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Skateboard Bearing Reviews

 
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Bearing Reviews (4976 Posts)
Bearing Review
Kurts' world
On 10/31/2000 Herbn wrote in from (216.107.nnn.nnn)

Now while i couldn't absolutely guarentee that its the Abec rating that is making the difference,but there does seem to be a rather predictable increase in accelleration and or top speed with bearings that could coincidently have 5s after that little ABEC initials,some 3's are real fast to ,Ninja,Reflex,Speedemon,Powell,and a few other have gotten good reveiws,though some get panned for reliability problems in rather harsh environments(i.e.long twisty luge runs)but nobody was going 200+ mph,at least not on this skaters planet.

 
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Bearing info
On 10/31/2000 Kurt wrote in from (63.232.nnn.nnn)

The most noticeable result is that you will end up with less money in your wallet and the people that sold you the bearings will be eating out at restaurants at your expense for a few days. Under the following conditions, you may notice an improved performance.

(a) You spend a lot of money (i.e. thousands of dollars) to have your equipment (wheels and board) redesigned and manufactured to suit these high precision bearings. You will need to use some type of shock absorber that allows for absolutely no vibration.

(b) You will have to be prepared to skate on a perfectly smooth surface and make no attempts to use your feet to propel yourself. (Doing so would cause shock loads to the bearings and any extra precision would be lost very quickly).

(c) After you work out how you are going to achieve the above two criteria, you may (and that is only "may") experience a better result than using ABEC 1 bearings after you attain a speed of about 390 KPH (240 MPH) with 65mm wheels and grease lubrication.

Similar calculations for different wheel sizes and lubrication methods
52mm Wheels Grease Lubricated Bearings 310 kph (195 mph)
52mm Wheels Oil Lubricated Bearings 370 kph (230 mph)
65mm Wheels Grease Lubricated Bearings 390 kph (240 mph)
65mm Wheels Oil Lubricated Bearings 460 kph (290 mph)
70mm Wheels Grease Lubricated Bearings 420 kph (260 mph)
70mm Wheels Oil Lubricated Bearings 500 kph (310 mph)

 
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rain riding
On 10/30/2000 Ryan M wrote in from (165.236.nnn.nnn)

rust happens when your bearings start to dry, if you constantly skated right through puddles it wouldn't be so much of a problem, but add some oxygen and corrossion happens. Of course you also have to think about how well your deck will fare, moisture is the natural enemy of dead wooden objects like your deck, causing it to warp or delam. The bearings though can be protected. I blow out mine with canned air or an airbrush to dry them, then I relube them with triflow. So far here in Santa Cruz it's rained on and off for a few days and I've been caught out every time, and between this and a few weeks ago I haven't had any problems with rusted bearings. Dry, lube, repeat! Just don't chuck it in your locker and leave it there to oxidize for a few days.

 
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RE: Speed Demons
On 10/30/2000 goomer wrote in from (63.195.nnn.nnn)

Ben,

Feel free to go out and try them. I wont stop you! You got my blessing.

goomer
(a white boy not asian!)

 
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Speed demons
On 10/30/2000 Herbn wrote in from (216.107.nnn.nnn)

I haven't riden the clear sheilds,but the gold sheild speed- demons are very fast and cheap,i only had one bearing problem,i took it apart after replacing it and couldn't find any glaring problem,didn't use any magnifing inspection devices,not worth the trouble.Straight out of the case the clears don't spin as good as the golds(bearing only)several revolutions for the gold ,barely on spin on the clears.

 
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Magical rainproof no-rust bearings
On 10/30/2000 Ben wrote in from (63.202.nnn.nnn)

Hey Goomer, does the plastic shield mean that just the shield itself doesn't rust (not rocket science) or does it mean that (holy mackerel!) the bearing won't rust when you ride it in the rain.

Additional inflammatory statements: My Asian girlfriend volunteers that when people talk about asian females being bad drivers they are talking about her and she is guilty as charged (trust me). My 22 y/o Singaporean roommate and her friends, however, could drive Winston Cup while smoking, switching tracks on the CD player and talking on the phone, so go figure.

Anyway, are those Speed Demons going to roll right through the rainy season? My rain board runs Xtreme SS Slicks (99 mm) which hiss nicely in the rain and I am just waiting to junk more bearings.

 
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Speed Demons
On 10/29/2000 Goomer wrote in from (63.195.nnn.nnn)

Well this forums about opioions, and in my opinion, yes, plastic weighs alot less then those alumnium or steel shields.

Goomer (Ant)

ps: lets not use stupied and dumb. theres better adjectives you can use to describe false accusations.

oh yeah, lets attack the idea not the person! :) no help in shutting someone out because they have good ideas or ideas you dont conform with.

and i apologize if my "speed demon" comment was not allowed here. ill find another friendlier forum to use.



an example: just because im Asian, does not mean im stupied!

 
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SPEED DEMONS
On 10/29/2000 ondrej wrote in from (209.245.nnn.nnn)

this is to whoever posted this last post about speed demons. Are you that stupid to believe that a plastic shield is going to have an enormous effect on weight????

 
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Speed Demon Abec 5
On 10/29/2000 Gommer wrote in from (63.195.nnn.nnn)

Clear shields (plastic) are the smoothest you can get. The shields make the bearings lighter, and it doesnt rust. Plus, the plastic makes less nosies then metal shields.

