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Your skate bearings are one of the major components of your skates. And in the world of inline skating there are two main types of bearings that dominate the marketplace: ABEC and Swiss. ABEC and Swiss bearings dominate in the marketplace not because they are brands, but rather these two bearing types dominate in the marketplace by classification. In fact, many bearing manufacturers will produce both ABEC and Swiss rated bearings. The biggest questions that exist between the two are:

1.) What’s the difference?

And

2.) Which is better?

The answer to the first is rather simple. ABEC, an acronym for Annular Bearing Engineering Committee, refers to the perfection of a bearing. Historically ABEC ratings have been used to grade the quality of a bearing and the smoothness of the polish. According to the ABEC rating system, the higher the ABEC rating a bearing receives, the more efficient the bearing will operate. The more efficient the bearing operates, the faster speeds it is capable of producing. Presently there are 5 classes of ABEC ratings:

• ABEC 1 – Class 0
• ABEC 3 – Class 6
• ABEC 5 – Class 5
• ABEC 7 – Class 4
• ABEC 9 – Class 2

The above ABEC ratings correspond with the stated class above as measured by the International Organization for Standardization.

The Swiss bearing came long after the ABEC rating system. The primary difference between the Swiss and the ABEC are the standards for which they are rated on. The Swiss system takes into account not only the smoothness of polish on the bearing, but also the entire assembly of the bearing itself. Swiss argues that their rating process and the bearings they produce roll faster and shed debris with less maintenance.

Simply put, the difference that exist are in the standards used to rate the bearing. A Swiss bearing utilizes the same rating for smoothness of polish, but adds the process as a whole to its ratings process.

When making a decision to purchase a new set of bearings for your skates, your decision should be based on what you plan on using your skates for. Swiss bearings, while easier to maintain are generally more expensive. Out of the box, they also tend to be a bit slower, based on our personal opinion. However, if you plan on skating very frequently and in long stretches, or even marathons, the speed of a Swiss bearing will be beneficial for you in the long run.

ABEC bearings are generally less expensive and will be faster out of the box. However, ABEC bearings tend to be more susceptible to debris which can cause friction inside of the bearing itself, and make them less efficient. If you are a recreational skater who skates occasionally, you may not need to spend the extra money on bearings. Instead, educate yourself on bearing maintenance to help extend the life of your ABEC bearings.

Bearing Lubrication:  Oil or Grease?

Regardless of the type of bearing you decide to purchase, you will need to select the proper lubricant to service your bearings and help its performance. The two most common types of lubricant that you will be considering are oil and grease. Both work effectively, but each has its own pros and cons given a situation.

Oil is much thinner than grease and as a result creates less friction inside of the bearing. The less friction that is present in-and-around your bearings means the bearing can rotate faster, making your wheels rotate at a faster rate, allowing you to accelerate faster, and maintain speed longer. Unfortunately, the high viscosity of oil does a poor job of keeping dirt and dust from entering the inner parts of your bearings, potentially creating large amounts of friction if not serviced routinely and correctly.

By comparison, grease based lubricants offer the opposite effects on wheels and bearings. Grease is thicker than oil, which creates more friction for the wheel and bearings. This makes a grease lubricant inferior to oil in respect to speed. From a positive standpoint, grease lubricants are the perfect choice to protect the bearing from water, dirt, and dust. This allows the bearing to go for longer stretches with less friction from these elements.

The bottom line when it comes to bearing lubricant is that you want to consider how often you are going to be using your skates, and how often you will be able to flush the bearings and re-oil or re-grease. If you are buying a skate and want low maintenance, you will probably want to get a grease based lubricant. However, if you are buying a skate for aggressive uses like hockey or speed skating, and you plan on taking good care of your skates, then an oil based lubricant is the better selection. No matter which lubricant you select, remember that you do not need much at all. A couple of drops of oil based lubricant or a dab of grease should get the job done on each bearing.

If you have ever purchased a new pair of inline skates, you have undoubtedly asked yourself this question, “what will a little extra money get me?” You may also ask this exact question if you are shopping around for skates right now. Ultimately, there is no simple answer to this question because the benefits you gain from spending a little extra money will vary from one skate brand to the next. Additionally, the type of skate you are looking at will have a determining factor as well. But what is important to remember is that spending extra money on skates will be noticeable to you if you are frequent skater.

