How to Buy and Change Skate Bearings
Roller skates, inline skates, and skateboard wheels all will not roll very far or fast if they do not have good quality skate bearings. There are quite a few styles, sizes, and quality levels that bearing makers manufacture. Knowing which are the right ones for your skates or skate board can be a challenge. With this in mind how about a few key points to help you understand how to change and chose your bearings.
Bearings used in sports like roller skating and inline skating are called miniature deep groove ball bearings. The bearings often used in inline skates are a variation of this same type of bearing. Because they are very small they are also called micro bearings. Whether it is a skate board wheel or an inline skate wheel you always need two bearings per wheel. The wheel has a hole in it with a flange in the very center. One bearing fits in on either side of this flange.
With inline skates there is usually some kind of sleeve or adapter that helps the bearing to fit snug in place. There are some special tools made to remove and install bearings but these are not always necessary. Often a dowel or stick of the proper size can be used to push the bearings out and you can be inventive with “C” clamps or a table vice and some small wood blocks for pressing bearings into a wheel.
Many bearings are made in China, however bearings of higher quality usually come from Germany, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, or the United States. Swiss bearings have one of the best reputations. You have to be careful though some bearings will have a description on them saying “Swiss bearings” but they are actually made in other places. It pays to pay attention to where the bearings that you are thinking of buying are coming from.
There are a few different rating systems to help you know what quality of bearing you are buying. One system is the ABEC rating system. This system was created by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee. Its rating runs as follows, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. One is the lowest quality and nine is the highest. Many other companies have created their own rating systems. In order to understand how they rate their bearings they often provide explanations on their web sites.
Many experienced bearing users warn however not to be too focused on the ABEC type of rating system. They recommend focusing your attention more on the quality of the product that a manufacture provides. Knowing the quality of the bearing parts, like the raceway (were the bearings sit), bearings, lubricants, retainer and seals (components used to protect bearings and keep lubricant in), is a more important factor in your decision.
Whether you are a professional or a beginner good skate bearings are important. As with many things you can spend a lot of money and not really get a big payback. It seems with bearings to get a good product you do not have to spend a fortune. You just need to get to know the bearing manufactures a little bit and their reputations. Take the time to look this kind of information up. Then the next time you are at the skate shop you will know what kind of quality you are getting.
 Bones Reds Precision Skate Bearings List Price: Sale Price: $11.18  |
 Bones Speed Cream Skate Bearing Lubricant List Price: Sale Price: $4.00 |
 Bones Skate Bearings Cleaning Unit List Price: Sale Price: $8.00 |
 Bones Super Swiss 6 Competition Skate Bearings List Price: Sale Price: $39.99 |
 Bones Reds 16pk Precision Skate Bearings 2011 List Price: |
 Bones Super Reds Bearings, 8 Pack set List Price: Sale Price: $22.56 |
 Bones Swiss Ceramics Bearings (Box of 8) List Price: Sale Price: $94.99 |
 ESS Bones Swiss Skateboard Bearings - BONES 2011 List Price: |
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[...] also needs to be of good quality and have good bearings. (Be sure to read a guide or two about skate bearings and wheels.) One draw back of a taller wheel is it is harder to accelerate. It takes more effort to [...]