Author Topic: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?  (Read 88322 times)

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authentic_creed_bratton

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #150 on: February 16, 2020, 06:46:12 PM »
it looks like if you buy race reds on amazon, you can get 3 year product protection for 4.99. will they really replace them whenever a bearing shits out??
🤙

Xen

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #151 on: February 16, 2020, 06:55:36 PM »
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unrelated, but

*So, just for context*

I really like having built-in spacers with my bearings, they make them quieter and smoother. I also really like bones swiss, they last forever and spin really well. Sadly, Bones doesn't make a built-in Swiss bearing. As a project, I thought that it would be interesting to try and swap the swiss balls into the built-in cages of the other bearings. I already have both sets ready to go, and normally wouldn't do this, but the built-ins started dying after 2 weeks or so of mixed street and park use (the balls are steel). Do I need to switch the ball cages/races over as well? I've never done this before, but there are videos online on how to take them apart and put them back together. So, is it worth the trouble? Are the balls going to be the same size? Does anyone have experience with switching balls between bearings like this?

Thanks, PALS, and s h a l o m
[close]
I wouldn’t even bother.

I’m running super reds for like 2 years straight.
[close]

I just don't wanna buy new bearings, as im kinda broke and already have all the parts. thanks for the heads up tho.

The 'precision [inner] race' won't be there to hug your swiss balls.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2020, 10:30:54 PM by Xen »

dakara

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #152 on: February 16, 2020, 07:05:04 PM »
i am and will always be of the opinion that bearings matter like 0%. whatever is cheap and sealed on both sides + spacers is fine. I only don't like bearings with metal shields on the outside, or bearings with rubber shields that fall off. i wont ride bones bearings either just because i wanna be different.

This is my opinion as well for non Swiss simply caused I’ve never owned a set and can’t speak on it. I’ve tried basically every non Swiss bearing under the sun and never felt any huge difference. They all get fucked up if you ride a lot through debris or moisture, they all last about a year, they all spin fast if you pop them open and let the gunk clear out once in a while. I think where people’s preference comes in is marketing and attributing randomly encountered debris heavy sessions as bearing performance

munchbox

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #153 on: February 16, 2020, 07:25:55 PM »
it looks like if you buy race reds on amazon, you can get 3 year product protection for 4.99. will they really replace them whenever a bearing shits out??
if it works like that, im all over some swiss 6
while cool-guying is a real phenomenon, studies show that 83% of all cool-guying incidents can be attributed to the cool-guyee being an awkward weirdo

pointandclick

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #154 on: February 16, 2020, 07:34:27 PM »
saw these and it broke my brain.



moonordie

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #155 on: February 17, 2020, 02:33:00 AM »
saw these and it broke my brain.



Brazilians love to do weird shit like that
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forgive me if i somehow missed it, but could someone help me with just how flat the flat as fuck decks really are?
[close]

As Fuck.

Maccat

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #156 on: February 17, 2020, 03:43:34 AM »
On the cheap side Reds can’t be beat. Running some Modus within the same price as Reds and they blow.

Got some Ceramic Black Panthers and those are some hot shit. Always dug BP.

Swiss are a dream. Never could pull the trigger on some.

imuseless

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #157 on: February 17, 2020, 04:02:56 AM »
1-2 set of Reds a year, I just can't convince myself that Swiss wouldn't lock up like Reds.

cosmicgypsies

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #158 on: February 17, 2020, 04:04:39 AM »
I’m running some MxM brand bearings right now, which is basically a Japanese shop brand that’s the cheapest at many of the shops here. It’s only solidified my opinion that outside of Swiss, there is little difference between non Swiss  Chinese made bearings of non steel cage design.

They performed like any bearing I’ve ever used out of the box, took a bit to break in but spun fast after. After a particularly harsh week were I skated in light rain once and after that in an area with heavy dirt/debris wash off from said rain, they got fucked and would not spin fast and a couple were jammed up. I took em out, popped the shields, and spun them by hand for a bit(didn’t have any cleaner on me and all together it would cost about the same as another set of bearings) then popped them back in with shields. Nothing really changed. A week later did the same thing but left the shields popped. When spun by hand after re installation they were even worse then before, but my first ride was traveling about 1km to a friends and after that they spin faster than ever and my setup is noticeabley  faster and smoother, and has been for about 3 weeks now.