Each skate type (racing, recreation, hockey, aggressive, fitness) will offer different features that are designed to meet the needs of its user. Where money is spent on a component on one skate, it may not necessarily be spent there on another. Unlike other sports where spending a bit of extra money on equipment may not translate into better performance, the extra money spent on inline skates will certainly be noticeable. Boot liners, bearings, wheels, and lacing systems are just some of the areas that your extra cash will prove beneficial.

If you are simply interested in purchasing a basic pair of recreational skates for occasional use, the extra money may not be worth it. However if you elect to spend a tad bit more you will certainly notice it in the comfort level. For roller hockey players and racing skaters, the money spent will certainly be justified as it will result in lighter frames, higher quality & rated bearings, and better liners that will increase comfort.

When shopping for skates keep the three areas mentioned above, frames, bearings, and liners, in mind. If you are torn between one pair of skates that are priced at $50 more than another, inspect each of them for differences in these areas first. You are welcome to compare them in other areas as well, but we recommend these three first and foremost.

However the bottom line is that when it comes to the final decision, we recommend that you select the skate you deem best for you. This includes your skating ability, the area(s) you plan on skating, the frequency at which you skate, and also your budget. Do not spend outside your means simply because you want a more comfortable skate or better performing skate. Make certain you can afford the skate and that it meets your other needs as well.

In the United States the sport of hockey doesn’t receive near the same level of notoriety that other sports such as football, baseball, or even basketball receive…although we believe that it certainly should. However, that does not mean that the sport isn’t immensely popular across the nation through ice and roller hockey leagues. In fact, hockey is one of the most popular organized sports across North America, and has been for well over 100 years.

Hockey leagues are offered nationwide at numerous hockey rinks, with most offering a variety of leagues for children and adults of all ages and skill levels. However, these leagues are not limited to solely ice hockey. As inline skating has gained in popularity over the past decades, so has the interest in Roller Hockey. All of the same basic rules apply to roller hockey that apply to ice hockey, with the only major variations existing in the playing surface and the type of skate you are using. Minor rule variations may exist from league to league, but the substance of the game is still very much the same.

There are many characteristics in the sport of roller hockey that make it vastly appealing to people of all ages. First, it is relatively inexpensive to become involved in when compared to ice hockey. Second, there are many leagues available that help make the competition level remain fairly even. Additionally, you can play the sport in any or all of the four seasons, regardless of your geographic location. Finally, you can put a team together of many of your friends who also enjoy the sport. There are many other reasons as well, but these are just some of the many.

If you are interested in becoming involved in roller hockey, you will need to purchase certain equipment to be eligible to play. The basic equipment is what you will need, any additional items are solely your decision:

• Roller Hockey Skates (no brake is required)
• Hockey Stick
• Hockey Gloves
• Hockey Helmet (with or without mask and HECC Approved)
• Hockey Shin Pads
• Hockey Elbow Pads
• Roller Hockey Pants
• Jock Strap (men) / Pelvic Protector (women)

Equipment Tips:

An appealing characteristic of roller hockey is that is less expensive than ice hockey. The most important part in selecting your equipment is that you make sure it fits correctly. There is no sense in spending oodles of money on high-end equipment if it does not fit properly. Make sure your equipment fits properly, then worry about price if you so choose.

In that same mindset, a crucial purchase will be your roller hockey skates. Make certain that your skates feel comfortable and fit properly. If they are not comfortable and/or do not fit properly, you will be in lots of pain when you have to make those quick stops and turns.

If you are just starting in roller hockey, do not hesitate to save yourself a few bucks at first by just wearing some sweatpants over your shin pads. However, we strongly recommend that after a few times out that you purchase a pair of roller hockey pants. Roller hockey pants are lightweight, breathable, and reinforced in the knees and seams to be durable. Sweatpants are suitable in the beginning, but you will quickly find yourself sweating in places you never knew you could sweat.

Getting Started

If you are interested in getting started in roller hockey, but you don’t know how, try starting with a friend or joining a league at your local roller hockey rink. For a rink in your area, try searching through the site linked below. Once you find a rink close to you, you are well on your way to seasons and seasons of fun.

http://www.rinktime.com/roller-hockey-rinks/national/roller-hockey-rinks

When purchasing a pair of inline skates you should consider the money that you spend as an investment. Like most investments, you will want your inline skates to last for a long time before having to replace them. There are many ways to ensure that this takes place, but one easy way is to routinely rotate your wheels.

