Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?

[toe_knee]

I’m on my third month of SKF Oski’s.  Weird bearings. They aren’t slow but they have never broken in. Most bearings I’ve ever ridden get faster as they age , then they die.  These just spin at the same speed. They aren’t fast when spun on the wheel, but they don’t ride slow. Swedish madness.
I feel like these are the Toyota Camry of bearings. Nothing special but they are still going to be here 20 years from now, still spinning at one speed.

Got a set of the green ones when they first dropped, they have been on my setup since, the Camry of bearings is a great way of describing them, I cleaned them once and relubbed them with my sewing machine oil, they seemed to roll a bit faster afterwards, hopefully after my ACL surgery mine will still be rolling as good

[Badandoldskater]

With the skf you def can thin down the grease with some oil if you want it a little slick, longevity wise I think it’s the best bearing built for that.

[eranka]

Been skating Quantum Isotopes for the last 6 months or so and they're definitely the quickest bearings i have ever skated.
I usually skate bones reds or super reds or random local brand bearings
The city i live in is on a mountain and i bomb hills alot, im not sure if the top speed is actually much higher than what im used to but the acceleration is noticeably better and it holds speed way better, there are sections of hill i used to push in for years and now I dont need to anymore and still keep plenty of speed.
did have to lube them once but not because they got slow, just didnt free spin as easy, using their oil solved it and they feel great again. 

[Chickenparmesan]

What’s the verdict on popping shields on Swiss?
Trying my first set and I’m on the fence. I usually pop shields with reds but it feels a little naughty since Swiss are double the price. I need some advice!

[BALARGUE]

Keep the shields on
It's dumb to pop them in the first place

[manysnakes]

What’s the verdict on popping shields on Swiss?
Trying my first set and I’m on the fence. I usually pop shields with reds but it feels a little naughty since Swiss are double the price. I need some advice!

Popping shields is definitely the fastest way to wear your bearings out while gaining absolutely nothing whatsoever.

[tuesday]

^this. And this ^^. Definitely do not pop the shields.

[Fartknocker415]

Never ask the bearing thread if you can pop your shields they will never give you the answer you desire

[smg1138]

I've never understood the whole popping shields thing. Just look at how much gunk gets on your shields after skating a few times.

[Chickenparmesan]

I've never understood the whole popping shields thing. Just look at how much gunk gets on your shields after skating a few times.

I’ve always done it because it does look cooler. But I’ve seen the responses here, shield pop the swiss I shall not. Thanks for the insight people

[jums]

I've never understood the whole popping shields thing. Just look at how much gunk gets on your shields after skating a few times.

Groupthink

Shields off makes u 10% more core and u sound like ur going faster than you actually are.

If ur skating $60 bearings you paid for and pop the shields u a fool. If u skate reds or the cheap shit then it’s whatever cause they ain’t worth cleaning.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

I've never understood the whole popping shields thing. Just look at how much gunk gets on your shields after skating a few times.

[close]

Groupthink

Shields off makes u 10% more core and u sound like ur going faster than you actually are.

If ur skating $60 bearings you paid for and pop the shields u a fool. If u skate reds or the cheap shit then it’s whatever cause they ain’t worth cleaning.

Or if you get them for free and don't care how long they last.

That seemed to be the main take from pro dudes doing it back in the day, then others followed and it became a thing to have slow noisy bearings, rather than well maintained fast, smooth and silent bearings like normal people do.

Any which way, people can do what they like with their boards and bearings, but I prefer faster bearings and less trouble by keeping shields on.

[Puddy Smally]

I bet bearing companies prefer people remove the shields 

[fulfillthedream]

Funny that Bronson sells shieldless bearings

[manysnakes]

IME popping the shields is a good way to squeeze some extra life out of cheap bearings, where the things are shitty enough that any friction is too much friction.

But also bearings are so entirely unimportant. I buy Swiss because they last me a lot longer than cheap bearings, but I have no illusions that these things actually roll faster or spin longer once I am standing on my skateboard.

[Mbrimson88]

Funny that Bronson sells shieldless bearings

As do a lot of other companies, with that growing trend to not have shields on bearings right from the first day you put them on.

At least most of those (not all) do not have any lube in the bearings to start with, so they are already dry, so less likely to attract dirt and other things.

A few companies, maybe the cheaper ones, or that don't really know their product, just have regular bearings that come lubed with no shields, so they tend to get everything in there and get very messy pretty quickly from a few sets I got and passed around for people to try, but the set I put shields on right away actually worked great - just a case of sorting through sets of shields to find some that fit.


The other funny thing is with Bronson Raw bearings, I am sure some people love them, but I have a set here as a person I know bought into the hype, got some, skated them about two weeks and then was over them, as they felt slow and his simple Bones Reds were rolling better than the Raw bearings.

