swiss bearings

[H8R part 4]

the crowns in my swiss bearings keep breaking for some reason and its been less than a year since i got them.  i don't skate big drops or stairs, i mostly stick to grinding, sliding and ollieing which makes it all the more strange.  after 20+ years i finally took the plunge and shelled out the money for them and they don't seem to be holding up.   

so why question is, does anyone know why they keep breaking on me?  and is there a way to order replacement crowns for swiss bearings?  i know how to dismantle and clean my bearings properly so thats not it, and i used speed cream as suggested so it know its not the lubricant thats causing them to deteriorate.  what gives?         

[brokenheadphone]

http://www.bonesbearings.com/products/replacement/

You can order replacement parts there. By crowns do you means shields or the ball retainers? Either way you can order new ones.

I would contact Bones and see what they say. It could be any number of things down to the way you're cleaning them, the way you install the bearing, your wheels, how much you weigh, etc. Maybe you just got a bad set.

[NowhereInLife]

not cool.  do you use the spacers?  you should.

[H8R part 4]

http://www.bonesbearings.com/products/replacement/

You can order replacement parts there. By crowns do you means shields or the ball retainers? Either way you can order new ones.

I would contact Bones and see what they say. It could be any number of things down to the way you're cleaning them, the way you install the bearing, your wheels, how much you weigh, etc. Maybe you just got a bad set.

i was talking about the ball retainers. 
as far as cleaning, i completely disassemble the bearing and use an old toothbrush and warm water to get them clean.  i make sure everything is dry, reassemble them(i ride with the shields on) and put a couple of drops of speed cream in. 
as far as installing them, i put them the old fashioned way, put a bearing in the axle and press the wheel down.  and i weigh in about 130 lbs so weight isn't the issue.  i think i just got a bad set but i know they'll never replace them.     

not cool.  do you use the spacers?  you should.

i put the spacers in when i first got them but the first time i went to clean them, there was aluminum shavings all over the place.  the dumbasses over at bones(as well as a bunch of other manufacturers) make the spacers out of aluminum(softer metal) which deteriorates when it rubs against the stainless steel(harder metal).


i think i should have just stuck with cheap bearings, at least i don't get mad when they break. 


     

[pandarelated]

i wish a set of bearings lasted me a year. and i suck at skating!
maybe you just need new ones? nothing lasts forever. this is skating.

[Frank the Rabbit]

i wish a set of bearings lasted me a year. and i suck at skating!
maybe you just need new ones? nothing lasts forever. this is skating.

Swiss bearings are 55 dollars, I think they should last 3 years at that price.

[brokenheadphone]

i was talking about the ball retainers. 
as far as cleaning, i completely disassemble the bearing and use an old toothbrush and warm water to get them clean.  i make sure everything is dry, reassemble them(i ride with the shields on) and put a couple of drops of speed cream in. 
as far as installing them, i put them the old fashioned way, put a bearing in the axle and press the wheel down.  and i weigh in about 130 lbs so weight isn't the issue.  i think i just got a bad set but i know they'll never replace them.     

Water+metal = big no no. You should clean them with 91% alcohol, mineral spirits, or acetone. No water. Taking out the ball retainers and scrubbing with a toothbrush is probably unnecessary...my guess is you're probably doing more harm than good when you do that and that's what's causing the ball retainers to break.

i put the spacers in when i first got them but the first time i went to clean them, there was aluminum shavings all over the place.  the dumbasses over at bones(as well as a bunch of other manufacturers) make the spacers out of aluminum(softer metal) which deteriorates when it rubs against the stainless steel(harder metal).    

Someone out there probably makes steel spacers. Maybe Khiro?  I always just use the spacers that come with the bearings or ride without them.

[sixpackoftablets]

Some nerds say if you force bearings on with a lot of force - ie pushing wheel/bearing against trucks and/or using the truck nut to winch them down - you can add play and premature breakage to the bearings.

All the sets of wheels I've bought lately - Spits and Bones- have only required my thumb to push the bearing all the way in.

-r

[H8R part 4]

Water+metal = big no no. You should clean them with 91% alcohol, mineral spirits, or acetone. No water. Taking out the ball retainers and scrubbing with a toothbrush is probably unnecessary...my guess is you're probably doing more harm than good when you do that and that's what's causing the ball retainers to break.

water and metal is fine, metal sitting in water for a long period of time is not.  i mean, what you you wash your forks and spoons with?  pots and pans?   
i've been skating for 24+ years, i know how to clean my bearings and i know what causes harm to them.  using my tooth brush(gently) to get the dirt and grease out of the retainers and races isn't doing any type of harm and i'm not breaking them when i reinsert them.  i figured there might be some reason unknown to me as to why they are breaking.  so far 2 have broken and i replaced them with random crowns i had lying around.  thanks for the link though.   
   

[sixpackoftablets]

regarding water... I think the surfaces start to rust immediately, so hit 'em with a blow dryer.

or a trip to the hardware store will get you the acetone or industrial alcohol and then you won't need to worry about it.

[swllbo]

I've been running mine for about 2 yrs now. Shields popped and never never lubed. I have the bones bearing cleaning tool( looks like a power hitter). I clean them about once every three months with 100% acetone(you can find it at any drug store in the nail polish isle) and they have been fine. It might be time for another set soon though. they are starting to rust a bit, but 2 yrs for bearings seem pretty gosh darn good to me.