I know a lot of people think the popped shields thing is dumb, but I do think the theory that it lets debris clear out is sound and that keeping the shields on does accumulate debris. The best route is obviously to clean your bearing regularly then put the shields back in, but popping the shields is effective. Unless you are set on getting the absolute most longevity out of your bearings, the popped shields method is great for the lazy skater that doesn’t mind getting only getting 6-12 months out of their 20 dollar bearings vs 2 years and perhaps a tiny boost in speed. Basically I’ve concluded that: shields on w/ sporadic maintenance  < no shields w/ sporadic maintenance < shields with regular maintenance

i remember a year or two back i blew a bearing and asked my homie if he had a spare, kid pulled out this bag full of bearings (probably 2/3 sets in there) and says "you can try one of these but they're all pretty fucked). took a couple out, they didn't spin - looked closer and all the shields had been slightly dented. popped them all off and they were fine, afaik they were a mix of spitfire and indy bearings. happened on a few occasions when my andales (never buy those) blew out and people had "fucked" spares that were just bent shields. ran shields off ever since.

Uncle Flea

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #159 on: February 17, 2020, 05:33:42 AM »
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I’m running some MxM brand bearings right now, which is basically a Japanese shop brand that’s the cheapest at many of the shops here. It’s only solidified my opinion that outside of Swiss, there is little difference between non Swiss  Chinese made bearings of non steel cage design.

They performed like any bearing I’ve ever used out of the box, took a bit to break in but spun fast after. After a particularly harsh week were I skated in light rain once and after that in an area with heavy dirt/debris wash off from said rain, they got fucked and would not spin fast and a couple were jammed up. I took em out, popped the shields, and spun them by hand for a bit(didn’t have any cleaner on me and all together it would cost about the same as another set of bearings) then popped them back in with shields. Nothing really changed. A week later did the same thing but left the shields popped. When spun by hand after re installation they were even worse then before, but my first ride was traveling about 1km to a friends and after that they spin faster than ever and my setup is noticeabley  faster and smoother, and has been for about 3 weeks now.

I know a lot of people think the popped shields thing is dumb, but I do think the theory that it lets debris clear out is sound and that keeping the shields on does accumulate debris. The best route is obviously to clean your bearing regularly then put the shields back in, but popping the shields is effective. Unless you are set on getting the absolute most longevity out of your bearings, the popped shields method is great for the lazy skater that doesn’t mind getting only getting 6-12 months out of their 20 dollar bearings vs 2 years and perhaps a tiny boost in speed. Basically I’ve concluded that: shields on w/ sporadic maintenance  < no shields w/ sporadic maintenance < shields with regular maintenance
[close]

i remember a year or two back i blew a bearing and asked my homie if he had a spare, kid pulled out this bag full of bearings (probably 2/3 sets in there) and says "you can try one of these but they're all pretty fucked). took a couple out, they didn't spin - looked closer and all the shields had been slightly dented. popped them all off and they were fine, afaik they were a mix of spitfire and indy bearings. happened on a few occasions when my andales (never buy those) blew out and people had "fucked" spares that were just bent shields. ran shields off ever since.

I hate that. Bent shield
Plz stop killing each other
(A)pl(E)




jay_nev

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #160 on: February 17, 2020, 07:57:22 AM »
I feel like at this point if my "budget" bearing crapped out, I'd remove the rubber shield drop a bit of speed oil in them and ride them shieldless to see if that does get them spinning freely again. Haven't tried that yet but they're cheap enough why not.


Xen

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #161 on: February 17, 2020, 10:32:21 AM »
Bent shields are the fucking worst, it's a pretty flawed design for our use (for machine use, it's fine).

Cleaning them requires the shields to be removed, something that can't be done perfectly every time and results in them bending anyway; in the grand scheme of things it's probably better to pop them when they seize and replace as needed.

Bearings are probably the worst scam in the skate game. ABEC (doesn't apply) Skate Rated (bullshit). The exception to this are BONES Swiss and Swiss Six, they really are head and shoulders above the rest (Shields on or off).

Uncle Flea

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #162 on: February 17, 2020, 10:53:28 AM »
Is so fucking hard to clean bearings with out shields.

