
1. Don't grease or lube your bearings if you are going to be in pretty much dry conditions.
2. Get some carbeurator cleaner from your local Auto parts store or Wal-Mart
3. "Shoot the Sh!t" out of the bearings with the carbeurator cleaner, and it will evaporate and leave your bearings clean!
4. With a soft tip on your Dremel(tm) (or other rotary tool, and some old wheels spin those bearings to your hearts desire, while adding a little Ronsonol lighter fluid to keep them flushing EVERYthing out. The lighter fluid will evaporate too!
5. Wipe off your bearings and put them in your favorite wheels and you will feel a huge difference
-- DOOBIE --
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Breakm in yo bearings
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On 9/13/2000 DOOBIE
wrote in from
(204.52.nnn.nnn)
hey, to break them in even faster use a dremel.
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generic ABEC bearings
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On 9/13/2000
k2000
wrote in from
(208.30.nnn.nnn)
i disagree with mr. chapstick - generic abec 1,3,5's whatever are generally not in the same league as swiss bones, nmb's, fafnirs - they're almost always noisier from the start and don't last as long
i've got a set of 20+ year old nmb's (double sealed) that spin as silently as a set of swiss bones - and this with one of the seals rusted - never been opened, only soaked in paint thinner and re-lubed with sewing machine oil
for all the money that skaters put into decks/trucks/wheels you would think bearing maintenance would be high on most peoples list - but it's not
i figure i only put 10-20 hours of skating on a set of (broken in) bearings before i clean and lube them
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Breaking in bearings
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On 9/12/2000 Mike G
wrote in from
(64.7.nnn.nnn)
Sounds interesting.... Well i would rather skate so my bearings brake in. What is ur website URL again?
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Breaking in Bearings
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On 9/12/2000 Ant
wrote in from
(63.195.nnn.nnn)
Have you guys ever wanted to break in some bearings really fast? Are you tired of waiting two to three weeks for your bearings to get all broken in? Well, my roomate insisted that i try this and i tried it last night!
I live in an apartment so this is pretty easy to do. get your skateboard, go to the work out room and put your board on the tread mill. be creative and tie your board down so when you turn the tread mill, it wont run off. I set the tread mill to the fastest which is like 30 miles per hour, on incline too. After 5 hours on the tread mill, my abec 1s are performing as well or maybe even better then my swiss bones. This really works. After 5 hours, my board had been rolling for over 150 miles. Pretty good stuff.
Tip: Your 24 hour fitness allows customers to do this. I tried it last night. :) I will try gold gym tonight. Ill let you guys know.
Ant
A detailed explanation and pictures of this process will be posted on my web page shortly. Stay tuned!
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Bearings
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On 9/11/2000
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
(63.168.nnn.nnn)
If you can't tell the difference between a no-name Abec 3 bearing, a Swiss, a Ninja or a ceramic, how much do want to spend. Take a board with "good" bearings into the sand and/or rain a few times (with or without the seals on), never clean them, and then compare their longevity to a "cheap" bearing that you only ride in a clean room while well lubed. You have to look at the big picture when discussing bearings, not just the tiny little label on the bearing itself. I have to remember to stay objective here because my use of bearings is very different than most others. I have kind of a "disposable" system of taking new bearings for racing, removing the seals and lube, using just enough lube for one day of racing, and then relegating the used bearings into other thrasher-like boards. That is completely impractical for 99.99% of skaters out there. My advice is to find an inexpensive bearing that you are happy with (not fom "toy" skateboards) and used them for as long you can stand it. If you're rich and can't be bothered, don't clean them. If you're not so rich, do what you can to keep them clean and dry, and lubricate a clean bearing periodically, according to your level of guilt and paranoia.
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Hawks vs Speed Demons
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On 9/11/2000 Herbn
wrote in from
(216.107.nnn.nnn)
My new set of aluminators (transparent red)feel so fast i was really buying into the extra grippy yet slightly flattire effect of the 74a formula,then i realized my Hawk bearings are in the 74a's,time to lose them and see what that urithane really rolls like.
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RE: Abec 19s
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On 9/10/2000 Ant
wrote in from
(63.195.nnn.nnn)
Im try to reinterpret your argument again.
Dont discriminate bearings!
Ant
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Abec 19's
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On 9/10/2000
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
(63.168.nnn.nnn)
What I'm saying is that the test for a good bearing would be that it provided speed and long life. Both of these are extremely hard to measure. People throw Abec ratings around as if they were report cards on a bearing's performance when they're not. Because I ride in a number of different locations, use different wheels, different trucks, etc., it's hard to say how a bearing worked unless it is obviously creating friction and/or noise.
If you gave people a kind of "Pepsi Challenge" for bearings, I'd bet money that no one could tell when he was riding his "favorite" bearing.
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Question: generalization of chris's philosophy
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On 9/10/2000 Ant
wrote in from
(63.195.nnn.nnn)
Chris,
I just read your comments about ceramic bearings, so hypothetical, you would say abec 3s would be as fast as an abec 9 or abec 7 bearing? So im getting the impression that you re saying, that bearings are the minamal factors of speed?