[The Twilight Zone]

fuck swiss bearings. They're the only bearings i've ever broken.

[Pippen]

alright so i have some bones swiss and some bones reds, and my regular setup and a cruiser.  and I can't decide which to use with which, any thoughts?

[burm]

I've been running mine for about 2 yrs now. Shields popped and never never lubed. I have the bones bearing cleaning tool( looks like a power hitter). I clean them about once every three months with 100% acetone(you can find it at any drug store in the nail polish isle) and they have been fine. It might be time for another set soon though. they are starting to rust a bit, but 2 yrs for bearings seem pretty gosh darn good to me.

So you regularly clean them with acetone, but never never lube them?

[swllbo]

Expand Quote

I've been running mine for about 2 yrs now. Shields popped and never never lubed. I have the bones bearing cleaning tool( looks like a power hitter). I clean them about once every three months with 100% acetone(you can find it at any drug store in the nail polish isle) and they have been fine. It might be time for another set soon though. they are starting to rust a bit, but 2 yrs for bearings seem pretty gosh darn good to me.

[close]

So you regularly clean them with acetone, but never never lube them?

Sorry, I meant NEVER, not never never...haha

[sixpackoftablets]

confused as to why you would drop coin on swiss and not bother to put $.00001 worth of some sort of oil in 'em.

[swllbo]

i have once, but tried it again without and they seemed faster and seemed to pick up less dirt.

[swllbo]

I'm not saying it's the best thing in the world to do, but it's personal preference. I was really only stating how long they have lasted under the abuse of never being lubed.

[burm]

I could understand not adding lube, but if you clean the existing lube out, and then don't put new in, it just sounds harsh.

But you are the one doing it, so how would I know if it works.

[NowhereInLife]

no lube means one day if you are ever going fast they could potentially just seize up on you.  if you don't skate fast ever, disregard.

[cheep]

if you dont skate fast whats the point of swiss?

[NowhereInLife]

if you dont skate fast whats the point of swiss?

[pugmaster]

Dude swiss ARE good.  It is possible you got a bad batch though.  Make sure you use spacers and additionally, I like making sure I can't slide my wheels around on the axel.  The more room they have to move, the more force is available to destroy the bearing during lateral movement.  I blow out the crap in my bearings with wd40 and then soak them in gasoline.  After that point, I add a lil' 3 in 1 oil.  I do think the "shields off" method is bullshit.  yeah bearings are loud but now anything and everything can get in there.  The next set I will not lose the shields.

I have had mines for over a year.


EDIT: I never remove the bearing cage and all that jazz, I just REALLY wd40 the hell outta them.

[brokenheadphone]

To the OP, here is a possible problem:

After you clean the bearings, how do you dry them? If you dry them with a hair dryer or some other heat source, you might be drying them just a tad too long. If you dry them too long, it will cause the plastic ball retainers to get brittle/weaken. Just another thought. I still think cleaning them with water is a terrible idea. How hard is it to pick up some acetone, 91% rubbing alcohol, or mineral spirits? Also, you never said what you are lubing them with.

[H8R part 4]

To the OP, here is a possible problem:

After you clean the bearings, how do you dry them? If you dry them with a hair dryer or some other heat source, you might be drying them just a tad too long. If you dry them too long, it will cause the plastic ball retainers to get brittle/weaken. Just another thought. I still think cleaning them with water is a terrible idea. How hard is it to pick up some acetone, 91% rubbing alcohol, or mineral spirits? Also, you never said what you are lubing them with.

i use an old shirt to dry them off, thats it.  no heat or anything like that. 
its not hard to pick it up acetone, i just don't like using chemicals/solvents in general.
i'm using bones speed cream. 
 
i've broken 2 retainers in the last year and replaced them with random ones.  they seem to be holding up so its not a big deal.
i'm just kind of pissed that i finally took the plunge and bought a set after 20+ years and they're breaking on me.  i know dudes who have had the same set of swiss for over 8 years without any breakage.  it sucks but its not the end of the world.   
 

[goatsucker]

Expand Quote

To the OP, here is a possible problem:

After you clean the bearings, how do you dry them? If you dry them with a hair dryer or some other heat source, you might be drying them just a tad too long. If you dry them too long, it will cause the plastic ball retainers to get brittle/weaken. Just another thought. I still think cleaning them with water is a terrible idea. How hard is it to pick up some acetone, 91% rubbing alcohol, or mineral spirits? Also, you never said what you are lubing them with.

[close]

i use an old shirt to dry them off, thats it.  no heat or anything like that. 
its not hard to pick it up acetone, i just don't like using chemicals/solvents in general.
i'm using bones speed cream. 
 
i've broken 2 retainers in the last year and replaced them with random ones.  they seem to be holding up so its not a big deal.
i'm just kind of pissed that i finally took the plunge and bought a set after 20+ years and they're breaking on me.  i know dudes who have had the same set of swiss for over 8 years without any breakage.  it sucks but its not the end of the world.   
 

if you read the bones cleaning instructions it says DO not use anything water based to clean them ...... i.e. water  i have been using goo off for the past year or so on my bearings to clean them and i have swiss labyrinths i used speed cream for awhile to clean them but i switched to a cheaper easier to find solution witch is sewing machine bearing lube works like a charm i also use one of bones bearing cleaning units ..if u dont feel like buying one u could always make a diy one its quite easy