Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?

[hiljentaa]

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Anyone have any recommendations for cheap bearings that only have one rubber shield? I hate how Mini Logos are double shielded.

[close]

I know I sound like a broken record but the answer is Flip HKD 5 or 7

Will keep an eye out, but I have never actually seen those for sale.

I had good luck with some Rush bearings as cheapies, but they were also double shielded.

[Mbrimson88]

Anyone have any recommendations for cheap bearings that only have one rubber shield? I hate how Mini Logos are double shielded.

The first thing I do with any bearings that have shields on both sides is pop them both off to have a look and put only one back on the "front" to cover the ball bearings and away you go.  That also means you have a spare set of shields in case some come off or whatever.

Has worked for me with this method with Mini Logo and a number of others over the years, especially when I need a set of shields to put back on bearings that people have brought back in, I have lots to choose from.


As to why or any differences, I would say almost always there are no differences between bearings with one shield and two.  All of the Bones bearings (same as Mini Logo) can have shields fit on either side, but I think most do not, more as a cost saving measure than anything else.

The old Swiss Labyrinth bearings had two shields, but they were a special type of bearing and sometimes it actually causes issues, so those ones in particular would work best by taking both shields off.  I guess that is why they were discontinued anyway.


But back to topic, you can just as easily take off one or both shields from any bearings and then put just one back on so they run as per usual, without any issues.  If you do accidentally bend a shield when removing it, flattening it again with the end of a skate tool is easy enough too.

Hope this helps.



* Back when Mini Logo had metal on one side, they were a bit more of a pain, but I used to take those metal ones off too, just to have only one shield on the front.  So glad they have two rubber shields on them now, as I get to keep a spare set from each pack.  A post about it from a while back:

[BeachChicken]

I have Quantum Atoms going on 4 years and love them. I got the Fusions and they've been terrible. Always slower, shields constantly pop off, and it feels like when I clean them they're fast for a week or two then definitely slower again. Don't spend the extra moneys

[hiljentaa]

Expand Quote

Anyone have any recommendations for cheap bearings that only have one rubber shield? I hate how Mini Logos are double shielded.

[close]

The first thing I do with any bearings that have shields on both sides is pop them both off to have a look and put only one back on the "front" to cover the ball bearings and away you go.  That also means you have a spare set of shields in case some come off or whatever.

Has worked for me with this method with Mini Logo and a number of others over the years, especially when I need a set of shields to put back on bearings that people have brought back in, I have lots to choose from.


As to why or any differences, I would say almost always there are no differences between bearings with one shield and two.  All of the Bones bearings (same as Mini Logo) can have shields fit on either side, but I think most do not, more as a cost saving measure than anything else.

The old Swiss Labyrinth bearings had two shields, but they were a special type of bearing and sometimes it actually causes issues, so those ones in particular would work best by taking both shields off.  I guess that is why they were discontinued anyway.


But back to topic, you can just as easily take off one or both shields from any bearings and then put just one back on so they run as per usual, without any issues.  If you do accidentally bend a shield when removing it, flattening it again with the end of a skate tool is easy enough too.

Hope this helps.



* Back when Mini Logo had metal on one side, they were a bit more of a pain, but I used to take those metal ones off too, just to have only one shield on the front.  So glad they have two rubber shields on them now, as I get to keep a spare set from each pack.  A post about it from a while back:

Yeah, I do the same thing. It's just a pain in the ass and not worth it for $10 bearings haha.

Hence why I want to find another set of <$15 bearings that aren't terrible and don't require me to futz with em before install.

[Coffee]

I had been running Bones Swiss for 20+ years, pretty much as soon as I started making adult money. Recently got a set of Bones Reds and am pretty happy with them out of the box. If they start to slow down my Swiss are still in good shape so I’ll swap them out but for now they are good.

[Mbrimson88]

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Anyone have any recommendations for cheap bearings that only have one rubber shield? I hate how Mini Logos are double shielded.

[close]

The first thing I do with any bearings that have shields on both sides is pop them both off to have a look and put only one back on the "front" to cover the ball bearings and away you go.  That also means you have a spare set of shields in case some come off or whatever.

Has worked for me with this method with Mini Logo and a number of others over the years, especially when I need a set of shields to put back on bearings that people have brought back in, I have lots to choose from.


As to why or any differences, I would say almost always there are no differences between bearings with one shield and two.  All of the Bones bearings (same as Mini Logo) can have shields fit on either side, but I think most do not, more as a cost saving measure than anything else.

The old Swiss Labyrinth bearings had two shields, but they were a special type of bearing and sometimes it actually causes issues, so those ones in particular would work best by taking both shields off.  I guess that is why they were discontinued anyway.


But back to topic, you can just as easily take off one or both shields from any bearings and then put just one back on so they run as per usual, without any issues.  If you do accidentally bend a shield when removing it, flattening it again with the end of a skate tool is easy enough too.

Hope this helps.



* Back when Mini Logo had metal on one side, they were a bit more of a pain, but I used to take those metal ones off too, just to have only one shield on the front.  So glad they have two rubber shields on them now, as I get to keep a spare set from each pack.  A post about it from a while back:

[close]

Yeah, I do the same thing. It's just a pain in the ass and not worth it for $10 bearings haha.

Hence why I want to find another set of <$15 bearings that aren't terrible and don't require me to futz with em before install.

Ha yeah, I get it too.

I know some people always just use Modus Black, or Spitfire Cheapshots, just to have cheap bearings that work, but I also know others have brand preference, even shield colour preference, which then dictates which ones they use or don't use.