I cleaned them and had them on a board for a bit, but they still tend to not roll as fast as any lubed and shielded bearings, even cheaper generic ones, that I have on other boards.

Just one of those things, I guess.


* If you are going to skate bearings without shields, make sure they are clean and dry, no lube or anything else in there, only a little graphite powder if you want them to last longer.

[OhioGuy]

Bronson’s and Reds sound better shieldless, but my Swiss 6 got super squeaky and needed speed cream. I’d do it all over again though. They look better and still roll faster than cheap bearings. With how expensive living is in 2024, buying a $60 pair of bearings once a year is the least of my concerns. Everything doesn’t have to be practical. Especially in skateboarding. If something mentally bothers you, fix it.

[burner]

Bronson’s and Reds sound better shieldless, but my Swiss 6 got super squeaky and needed speed cream. I’d do it all over again though. They look better and still roll faster than cheap bearings. With how expensive living is in 2024, buying a $60 pair of bearings once a year is the least of my concerns. Everything doesn’t have to be practical. Especially in skateboarding. If something mentally bothers you, fix it.

This guy knows what’s up. Popped Swiss sounds cool, look cool and are cool. Do they need more regular cleaning and slow down quicker? Sure. Is it sensible? Probably not. But that’s a small price to pay for the pleasure of riding popped shields. Bones Swiss are still very good value for the lifespan. You wouldn’t use a tail saver to prolong your deck, and you’ll spend way more on decks than bearings. And once you pop, you won’t go back, so weird riding muffled Swiss after skating popped, no thanks.

[Ok]

Expand Quote

Bronson’s and Reds sound better shieldless, but my Swiss 6 got super squeaky and needed speed cream. I’d do it all over again though. They look better and still roll faster than cheap bearings. With how expensive living is in 2024, buying a $60 pair of bearings once a year is the least of my concerns. Everything doesn’t have to be practical. Especially in skateboarding. If something mentally bothers you, fix it.

[close]

This guy knows what’s up. Popped Swiss sounds cool, look cool and are cool. Do they need more regular cleaning and slow down quicker? Sure. Is it sensible? Probably not. But that’s a small price to pay for the pleasure of riding popped shields. Bones Swiss are still very good value for the lifespan. You wouldn’t use a tail saver to prolong your deck, and you’ll spend way more on decks than bearings. And once you pop, you won’t go back, so weird riding muffled Swiss after skating popped, no thanks.

this is so sick.
i didn’t appreciate him as much at the time.
also, because im a setup fiend, besides the shoes, i also want the 8.25 with 147s, 52s (my best guess of what he’s running in this video. i think the setups i’ve seen him on more recently are 8.38, 148s, maybe 53s).

[fulfillthedream]

I had the quantum isotopes for 6-8 months and popped the shields. they were fine til one wheel wouldn't move at all and noticed a tiny bit of wax was on the crown that holds the ball bearings together. i cleaned em up and used that special oil they have, with shields now and they work much better.

- yes the shields off does sound cool and works well just gotta clean em out more often i guess.

[LeDave]

Using Bones Reds, however I'll have to try Bronson RAW some day.

[devils acrobat]

I had the quantum isotopes for 6-8 months and popped the shields. they were fine til one wheel wouldn't move at all and noticed a tiny bit of wax was on the crown that holds the ball bearings together. i cleaned em up and used that special oil they have, with shields now and they work much better.

- yes the shields off does sound cool and works well just gotta clean em out more often i guess.

I am running the isotopes for over a year now, shields on, cleaned them twice, added their graphlo-ceramic lube from time to tome, and they are still superfast (on par or better than swiss 6).

@Mbrimson88
I dont fully understand why you would recommend to run shieldless bearings dry. Arent dry bearings bound to stop working because of friction?

[burner]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Bronson’s and Reds sound better shieldless, but my Swiss 6 got super squeaky and needed speed cream. I’d do it all over again though. They look better and still roll faster than cheap bearings. With how expensive living is in 2024, buying a $60 pair of bearings once a year is the least of my concerns. Everything doesn’t have to be practical. Especially in skateboarding. If something mentally bothers you, fix it.

[close]

This guy knows what’s up. Popped Swiss sounds cool, look cool and are cool. Do they need more regular cleaning and slow down quicker? Sure. Is it sensible? Probably not. But that’s a small price to pay for the pleasure of riding popped shields. Bones Swiss are still very good value for the lifespan. You wouldn’t use a tail saver to prolong your deck, and you’ll spend way more on decks than bearings. And once you pop, you won’t go back, so weird riding muffled Swiss after skating popped, no thanks.

[close]

this is so sick.
i didn’t appreciate him as much at the time.
also, because im a setup fiend, besides the shoes, i also want the 8.25 with 147s, 52s (my best guess of what he’s running in this video. i think the setups i’ve seen him on more recently are 8.38, 148s, maybe 53s).