Ant
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Ceramics
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On 9/10/2000
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
(63.168.nnn.nnn)
The buzz from what I could gather at the Red Bull event is that the ceramics don't live up to all the hype. I ran Mini Misers and took home two silver medals and $2,500. I could easily afford them now if I wanted but will not be rushing out to get them anytime soon. I would never say that bearings don't make a difference, but what difference they do make is the most difficult part of a skateboard to measure.
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Ceramics
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On 9/9/2000
DT
wrote in from
(24.4.nnn.nnn)
Don't waste your money, if your looking for fast bearings stick with Swiss bones or Ninja 7s. If your wanting to drop $150 or more on your gear, you should pick up some leathers or a good helmet. Besides protecting you they will instill more confidence in you, allowing you to faster. Faster than if you just bought ceramics.
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ninja Ceramics
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On 9/9/2000
john gilmour
wrote in from
(149.130.nnn.nnn)
Anyone tried these,the marketing sounds good.
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Lube
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On 9/8/2000 DOOBIE
wrote in from
(158.252.nnn.nnn)
if you use lube, don't use motor oil... it will seep out of your bearings and make your wheels slippery... it may sound like a good idea at first, but you got to be smokin crak to do that... it will just slow you down... if you are sooo poor that you don't have $3.99 for triflo, you should consider another sport than skateboarding... it will get very expensive my friend... believe me, I speak from experience... and Hugh, and DT, and all the other guys on this site will proably agee with that it's expensive... and hold the mayo... someone told me to soak them in pickle juice to flush and then lube with strawberry jelly(the chunky kind). Later :)
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whats so expensive about lube?
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On 9/8/2000
DT
wrote in from
(24.4.nnn.nnn)
all this talk about cheap lube makes me laugh, you can get a bottle of speed cream or triflow for around $5. Thats less than a movie. and the bottle should last at least a year if not two. Sometimes paying an extra dollar or two is worth it!
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inspiration
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On 9/8/2000 Herbn
wrote in from
(216.107.nnn.nnn)
Yeah must be tough!just reminding me ,that i could use some downhill'n skate friend's, just a ride share session would be great,Any N.Y./N.J. area downhillers wanna ride?
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Re: sliding and bearings
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On 9/7/2000
DT
wrote in from
(24.4.nnn.nnn)
When i smoked them i was skating everyday on hills about 8 - 10% grade at speeds from 35 to 55mph and not just one or two here, but non stop the whole way down. I would slide down to about 15-30mph and then build up speed again after 2 or 3 seconds. Some of the hills are several miles long and usually very smooth.
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mayo?
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On 9/7/2000
david
wrote in from
(209.179.nnn.nnn)
using mayo for lube won-t do anything, exept make them smell like my dog's farts.
If you want cheap lube, go to a car store a buy a quart of motor oil, that will last you a long time
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Bones bearings
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On 9/7/2000
Jeffs
wrote in from
(206.168.nnn.nnn)
Thanks for the input. I've got China bones in my Aluminators and they would seem to be pretty hard to beat for the money. Imitations was a poor choice of words, since they are obviously both Powell bearings. Maybe my comment was politically motivated. Never mind!
Jeffs
as politically motivated. Never mind!
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no to mayo
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On 9/7/2000
hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
For best results mayo is only to be mixed with tuna ... as a bearing lubricant I believe that you will find it to be lacking in good viscosity characteristics. I believe that it has a V-index of 37.
Jojoba bean oil has a Viscosity Index of 180, and a flash point of 555 degrees F.
Soybean Oil, which has a V-index of 235 may also be a good choice.
Speaking from experience (except with the mayo) I can say that the use of condiments as a lubricant is a poor choice at best... HR
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Light Mayo
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On 9/7/2000
Chris S
wrote in from
(208.164.nnn.nnn)
Hell, I hate low fat stuff. I wouldn't put light mayo on a boloney sandwich, much less my bearings. I may be wrong, but isn't light mayo just a lowfat version of regular mayo. Following this line of thinking, wouldn't light mayo, being lowfat, be a less effective lubricant. If you must insist on putting condiments on your bearings, why not corn oil. Probably, just as cheap as mayo, and at least it wouldn't go bad. Personally, I'd probably go with olive oil instead. A bit more expensive, but worth it. I wouldn't want my bearings getting high cholesterol.
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Mayo-Future Cheap Speed Cream
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On 9/7/2000 Ant
wrote in from
(63.195.nnn.nnn)
Wouldnt Kraft Light Mayo work best then? Since they practically avoid the yolk in the compound.
Ant
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Hold the Mayo
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On 9/7/2000
Chris S
wrote in from
(208.164.nnn.nnn)
Ant,
While I don't doubt that it works, remember that there are eggs and other stuff in mayo that can go bad. Think potato salad on a hot day. Just imagine skating with your buddies,
"Yo, what's that horrible stench?"
"Ant's bearings have gone rancid again."
"Damn Ant, why don't you do something about it."
"I would but I can't seem to get the horse flys away from my bearings long enough to clean them."
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