I use an old shield I don't care about to hold the bearings in place for re assembly.

With out a shield on it won't just snap back together.

I had a home made bones shake cup for cleaning but now I just pull them completely apart snap them back together.

I can get 10 plus years out of a nice ceramic bearings.
Plz stop killing each other
(A)pl(E)




Fred Gerwer Frank Gall

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #163 on: February 18, 2020, 07:22:55 PM »
Bones 6ball when flush.
Indy blacks on a budget (or rocking rons)
about to try some Big Balls (Chinese made 6balls I believe)

Xen

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #164 on: February 18, 2020, 07:40:53 PM »
Bones 6ball when flush.
Indy blacks on a budget (or rocking rons)
about to try some Big Balls (Chinese made 6balls I believe)

I'm not feeling the Big Balls yet...

;D
They don't feel like a 'budget' swiss six, and by that I mean I don't feel any of the benefits (speed, smoothness, acceleration) that I do with Swiss Six and quite honestly no noticeable bump over regular old redz or Abec7 whatevers...my indy blacks or Bronson G3s both feel 'better' than the Big Balls.
« Last Edit: February 18, 2020, 07:56:06 PM by Xen »

Fred Gerwer Frank Gall

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #165 on: February 18, 2020, 08:18:37 PM »
Good to know. I hope they are durable at least. I have them in some cruiser wheels so not super worried about performance.

munchbox

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #166 on: February 19, 2020, 12:36:31 AM »
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Bones 6ball when flush.
Indy blacks on a budget (or rocking rons)
about to try some Big Balls (Chinese made 6balls I believe)
[close]

I'm not feeling the Big Balls yet...

;D
They don't feel like a 'budget' swiss six, and by that I mean I don't feel any of the benefits (speed, smoothness, acceleration) that I do with Swiss Six and quite honestly no noticeable bump over regular old redz or Abec7 whatevers...my indy blacks or Bronson G3s both feel 'better' than the Big Balls.
pretty ironic that the big balls suck
while cool-guying is a real phenomenon, studies show that 83% of all cool-guying incidents can be attributed to the cool-guyee being an awkward weirdo

rocklobster

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #167 on: February 19, 2020, 12:51:56 AM »
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Expand Quote
Bones 6ball when flush.
Indy blacks on a budget (or rocking rons)
about to try some Big Balls (Chinese made 6balls I believe)
[close]

I'm not feeling the Big Balls yet...

;D
They don't feel like a 'budget' swiss six, and by that I mean I don't feel any of the benefits (speed, smoothness, acceleration) that I do with Swiss Six and quite honestly no noticeable bump over regular old redz or Abec7 whatevers...my indy blacks or Bronson G3s both feel 'better' than the Big Balls.
[close]
pretty ironic that the big balls suck



I thought riding them would be a swell experience.
Venture Truck Height:

5.0 & 5.2 LO
STANDARD - 1.88” - 47.75mm
FORGED - 1.85”- 46.99mm

5.0 ,5.2, 5.6, 5.8 & 6.1 HI
STANDARD - 2.09” - 53.09mm
FORGED - 2.04” - 51.82m

jay_nev

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #168 on: February 21, 2020, 05:57:18 PM »
Aight so figgy now Dickson right after Green part dropped
 ???

https://www.instagram.com/p/B82KpPcFAzH/?igshid=1666n9rbu6k8x

ItsNoUse

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #169 on: February 21, 2020, 06:11:53 PM »
Aight so figgy now Dickson right after Green part dropped
 ???

https://www.instagram.com/p/B82KpPcFAzH/?igshid=1666n9rbu6k8x

Wonder if they're any good or if they're just another cheap Chinese bearing.


Tom Hanks is the Heath Kirchart of the acting world.

jay_nev

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #170 on: February 21, 2020, 06:21:04 PM »
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Aight so figgy now Dickson right after Green part dropped
 ???

https://www.instagram.com/p/B82KpPcFAzH/?igshid=1666n9rbu6k8x
[close]

Wonder if they're any good or if they're just another cheap Chinese bearing.
Same. We need more bearing companies?? You made the comment about the JJ affiliation right? Part owner or something?

