Skateboard Bearings

In the following article you will find out everything you need to know about skateboard bearings.

What size are skateboard bearings:

Skateboard bearings are an industry size 608, with an inner diameter of 8 millimeters, an outer diameter of 22 millimeters and a width of 7 millimeters. These dimensions are standardized, so all available skate bearings fit into all conventional ones, provided you bought the components from a specialist shop.

Construction:

A skateboard ball bearing usually consists of 5 components:

• The Shield: The purpose of the shield is to keep dirt out. Formerly often made of steel, modern shields are now made of plastic. It is designed to have as little frictional resistance as possible. With high-quality bearings, the signs can be easily removed to allow for better cleaning. Many skaters permanently remove their signs. It is still controversial whether this is a trend or whether it actually brings more speed if you drive the ball bearings without shields. The fact is, however, that the bearings become a little louder as a result, more dirt and foreign bodies can penetrate and the service life is negatively affected as a result.

• The balls: These are usually made of steel, with the exception of ceramic ball bearings. 7 balls are installed as standard, but in recent years there have also been models with 6, slightly larger balls. This should ensure less friction and thus more speed and a higher top speed.

• The cage: The cage keeps the balls in shape. With good branded ball bearings, it is made of Delrin. Delrin is a high-molecular thermoplastic material that is characterized by high strength, hardness and rigidity in a high temperature range. It ensures that the balls run evenly between the outer and inner ring.

• Inner and outer ring: Made of hardened steel to ensure stability. They are equipped with grooves in which the balls run.

The following graphic shows the structure of a Bones ball bearing:

How much ABEC do Skateboard Bearings need:

The only correct answer to this is: none at all. ABEC is the abbreviation for "Annular Bearing Engineers Committee". It is an industry standard that specifies how accurately the bearings are processed. The ABEC scale goes from 1,3,5,7 to 9. Here, the tolerances decrease from 1 to 9, which means that ABEC 9 runs more precisely than ABEC 1. With skateboard bearings, the bearings from most manufacturers range from ABEC 3 to ABEC 7. That sounds quite good so far, but the conventional use of a ball bearing in industry is to run as quickly and smoothly as possible. The ball bearings are tested under conditions of 30000 revolutions per minute, which would correspond to a speed on the skateboard of over 200 km/h. And let's be honest: Nobody is that fast. But what is much more important: skateboard ball bearings have completely different requirements than industrial ball bearings. Industrial camps are not designed to be landed on after a 10 step ollie. Skateboard bearings need to be able to withstand impact, side bangs, and other abuse. Skate bearings also have different requirements when it comes to maintenance and cleaning. That's why some of the most reputable skate companies no longer use ABEC ratings on their bearings, most notably Bones, Bronson, Cortina, etc.

Maintenance:

How do I maintain my ball bearings? The best way to give the ball bearings the longest possible life is to keep them away from dirt and moisture. What also has to be said very clearly: Don't overdo it with maintenance. You don't have to lubricate your bearings every week. On the contrary, doing this every few months will usually be perfectly adequate. This ensures that internal friction is minimized and provides additional protection against corrosion and rust. Never use oily substances for this, as these often ensure that the road dirt sticks to the bearings and slowly penetrates through the signs. There are lubricants specially developed for skateboarding, for example by Bones or Bronson.

Cleaning:

It is best to use acetone to clean the bearings. First you carefully remove the signs with a pointed, thin object such as a cutter knife. To do this, you carefully place the knife in the gap between the shield and the inner ring of the ball bearing and carefully lever it out. The signs must be removed before cleaning as the acetone can damage the plastic of the signs. After the treatment you can wipe the bearings with a piece of kitchen roll and then lubricate them again.

Your ball bearings should never get wet, as the moisture cannot escape very easily and they then rust very quickly. In the event that this happens, you should also disassemble them and dry them as quickly as possible with a cloth or kitchen roll.

What types of skateboard bearings are there?

In addition to the standard bearings discussed so far, there are also Swiss, Ceramic and Titanium bearings.

Real Swiss are made in Switzerland. They are not fundamentally different from conventional camps, but Switzerland has always been known for the good quality and the designation therefore serves as a quality feature.

Ceramic Bearings have ceramic balls. The material is harder and smoother, which means that these bearings have less frictional resistance in the grooves and they are faster. However, the balls break more easily than steel balls on hard impact, making them more relevant for use on ramps than in street skating. Ceramics are also more maintenance-intensive.

Titanium ball bearings are either made entirely of titanium, or just the balls. Titanium is an extremely light and hard metal. Pure titanium is 45% lighter than steel and doesn't rust, making them less susceptible to moisture.

While they are not part of the ball bearing, some sets come with spacers. What are spacers good for? Their task is to create a seamless connection between the ball bearings and thus increase stability and service life. In practice, they are more useful in the race area, or with soft wheels without a hard core.

Washer: Also not part of the ball bearing, washers are washers that are attached between the inside of the axle and the axle nut. They ensure that the ball bearings rest directly on the inner rings and thus prevent the bearings from rubbing against the axles.

We always carry a wide range of skate bearings, you can find our entire selection here .