Yeah man, this was when he stepped up to 8.25 around away days era but still running 147s, so rad. I'ma bit of a setup fiend too and there's no bad Dennis era. Big fan of when he skated 8.18, 147, 51/50 - I still run that a lot and get stoked.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

I had the quantum isotopes for 6-8 months and popped the shields. they were fine til one wheel wouldn't move at all and noticed a tiny bit of wax was on the crown that holds the ball bearings together. i cleaned em up and used that special oil they have, with shields now and they work much better.

- yes the shields off does sound cool and works well just gotta clean em out more often i guess.

[close]

I am running the isotopes for over a year now, shields on, cleaned them twice, added their graphlo-ceramic lube from time to tome, and they are still superfast (on par or better than swiss 6).

@Mbrimson88
I dont fully understand why you would recommend to run shieldless bearings dry. Arent dry bearings bound to stop working because of friction?

* If you are going to skate bearings without shields, make sure they are clean and dry, no lube or anything else in there, only a little graphite powder if you want them to last longer.


Ha yeah, well I wouldn't recommend bearings without shields to start with, but using graphite powder is a dry lubricant, so it will keep things running with less friction but also stops anything and everything from getting stuck in there the way wet lubed bearings do if people take the shields off.

Most of the pro dudes that ride bearings without shields don't do anything to them, just pop shields and skate them, some blow them out or try to get the lube out of them first - story about Brent Atchley back int he day putting brand new bearings in socks in a dryer and skate until he sets up a new board, but often when you don't have to pay for bearings, you can do what you like with them, where as anyone else that has to buy their bearings might usually take a little more care of them.

Hopefully that makes sense.

[swongolianbbq]

Swiss six balls, shields popped and degreased(dry) had one set for 3 years and sold em with a complete to a homie. I've also had dry mini logos last me a couple years. I haven't been hitting 10 sets and shit in a few years, but I remember when I did I'd broken a couple bones reds delrin cores

[devils acrobat]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I had the quantum isotopes for 6-8 months and popped the shields. they were fine til one wheel wouldn't move at all and noticed a tiny bit of wax was on the crown that holds the ball bearings together. i cleaned em up and used that special oil they have, with shields now and they work much better.

- yes the shields off does sound cool and works well just gotta clean em out more often i guess.

[close]

I am running the isotopes for over a year now, shields on, cleaned them twice, added their graphlo-ceramic lube from time to tome, and they are still superfast (on par or better than swiss 6).

@Mbrimson88
I dont fully understand why you would recommend to run shieldless bearings dry. Arent dry bearings bound to stop working because of friction?

[close]

* If you are going to skate bearings without shields, make sure they are clean and dry, no lube or anything else in there, only a little graphite powder if you want them to last longer.


Ha yeah, well I wouldn't recommend bearings without shields to start with, but using graphite powder is a dry lubricant, so it will keep things running with less friction but also stops anything and everything from getting stuck in there the way wet lubed bearings do if people take the shields off.

Most of the pro dudes that ride bearings without shields don't do anything to them, just pop shields and skate them, some blow them out or try to get the lube out of them first - story about Brent Atchley back int he day putting brand new bearings in socks in a dryer and skate until he sets up a new board, but often when you don't have to pay for bearings, you can do what you like with them, where as anyone else that has to buy their bearings might usually take a little more care of them.

Hopefully that makes sense.

Yeah thanks, that does make sense. Hadnt heard of graphite powder as a dry lubricant yet. Quite interesting.

[logjammin]

It makes no sense but I'm on some Reds that are bone dry shieldless, cleaned two or three times so far with pure acetone and they're performing just as good as some swiss for like a year now. I feel like skate bearings cheap or expensive you just get lucky sometimes with a pack that had better QC or something.

[Pasta Monster]

It makes no sense but I'm on some Reds that are bone dry shieldless, cleaned two or three times so far with pure acetone and they're performing just as good as some swiss for like a year now. I feel like skate bearings cheap or expensive you just get lucky sometimes with a pack that had better QC or something.

I agree because I’ve had sets with some that stopped within 2 months. On the other hand, I’ve had sets that lasted longer than a year.

Even with Swiss bearings, the lifespan isn’t consistent. You might get a year, or you might get 3-5.

Reds are sold as singles and in packs of 2, if you ever have a bearing or two that isn’t functional after cleaning.

[Frank Sobotka]

Stock Indy bushings in my 149's is all I know. I don't think I have the mental capacity to develop bushings madness, but admittedly, I'm Bones bushings curious. Please talk me out of it.

[moonordie]

Stock Indy bushings in my 149's is all I know. I don't think I have the mental capacity to develop bushings madness, but admittedly, I'm Bones bushings curious. Please talk me out of it.

You're confusing bushings with bearings. Wrong thread.