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Skateboarding => Shoes & Gear => Topic started by: Roisto on March 30, 2022, 11:16:21 PM
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https://instagram.com/skf_skateboarding?utm_medium=copy_link
SKF is at it again. Trying to make skate bearings work this time. They have a heavy team:
Oski, Ishod, Kader, Louie Lopez, Alexis Sablone & Beatrice Domond.
Has anyone tried these skate specific ones yet? They seem to be made in Italy which is a huge selling point for me. Only other skate bearings made outside of China that I know are Bones Swiss and they are not very cheap. I know they are able to make quality stuff in China but their politics are wack so I try to avoid Chinese made stuff if possible.
I’m also having a hard time finding the skate specific ones for sale. Found a couple Swedish shops but that’s it. I’m in Finland and would like to buy a set.
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Give these a gander:
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=18453.0
and...
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=120555.0
Nauttia.
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Thanks Lou. I figured Shoes & Gear would be a more appropriate place for discussing these. While the other threads provided some info on SKF and a whole lot of talking shit, no one had any experience with the skate bearings. :D
Yesterday I DMd SKF on Instagram like a man and they replied just now that the bearings are gonna be available more widely very soon. I asked my local shop (My Favorite Things in Helsinki) and they’re gonna get them in soon too. Will grab a set and report back on how I like them.
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Thanks Lou. I figured Shoes & Gear would be a more appropriate place for discussing these. While the other threads provided some info on SKF and a whole lot of talking shit, no one had any experience with the skate bearings. :D
Yesterday I DMd SKF on Instagram like a man and they replied just now that the bearings are gonna be available more widely very soon. I asked my local shop (My Favorite Things in Helsinki) and they’re gonna get them in soon too. Will grab a set and report back on how I like them.
Definitely looking forward to your report.
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The regular skf 608 2RS arent cheap, around $80, and the skate ones are like... $50?
I guess since they are cheaper and made in Italy, the tolerances arent as good. Tho that makes sense considering how many skaters who doesnt use the bearings properly, nor wheels having good tolerances.
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That was fast https://myfavoritethings.fi/collections/new-arrivals/products/skf-skate-bearings
Not much info there, but looks like rubber shields at least. Price is the same as Super Reds here.
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That was fast https://myfavoritethings.fi/collections/new-arrivals/products/skf-skate-bearings
Not much info there, but looks like rubber shields at least. Price is the same as Super Reds here.
They've actually been doing skate bearings for some time but oddly enough they were marketed to speed-rollerbladers. Like those dudes with the hilariously big wheels..You had to buy them in like 12 packs and shit. I had a set and they were really good but I took the shields off to get a look at the insides and rusted them out pretty quick so I can't speak to the durability, but I'd expect them to be solid in that regard too.
Still eagerly awaiting the opportunity to try some 608-2RS nylon retainer FAGs.
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That was fast https://myfavoritethings.fi/collections/new-arrivals/products/skf-skate-bearings
Not much info there, but looks like rubber shields at least. Price is the same as Super Reds here.
They've actually been doing skate bearings for some time but oddly enough they were marketed to speed-rollerbladers. Like those dudes with the hilariously big wheels..You had to buy them in like 12 packs and shit. I had a set and they were really good but I took the shields off to get a look at the insides and rusted them out pretty quick so I can't speak to the durability, but I'd expect them to be solid in that regard too.
Still eagerly awaiting the opportunity to try some 608-2RS nylon retainer FAGs.
I bought a set before they started marketing them to skateboarders, but mine were supposed to remained sealed, they lasted quite awhile for me actually, and they were good, just got tired of sourcing them everytime I needed a set, so hopefully these are the same thing except easier to get and cheaper than buying a sixteen pack or whatever it was
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That was fast https://myfavoritethings.fi/collections/new-arrivals/products/skf-skate-bearings
Not much info there, but looks like rubber shields at least. Price is the same as Super Reds here.
Very fast. I’ll be back home late next week and will definitely go grab a set right away. Let’s hope the weather gets a lil better for skating fast so I can actually test them out properly. :)
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No spacers included... Bummer
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No spacers included... Bummer
Do you not have a bag full of spacers accumulated over years and various sets of bearings? I have way more than I will ever know what to do with, eventually I guess I'll just toss them into my scrap metal pile.
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Finally was able to pick up a set or three actually. Going through some gear madness right now and I have bearings missing from three setups so these are gonna go on those. Interesting to see how they perform and hold up.
(https://i.ibb.co/DbvrsSP/7-AABF2-B5-F305-49-A4-BB6-E-D71-B23103-EA4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/thvLkWw)
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Finally was able to pick up a set or three actually. Going through some gear madness right now and I have bearings missing from three setups so these are gonna go on those. Interesting to see how they perform and hold up.