Buy Speed Demons if you want a smooth long lasting bearings.

Gommer

PS: They arent 35 dollars either

 
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lasting bearings
On 10/29/2000 Jake wrote in from (24.16.nnn.nnn)

I think it depends more on how well you take care of your bearings and what kind of riding you do than luck.

 
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Rain bearings?
On 10/29/2000 Ben wrote in from (63.202.nnn.nnn)

What won't rust? The monsoon season just San Fran.

 
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ceramix
On 10/29/2000 DOOBIE wrote in from (64.20.nnn.nnn)

there is no set time for any bearing to last. some may last years, others months. it just depends on how lucky you are

 
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ceramics
On 10/29/2000 cold_fish wrote in from (196.2.nnn.nnn)

Does anybody know how long ceramics last?

 
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Killa Bees/ bones
On 10/24/2000 DOOBIE wrote in from (64.20.nnn.nnn)

I had a set when I bladed like 5 years ago. They probly got tossed out, but were good bearings, not anything like Bones Swiss, but great for the money. They were alot better than the other bearings at the time and probly are above most of the skate bearings today, as most are made by the same company and just printed with a companies name. Powell did the skate bearing right. they took the time/money/effort to make one of the best bearings around. They definetly deserve some props for that.

 
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Killer Bees
On 10/23/2000 Pre-School Rider wrote in from (209.198.nnn.nnn)

I was putting some older wheels(Alva Hardcores)onto a different deck(to make room for my N.O.S.Krypto Pro 2s)and found to my surprise that what I'd thought were slow "seconds",or hand-me-downs from some other board,were in fact un-spacered(must've been really low on narrow spacers)Killer-Bees,that once Properly seated,spin like a crazed cuisinart!I've have few clues as to when or where I got these,though my fuzzy memory says I picked 'em up at a 'Play-it-again' sports shop,somewhere..Anyone know anything about these? Just curious....

 
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bLACK PANTHERS
On 10/23/2000 David wrote in from (216.13.nnn.nnn)

These are the greatest bearings around.. they fly last long and are waterproof. Get these and kill the rest period.

 
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Bearing choice
On 10/22/2000 Pre-School Rider wrote in from (209.198.nnn.nnn)

Ryan,buy Germans!

 
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ABEC what?
On 10/22/2000 Pre-School Rider wrote in from (209.198.nnn.nnn)

John,the ABEC rating system,which really means very little(it's a machine torelance guide)in the real world,ONLY USES ODD NUMBERS.So,your 'pro' at the shop needs to look at the links here,under YAK bearings for some FACTS before selling you the goods..

 
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GMNs/Reds choice
On 10/22/2000 Ryan M wrote in from (165.236.nnn.nnn)

I just scoped out those GMNs on Z-prod and coincidentally I need new bearings for a park/commuter board. Given the $18 or so plus shipping for the GMNs vs $16 for Bones Reds locally, what's the better deal in the long run? I'm happy with one set of Reds I have, however those GMNs are looking pretty sweet and my krypto proIIs are just dying for new bearings. For 60mm wheels in constantly gritty conditions, but no sliding, what would our dear bearing test-pilots recommend? Thanks!

 
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ABEC rated berrings
On 10/22/2000 John wrote in from (209.180.nnn.nnn)

I was just curious about the ABEC rating system, because today my friend who owns a skate shop, had gotten his last shipment of Black Widow ABEC 10s by Zero (I think), and he told me about Zero breaking up so they won't be back in production.
Is this the truth, and also what are the optimal ABEC rating for a novice skater like myself?

 
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GERMAN Brgs.
On 10/22/2000 Pre-School Rider wrote in from (209.198.nnn.nnn)

Phil,good German bearing companies are GMN,SKF(produced in Indonesia,Sweden,Singapore,China also,so look at stamping/printing),and Fafnir.Most German bearings run in the ABEC 3 rating,but both GMN and Fafnir made ABEC 5's.Older and rarer are Pfaff bearings,used on high speed industrial machines,probably ABEC 5 or 7.The initial 'problem' with German bearings is that they use grease,not light oil,in the bearing for lube,so the new bearing dosen't spin like a Chinese bearing packed in thin oil,but it will way outlast Asian stuff.Break 'em in,and then if you don't like 'em,sell 'em.

 
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608 zz
On 10/22/2000 phil wrote in from (205.188.nnn.nnn)

hey all i juss got me a set of 608 zz's are these bearings german. and are they good ive been longboarding for about 3 years now and i usually stick with swiss but i was juss wondering if they are worth breaking in or for the trash

 
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bearing spacers
On 10/20/2000 DT wrote in from (24.4.nnn.nnn)

If you go to the links page and click on the first link tittled "about bearing spacers" you will find everything you need to know. or you can use the search function.

 
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Daredevil abec-5's
On 10/20/2000 jay wrote in from (24.10.nnn.nnn)

Hey guys, quick question for ya. I got new daredevils, which i really like, but they came with spacers. Whats the benefit of using these? They seem to make my board louder when riding over a bumpy surface, which to me means they arent really tight in there or anything...

thanks!
J

 
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Germans
On 10/19/2000 Kaylee wrote in from (209.43.nnn.nnn)

99% Sure you can still get GMN's at www.zprod.com, but not the GMS BRS rubber shielded ones. I for one prefer them as well. Longest lasting bearing I've ever ridden.

 
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