ItsNoUse

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #171 on: February 21, 2020, 06:25:21 PM »
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Aight so figgy now Dickson right after Green part dropped
 ???

https://www.instagram.com/p/B82KpPcFAzH/?igshid=1666n9rbu6k8x
[close]

Wonder if they're any good or if they're just another cheap Chinese bearing.
[close]
Same. We need more bearing companies?? You made the comment about the JJ affiliation right? Part owner or something?

Seems to be.


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rocklobster

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #172 on: February 21, 2020, 07:49:47 PM »
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Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Aight so figgy now Dickson right after Green part dropped
 ???

https://www.instagram.com/p/B82KpPcFAzH/?igshid=1666n9rbu6k8x
[close]

Wonder if they're any good or if they're just another cheap Chinese bearing.
[close]
Same. We need more bearing companies?? You made the comment about the JJ affiliation right? Part owner or something?
[close]

Seems to be.

99% sure they are Chinese bearings. Come to think of it bearings might be one of the easier brands to start. Get a good colour shield on them, nice packaging and you got yourself a brand. Probably has a good margin on them too with lower risks compared to boards or trucks.
Venture Truck Height:

5.0 & 5.2 LO
STANDARD - 1.88” - 47.75mm
FORGED - 1.85”- 46.99mm

5.0 ,5.2, 5.6, 5.8 & 6.1 HI
STANDARD - 2.09” - 53.09mm
FORGED - 2.04” - 51.82m

jay_nev

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #173 on: February 21, 2020, 08:41:13 PM »
I’d agree 100%. Marketing and branding more important than actual product. Gotta sell a lot more of em though. And market share is tougher to crack.

rocklobster

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #174 on: February 21, 2020, 10:36:54 PM »
I’d agree 100%. Marketing and branding more important than actual product. Gotta sell a lot more of em though. And market share is tougher to crack.

With bearing people don't expect them to last forever, especially if they are getting a mid-range pair, none of that fancy Swiss ceramic shit. They get mass produced in China for use outside of skateboarding, so there has to be some consistency there if they are making millions of them.

With wheels, boards and trucks people may hold them to a much higher expectation, and you can feel if they are shitty within the first session. The bearings would have it be a manufacturing defect if they couldn't last even 1 session.
Venture Truck Height:

5.0 & 5.2 LO
STANDARD - 1.88” - 47.75mm
FORGED - 1.85”- 46.99mm

5.0 ,5.2, 5.6, 5.8 & 6.1 HI
STANDARD - 2.09” - 53.09mm
FORGED - 2.04” - 51.82m

moonordie

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #175 on: February 22, 2020, 03:00:04 AM »
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Aight so figgy now Dickson right after Green part dropped
 ???

https://www.instagram.com/p/B82KpPcFAzH/?igshid=1666n9rbu6k8x
[close]

Wonder if they're any good or if they're just another cheap Chinese bearing.
I'll go for option B chief.
Expand Quote
forgive me if i somehow missed it, but could someone help me with just how flat the flat as fuck decks really are?
[close]

As Fuck.

Mesteezo

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #176 on: February 22, 2020, 10:52:42 AM »
I've been on and regularly cleaning the same set of Swiss for the last 3 years, but they seem to be getting to the end of their performance advantage and feel sluggish even after cleaning. Should I say fuck it and pop the shields off to get whatever is left in these?

Reed Richards

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #177 on: February 22, 2020, 05:21:07 PM »
Bones Reds.  Swiss are better apparently but they're expensive and I'm not good enough to warrant the purchase.


ThisFuckingDude

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #178 on: February 22, 2020, 07:20:10 PM »
I’ve been running reds forever. I know Swiss are better and I make enough where spending the extra money isn’t an issue. But I still don’t wanna pay that much for bearings. My dude that works at the local swears by bronsons but I refuse.

satan

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Re: Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?
« Reply #179 on: February 23, 2020, 09:38:21 PM »
I'll say it again
A lot of you guys' bearing problems would go away if you used penetrating lube
It's cheap and easy
Spray can with a straw will get lube past the shields. Downside is it could also push in dirt
Penetrating lube will also displace water and help break up rust. That's great for puddles or humid environments
If you're worried about max speed vs dry bearings then look for a thin synthetic lube. There might be a couple options there but I'm not 100%
Gun CLP is another option. Basically the same stuff just for higher end usage, guns vs rusty bolts..