Wheel rotation on your inline skates is similar to the process of rotating wheels on a car. The process consists of removing your wheels and then positioning them in a different spot on your frame than they were before. The purpose of this is to make sure that the wear taking place on your wheels is balanced. Most skate wheels are made of a urethane material that while long lasting, begins to wear down after many uses. If you do not properly rotate your wheels, you will wind up with wheels that are severely worn down in one direction. This makes skating very difficult, and forces you to purchase new wheels to remedy the problem.

Ideally you should be checking your wheels before and after any skating session, but every couple of sessions is okay too. Checking before you skate will allow you to assure yourself that your wheels are in good condition to skate on. Checking after you skate will allow you to gauge how much your wheels are wearing down. The rate at which your wheels wear down will depend on the type of skating you are doing and the terrain you are skating on. If you are skating on an indoor skating rink, your wheels will not wear down as fast as if you were skating outdoors on pavement. Also, the Durometer rating of your wheels will play a factor in the wear as well. Keep these two things in mind when inspecting your wheels and making a determination whether you should rotate or not.

A standard wheel rotation should involve swapping wheel position, as well as flipping the wheel so that the inside edge now faces outwards. This will help keep the wear balanced and prevent you from having to replace wheels worn to a 45-degree angle on one side. Additionally, swapping wheel position is important because pressure isn’t always applied equally on each wheel. To remedy this issue you will want to swap wheel positions. You are welcome to re-position your wheels in any manner that you like, but the following method is the most common for 4-wheeled fitness or recreational skates.

1-3-2-4 Swapping Method:

For 4-wheel skates with wheels that are all the same size, you will want to utilize the 1-3-2-4 rotation. This method is known as the 1-3-2-4 because it requires the 1^st and 3^rd wheels on the frame to be swapped, and the 2^nd and 4^th wheels to be swapped.

There are other swapping methods as well, for 5-wheeled skates and Hi-Lo roller hockey skates as well. For a more in-depth review of those processes, please review Inline Skates 101 Guide.

Flipping and rotating your wheels is an easy way to save some cash, improve the performance of your skates, and increase the longevity of your skates in general. If you don’t feel like rotating your wheels, you are more than welcome to purchase new wheels every time, but don’t be upset if you spend more money on replacement wheels in 6 months than you did purchasing your skates.

Inline skating is an enjoyable activity that is great for the entire family, regardless of age. But regardless of age or skill level there is one important item that every skater must remember to do, wear the proper protective gear. Every inline skater should wear, at minimum, a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards. Each of these items provides protection in its own way, in the off chance that you take a spill. Even the most advanced skaters will fall every one in a while, that is just the nature of being on skates. However, if you wear the proper safety equipment, you skate within your abilities, and you skate in safe conditions (dry, flat, un-crowded areas), you will not have to worry about falling or getting injured.

We understand that not everyone owns each piece of protective equipment above. If you can, we recommend that you invest in the items you do not have. If that isn’t exactly an option right now, we strongly advise that you at least get a helmet and wrist guards. When you fall, you will no doubt attempt to brace yourself with your hands. Therefore, wrist guards are very important for protecting against broken wrists or fingers. Additionally, if you fall backwards or lose control while skating, you will want to protect your head from slamming against the ground or any other items in the vicinity or your tumble. You may think you look dumb, but that is a small price to pay for your safety and well-being.

If you are still a bit hesitant to protective gear because you believe it will make you hot, sweaty, and itchy, please note that inline skating protective gear has come a long way in design since the 1980s and 1990s. Today’s protective gear is typically lined with wicking material that not only feels comfortable, but it pulls moisture away from your skin as well. As a result, this keeps you cooler and dryer, eliminating the itchiness of wearing pads. Additionally, the pads are much lighter now too. This makes them practically unnoticeable when skating.

Protective pads have also evolved beyond knee, elbow, and wrist pads, to pads that protect the entire body. Crash pads are new to the market and are designed to protect against broken bones, scratches, and bruises. They are worn like a piece of clothing with small pads on the surface for protection and manufactured from mesh or wicking material to keep you cool.

If you’re looking to do yourself a favor, we strongly recommend that you invest in the right protective gear because it will save you money in the long run, and help you avoid pain and anguish too.