Skate Bearings 101
The idea behind an inline skate bearing is to reduce the friction that exists between a moving skate wheel and a fixed, non-moving frame. Each wheel requires two bearings, one on each side, a bolt threaded through the center of each bearing, and a wheel to attach to the skate frame. Bearings are positioned in the center of the wheel, also referred to as the hub. Bearings can be removed from the wheel for cleaning and maintenance at any time. The diagram below illustrates the inner workings of your inline skate bearings:
Inline skate bearings are small and circular, containing a number of small metal balls, better known as ball bearings, inside. The ball bearings are surrounded by a lubricant that allows them to spin feely and easily inside the bearing housing. In a nut shell, this is the meat and potatoes of your bearing, which allows you to actually skate. To further illustrate what we’ve described, review the following bearing diagram:
Beyond the Basics: Bearing Ratings and Types
Now that you know the purpose of your bearings and also the inner workings of them it is time to discuss bearing ratings and types. Inline skate bearings are rated using Annular Bearing Engineer Council rating, better known as an ABEC rating. ABEC ratings typically have five levels:
· ABEC 1
· ABEC 3
· ABEC 5
· ABEC 7
· ABEC 9
ABEC ratings indicate closer conformance to certain critical bearing dimensions and typically refer to the efficiency in the bearing. The higher the number, the higher the efficiency and the less effort you will need to put forth for a longer roll.
For those interested in the specifics of how an ABEC rating is determined, the following items are used in rating calculation:
· How close the bore is to 8mm in microns
· How close the outer diameter is to 22 in microns
· How close the width is to 7mm in microns
· The rotating accuracy in microns
If you want even more specific information on ABEC ratings, we recommend you speak with an Engineer…he or she will certainly be able to clear it up for you. One important thing to remember when comparing bearings is that each manufacturer of bearings has their own ranking system. This is important because what one company considers an ABEC 7 for example, may only be an ABEC 5 at another company. Typically this is a factor of not only measurement statistics, but also the country of origin. An ABEC 5 made in China not typically going to be good as an ABEC 5 bearing made in the United States.
In addition to ABEC rated bearings, more recent “precision” bearings have hit the market. Precision bearing do not follow the ABEC rating scale and are present in forms such as Titanium, Swiss, or Ceramic. The lack of rating makes them difficult to compare to ABEC rated bearing, but they generally considered to be superior to ABEC bearings. If you wanted to rank precision bearings, the following would be the best ranking scenario:
· Titanium
· Swiss
· Ceramic
Finally, you should also be aware that bearings not only come in a variety of different ratings, but they also come in different types. For years bearings that came standard on inline skates were Standard 608 bearings. As skates have changed throughout the years, so have bearings, best represented by the Micro 688 bearing.
Standard 608 bearings are rated using the ABEC rating system described previously, as well as the Precision types also discussed. Microbearings are not rated on the ABEC scale either, but offer excellent performance. The performance aspects of Microbearings stem from their construction which involves more ball bearings per bearing than a Standard 608. The result of this construction is that a skater’s weight is more evenly distributed; allowing the bearing to operate more efficiently…efficiency is the key. Microbearings are also much smaller and lighter than Standard 608 bearings. The small size will allow for faster acceleration, and the lighter weight reduces the overall weight of the skate. If you have skates with Standard 608 bearings and wish to switch to a Microbearing setup, you will more than likely need a spacer kit to compensate for the smaller bearing size. To understand the size difference we are referring to, see the image below:
Beyond the Basics: Sealed or Shielded Bearings
Every inline skate bearing has what is known as a casing. The casing is basically what keeps all of the internal parts of your bearing protected from the elements of the terrain you skate in. Casings will be present in one of two possible forms. One is known as a sealed casing, the other is a shielded (also referred to as serviceable) casing.
Sealed bearings are just that, sealed. Their covering is not removable and thus you are unable to get inside of the bearing for cleaning and lubricating purposes. In most cases, you will find sealed bearings on lower end, inexpensive skates. Understand that sealed and impenetrable are not interchangeable phrases here. Water, dirt, and dust can easily get into sealed bearings. The sealed part is meant to describe the inability for you to service this type of bearing.
Shielded bearings on the other hand are what are known as serviceable. A serviceable bearing is typically found on middle- or upper-end skates. They provide a metal “cap” which can be popped off to access the inner workings of the bearings, and allow for easy cleaning and lubrication. The following images are of serviceable bearings, which will give you an idea of what we are describing:
To remove the cap, you can use the tip of a knife, a safety pin, or another thin object. Depending on the bearing, it may also have a seal around the cap which you must remove prior to removing the cap (see the top image above). If it does not have a seal (see image 2), you will simply need to remove the shield.
It is more likely that you will see a serviceable bearing nowadays, as they are more common than sealed bearings. Please note that you do not have to remove the cap of your serviceable bearing in to clean or lubricate it. It does however make the job much easier, and results in a much better cleaning and lubrication and ultimately prolonging the life of your bearings.
Beyond the Basics: Bearing Service and Maintenance
You’ve got the basics of bearings and a lot of information beyond the basics to this point. You understand the difference between sealed and serviceable bearings, and not it is time to put it altogether in order to service and maintain your bearings.