(https://i.ibb.co/DbvrsSP/7-AABF2-B5-F305-49-A4-BB6-E-D71-B23103-EA4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/thvLkWw)
Curiously awaiting your feed back.
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No spacers included... Bummer
Major plus in my opinion, less crap to throw away. I still don't think spacers do anything for skateboard usage, unless you tighten your axle nuts, which is insanity (unless for a cruiser or something).
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Svenska Kullager Fabriken
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No spacers included... Bummer
Major plus in my opinion, less crap to throw away. I still don't think spacers do anything for skateboard usage, unless you tighten your axle nuts, which is insanity (unless for a cruiser or something).
I totally agree with this!
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No spacers included... Bummer
Major plus in my opinion, less crap to throw away. I still don't think spacers do anything for skateboard usage, unless you tighten your axle nuts, which is insanity (unless for a cruiser or something).
I also agree with that. I never had spacers that fit properly. They all were to big and pushed the bearings back and forth and I always wondered, why my wheel is stuck again at the axle nut. Now I only use the inside ring of old bearings as spacers and that is fine.
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Finally was able to pick up a set or three actually. Going through some gear madness right now and I have bearings missing from three setups so these are gonna go on those. Interesting to see how they perform and hold up.
(https://i.ibb.co/DbvrsSP/7-AABF2-B5-F305-49-A4-BB6-E-D71-B23103-EA4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/thvLkWw)
Fire up the weather dominator device and shoot some sunshine in his direction.
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Finally was able to pick up a set or three actually. Going through some gear madness right now and I have bearings missing from three setups so these are gonna go on those. Interesting to see how they perform and hold up.
(https://i.ibb.co/DbvrsSP/7-AABF2-B5-F305-49-A4-BB6-E-D71-B23103-EA4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/thvLkWw)
Working on it, but I’m having issues with getting some replacement parts for this dang thing.
You know: supply chain issues.
The good news is that I’ve got my Jew Space Laser up & running again, so there’s THAT.
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No spacers included... Bummer
Major plus in my opinion, less crap to throw away. I still don't think spacers do anything for skateboard usage, unless you tighten your axle nuts, which is insanity (unless for a cruiser or something).
I also agree with that. I never had spacers that fit properly. They all were to big and pushed the bearings back and forth and I always wondered, why my wheel is stuck again at the axle nut. Now I only use the inside ring of old bearings as spacers and that is fine.
I think it has less to do with the spacers and more to do with skateboard wheels not being made to a high enough tolerance. Ricta solves this with the built-in plastic and aluminum cores, but unfortunately then you're riding Ricta wheels.
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No spacers included... Bummer
Major plus in my opinion, less crap to throw away. I still don't think spacers do anything for skateboard usage, unless you tighten your axle nuts, which is insanity (unless for a cruiser or something).
I also agree with that. I never had spacers that fit properly. They all were to big and pushed the bearings back and forth and I always wondered, why my wheel is stuck again at the axle nut. Now I only use the inside ring of old bearings as spacers and that is fine.
I think it has less to do with the spacers and more to do with skateboard wheels not being made to a high enough tolerance. Ricta solves this with the built-in plastic and aluminum cores, but unfortunately then you're riding Ricta wheels.
Agreed, I had a set of Rainskates wheels once and my bearings never backed out. My bearings always back out with any other wheel I’ve ridden.
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I don’t think it matters even if the spacers fit perfectly, if you are not tightening your axle nuts then they’re not providing any benifit. The proper way to run bearings according to any manufacturer is to use spacers and tighten the axle nuts, but there’s a reason no one does this because it totally changes the feel of the board for the worse.
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For the worse? Its just that the board will sound dead :P
I actually had some spit tablets that had pretty good tolerances. Worked very well with spacers.
And a proper mounted bearings, with spacers and axle nut tightned down, will make the bearings last longer.
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I think the main benefit of spacers is that they decrease the amount the inner race can flex towards the inside of the wheel when sideways forces are applied (powerslides etc.). This should make the bearings last longer.
Of course it would be nice to have wheels with proper tolerances but alas that is not the case with F4s at least and I will not skate anything else. Still not a reason to stop using them IMO.
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For the worse? Its just that the board will sound dead :P
I actually had some spit tablets that had pretty good tolerances. Worked very well with spacers.
And a proper mounted bearings, with spacers and axle nut tightned down, will make the bearings last longer.
