Servicing your Bearings
Inline skate bearings usually come in sets of four to eight. Before you head out to your favorite sporting goods store, write down the information that’s shown on the outer shields of your bearings. Don’t forget to flip the bearing over and include the text that’s inscribed on the other side.
Skateboard Bearing
If you’re happy with the original bearings that came with your skates or the last set you installed, by all means buy the same bearings. If you have serviceable bearings like TwinCams or YAKs and you don’t mind doing your own cleaning and lubrication than you may want to stick with the double-shielded type, especially if they are the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that your skate manufacturer recommends.
On the other hand, if you have non-serviceable or sealed bearings and are squeamish about doing your own cleaning and lubrication, even periodically, you may want to stick with this type of bearing and just replace them when they need to be changed.
In addition, if you have shielded bearings with pop-out caps, like Powell Swiss or Black Hole brands, and like them for their ease of maintenance, it’s probably best to go with this kind of bearing again.
Tips Skate Bearings and the ABEC Scale
If you think you need new bearings for your inline skates, it’s best to check your bearings for wear using the tests provided in this article. Your bearings are at the core of your wheels and reduce friction so you can skate smoothly and efficiently. Hence, they need to be maintained properly from season to season.
Skateboard Bearing
Checking for Wear
The following are indications of major, bearing wear from a no-load, finger-flick, spin test:
- One or more of your wheels stick(s) periodically
- One or more of your wheels (is) are seized
- One or more or your wheels require(s) a lot of force to spin
- One or more of your wheels spin(s) freely for only a second or two
In addition, the following are signs of major, bearing wear from a spin test with the skater as the load:
- While out skating you hear a loud, grinding noise from your bearings
- It takes a lot of effort to pick up and maintain speed when you skate
- Your bearings are hot to the touch after a roll
You may also want to replace your inline skate bearings if you decide to switch to a different type of bearing. You may want to change from shielded bearings to sealed or racing bearings.
Learning the ABEC Scale
Bearings are rated on the Annular Bearing Engineering Council (ABEC) scale. Ratings are numbered 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 on the ABEC scale. The higher the number is, the greater the manufactured precision of the bearing.
However, there are no required materials to meet the ABEC specifications. The bearings only have to be made to a certain precision. That’s all!