Understand that your bearings are the most delicate part of your skates, and therefore you should take the greatest care of them. After all, the better you take care of your bearings, the better your skating experience will be, and the less frequently you will have to replace them.
Before we get started in the actual maintenance of your bearings, let’s first go over a few preventative items. Things you should avoid that will ultimately add years to your bearings and result in fewer times you have to service your bearings.
1. Stay away from water. Water is an inline skate bearing kryptonite. It results in the lubrication becoming diluted and can eventually cause the bearings to rust. As you can probably guess, rusted bearings are neither fast nor smooth. If you want to go through a puddle for some fun, jump in the car and splash some people on the sidewalk.
2. Stay off of the grass. It is recommended that if you are beginner and you are having difficulty stopping that you skate off into the grass. While we will not discount this learning technique, we cannot emphasize enough that you stay off the grass if possible. Kids in particular love to walk or skate into the grass on purpose. Grass is filled with dirt and crud and when these particles get into the bearings, it clogs them up and can cause them to seize up. You don’t need us to tell you that a seized up bearing is nothing more than a new paper weight for the home office.
3. Trails are a common choice for inline skaters. We recommend trails too, but make sure that if it is a dirty trail, you try to utilize it for a running trail rather than a skating trail. Solid dirt or very dirty trails are filled with more of that kryptonite that clogs bearings. It may seem like fun, but you won’t be smiling or laughing when your skates stop moving. Once that happens, you will have no choice but to use that dirty trail to run on. Keep your skate bearings happy and your pocketbook happy by steering clear of dirt and dirty trails.
With the preventative measures out of the way, it is now time to learn how you actually service your bearings.
Step 1: Remove the bearings from the wheels. This process begins the same way you would replace the wheels. Start by unscrewing the axles using the proper tool, usually an Allen Wrench. Next you will need to pop the bearings out of each side of the wheel. Recall that each wheel will have two bearings, one on each side. This means there will usually be 8 per skate, or a total of 16. For a visual demonstration of this, check out the clip below:
Step 2: Your bearings have now been removed, allowing you to do a number of things with them. One of those choices is to clean your bearings. To clean your bearings, begin by simply wiping each bearing off with a paper towel or a cloth. This will remove any excess dirt and grime. We also recommend that you when cleaning your bearings that you purchase a bottle of bearing cleaner. Bearing cleaners come in aerosol cans that allow the cleaner to simply be sprayed on, or you can elect to purchase a bottle that allows you to fully submerge your bearings for soaking. Whichever method you choose, please follow the directions precisely to ensure proper care is being taken of your bearings. If you do not elect to purchase a cleaner, simply wipe them off. Whatever you do, do not use WATER! Remember, water to bearings is like kryptonite to Superman…it is NO GOOD!
If you have serviceable bearings, you can also elect to clean and lubricate the inside of your bearings as well. To do so, you begin by removing the shield. Recall that you do not have to do this, but we recommend that you do so for a more efficient bearing servicing. Lubrication of your bearings is very important because it is what allows your bearings to spin smoothly. Understand that the lubricant used within the bearing will affect the speed, and that different bearings use different types of lubricants. A common lubricant is grease. Grease offers protection against contaminants, but is not as fast as oil because it takes a slight amount of friction to melt grease to the proper lubrication consistency.
Other lubricants available are gels or oils, which are typically faster. They do however require more maintenance because they do not last as long. It is worth noting that re-lubricating a bearing with a different type of lubricant isn’t bad, but matching them is preferable.
A common mistake is the use of lubricating products such as WD-40. While it may seem like you’re doing the right thing, you should never use this product on your bearings. The reason is because it is not a true lubricant and it will corrode your bearings.
To lubricate your bearings, spray a few shots of the lubricant into the bearing or around the seal if it is an aerosol lubricant (remember no WD-40). You may also put a few drops in if the lubricant is a liquid. You will then want to allow your bearings to sit for a few minutes and wipe any excess lubricant gently off.
Step 3: After your bearings have had a few minutes to sit, it is time to put them back together (if you took them apart), and then put them back in your wheels. Put the shields back on the bearings if you removed them, and pop one bearing into one side of the wheel. Insert your spacer and insert your second bearing on the other side of the wheel. Put the wheels back on the frame and screw the axles in. Once you have completed your reassembly, you can now go enjoy your freshly cleaned and lubricated skates.
Replacement:
Provided you have properly maintained your bearings, you will not have to replace very quickly or frequently. However, bearings will need replacement at some point. You will know that your bearings need to be replaced when they no longer glide smoothly or efficiently, and all service and maintenance is no longer helping. This is primarily a judgment call on the part of the skater, but is the general course of determination. To replace your bearings, follow the same process outlined above for servicing them. Although brand new bearing simply need to be popped in to your wheel in place of the old ones…no need to clean or lubricate them fresh out of the packaging.
You can of course elect to replace your bearings before they go bad. This is done frequently by skaters looking to upgrade to a smoother, faster bearing without giving up the comfort of their skates.
We cannot emphasize enough how much proper bearing maintenance will affect your skating experience. If it does nothing else, it will increase the life of your skates.
Tags: ABEC, bearing maintenance, bearings, inline, micro bearings, skate
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