Yes, skating a dead board compared to a snappy one is "for the worse," not sure how you could say otherwise. You realize how important audible feedback is while skating once it goes away. I'd rather have that than my bearings lasting a little longer. If you guys can skate like this then more power to you, but as I said there is a reason that no pro skater (and barely any hobby skaters) on the planet does this.
I think the main benefit of spacers is that they decrease the amount the inner race can flex towards the inside of the wheel when sideways forces are applied (powerslides etc.). This should make the bearings last longer.
Of course it would be nice to have wheels with proper tolerances but alas that is not the case with F4s at least and I will not skate anything else. Still not a reason to stop using them IMO.
Think about it though, if you don't have the axle nuts tightened, you are not getting this benefit, you are just creating sideways force on both inner races as opposed to just one. It only works if you are transferring that force to the hanger via the washers, by having no play. It absolutely is a reason to stop using them.
IF by some miracle you can find wheels with proper tolerance, I recommend everyone try it at least once. It's a great way to have a laugh at the park with your buds.
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https://www.weartested.com/skf-skateboarding-bearings/
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Wonder why they used grease on these bearings. Maybe grease could be better than lubricant. I have no clue though. Also wonder if that makes your board sound waterlogged
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Wonder why they used grease on these bearings. Maybe grease could be better than lubricant. I have no clue though. Also wonder if that makes your board sound waterlogged
There's plenty of really good and varied greases out there, it's just that people hear that term and think of the cheap metal caged industrial grease packed bearings that were never designed for skating but have been sold cheaply and en masse for many years.
Some good bearings use quality grease that's more suitable for skating, probably the most popular are the zealous ones. People who don't know much about bearings will write them off because they don't free spin and have a break-in period, but greased bearings are every bit as fast or faster than oil once you get going and they last a lot longer in tough environments. I run them in my winter board and prefer them to oil lubed ceramics for that purpose.
I've never noticed any difference in how my board feels based on what lubricant is in my bearings.
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So skf is basically the nike of the bearing world?
But also kinda the lurpiv because of the european manufacturing. Not fully convinced yet.
Bones swiss are still actually made in switzerland right? (And skater owned)
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Bones Swiss are made in Europe, yes, but skater-owned? Does George Powell skate?
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Wonder why they used grease on these bearings. Maybe grease could be better than lubricant. I have no clue though. Also wonder if that makes your board sound waterlogged
There's plenty of really good and varied greases out there, it's just that people hear that term and think of the cheap metal caged industrial grease packed bearings that were never designed for skating but have been sold cheaply and en masse for many years.
Some good bearings use quality grease that's more suitable for skating, probably the most popular are the zealous ones. People who don't know much about bearings will write them off because they don't free spin and have a break-in period, but greased bearings are every bit as fast or faster than oil once you get going and they last a lot longer in tough environments. I run them in my winter board and prefer them to oil lubed ceramics for that purpose.
I've never noticed any difference in how my board feels based on what lubricant is in my bearings.
Oh rad I'm tempted to try grease out. Do you have any recommendations for what to use? I know nothing about grease
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https://www.peterverdone.com/archive/skatebearings.htm
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Wonder why they used grease on these bearings. Maybe grease could be better than lubricant. I have no clue though. Also wonder if that makes your board sound waterlogged
There's plenty of really good and varied greases out there, it's just that people hear that term and think of the cheap metal caged industrial grease packed bearings that were never designed for skating but have been sold cheaply and en masse for many years.
Some good bearings use quality grease that's more suitable for skating, probably the most popular are the zealous ones. People who don't know much about bearings will write them off because they don't free spin and have a break-in period, but greased bearings are every bit as fast or faster than oil once you get going and they last a lot longer in tough environments. I run them in my winter board and prefer them to oil lubed ceramics for that purpose.
I've never noticed any difference in how my board feels based on what lubricant is in my bearings.
Oh rad I'm tempted to try grease out. Do you have any recommendations for what to use? I know nothing about grease
I just use the zealous ones which are prelubed from the factory with some kind of fancy ceramic grease. I'm sure there's 3rd party solutions out there, but Ive never tried one. I wouldn't like run out and get it, it's not really "better" than oil or graphite powder in most use cases but I also wouldn't write off a bearing for using it either.
My advice would be get a set of zealous if you're just curious. They're easy to find and pretty cheap.
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I’ve poked around a bit on the internet and it seems like grease is the time, is the place, is the motion…..grease could just be the way you are feeling…..
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Thanks for the help. The SKF LGLT looks like the best grease for skating. I just get the feeling that my board will sound flat if I use grease. My set up feels flat for a week when I use speed cream but I feel like grease will make it sound flat the whole time. I don't even know anymore