Even some countries or different areas, some are more available than others.  We have some smaller brands round here (AU) that they have in various places, funnily enough they are really good and work great for the price, but it is not like I could recommend them to anyone else as they just wouldn't be available at all outside this small area.


I still find that even leaving the back shield on makes no difference to the performance of any bearing either, doesn't seem to matter which way they go in, balls in or out, but that's just another thing to not want to think about sometimes.

[rikki]

Anyone ever try bearings with non-removable metal shields? How are they? Have a possibility to acquire some from an industrial source for cheap, wondering if they're worth a try.

[back smith]

Anyone ever try bearings with non-removable metal shields? How are they? Have a possibility to acquire some from an industrial source for cheap, wondering if they're worth a try.

Yes. Once I bought some in a blister pack from a department store for next to nothing. They were marketed as rollerblade bearings. They sucked ass.

[j....soy.....]

weren't all bearings like this back in the day?  Or they were metal shields that you popped off.....NMB's, GMN's, I think even swiss were like this.  They seemed to all work fine at the time for me...

[rikki]

weren't all bearings like this back in the day?  Or they were metal shields that you popped off.....NMB's, GMN's, I think even swiss were like this.  They seemed to all work fine at the time for me...

Hey yeah I remember NMB bearings from my teen skate rat days, we used to get them from an industrial bearing dealer in the late 80's. Can't remember if they were with metal shields or not.

[Musicaldeath107]

Anyone ever try bearings with non-removable metal shields? How are they? Have a possibility to acquire some from an industrial source for cheap, wondering if they're worth a try.

I think it more depends on the cage/crown than the shielding.  If they have plastic or nylon cages they should be fine.  It's one with metal cages that are not as fast or smooth.

[Plan9Customs]

weren't all bearings like this back in the day?  Or they were metal shields that you popped off.....NMB's, GMN's, I think even swiss were like this.  They seemed to all work fine at the time for me...

Your memories are correct(or mine are flawed). They were all metal shields in the 80s and possibly in the early 90s.

Still on a set of QBS isotopes from 3 or 4 years ago. Clean and lube when I set up a fresh board or wheels. Bronson g3s popped shields on the rain board.

[Texas_Tone]

Skf uses metal cages nowadays, it definitely reminds me of going into my dads warehouse and using those for my boards back in the day

[j....soy.....]

I think the rationale is the original construction is for machines and you’d prolly never clean them.  Skate ones have the option to pop, shields, remove cages etc. to clean… I’m always interested in which bearings are more durable and maybe the old construction is better…

[BALARGUE]

Skf uses metal cages nowadays, it definitely reminds me of going into my dads warehouse and using those for my boards back in the day

no
they have a removable shield and a metal shield
but the cage is made of glass fibre reinforced polyamide


skateboard bearings are usually like "2 metal shields means low tier bearings" (it's different for industrial bearings)
that's usually what you get on completes (with skateshop distributed brands, you still get polymer cages most of the time)
cheaper/mass retail completes might come with metal shields AND metal cages and it's bad

as @Musicaldeath107 says, the cage is what's most important. You need bearings with an internal construction that can manage slight deformation because of impacts / torsion (polymer cages enable elastic deformation). Metal cages are bad for that (plastic deformation).

[Texas_Tone]

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Skf uses metal cages nowadays, it definitely reminds me of going into my dads warehouse and using those for my boards back in the day

[close]

no
they have a removable shield and a metal shield
but the cage is made of glass fibre reinforced polyamide


skateboard bearings are usually like "2 metal shields means low tier bearings" (it's different for industrial bearings)
that's usually what you get on completes (with skateshop distributed brands, you still get polymer cages most of the time)
cheaper/mass retail completes might come with metal shields AND metal cages and it's bad

as @Musicaldeath107 says, the cage is what's most important. You need bearings with an internal construction that can manage slight deformation because of impacts / torsion (polymer cages enable elastic deformation). Metal cages are bad for that (plastic deformation).

You right my bad, I didn’t mean cages I meant a metal shield

[camel filters]

I just want to say I've been dropping speed cream directly into my shield less bearings (without cleaning them) everytime they start to feel shitty and its been working way better than when I fully clean them and oil them after. Usually after I clean, the bearings get slow and squeaky within a month. I've been doing the dirty grease method and it's been going strong for a few months now.

[BeachChicken]

I mean bike chains aren't sealed. Wipe the plates and rollers, a drop every roller, spin and wipe off plates has been basic maintenance for years could work for bearings too.

Still on Quantum Atoms. Had a bum set and Quantum fixed it ASAP. My original pair is from the first drop and still super fast. No complaints.

I wanna try Raws again just to confirm I'm not nuts and they do suck.

[Mbrimson88]

I mean bike chains aren't sealed. Wipe the plates and rollers, a drop every roller, spin and wipe off plates has been basic maintenance for years could work for bearings too.

Still on Quantum Atoms. Had a bum set and Quantum fixed it ASAP. My original pair is from the first drop and still super fast. No complaints.

I wanna try Raws again just to confirm I'm not nuts and they do suck.

A friend got a set of those Raws not so long ago.  First month they were very happy, then said they were slower than their other bearings from that point on...

Choice is yours.


I know some people swear by them, but others are sworn off them for life, but I guess with anything it is just down to individual use and how you like your bearings to feel, sound and then roll, often in that order for those with noisy, open things, that will not roll as fast as others that have shields on but make very little noise.

Even that statement often gets some people going, especially in my circle - I like shields, some like noise and raw, others often go which ever way depending on the day or their own board at the time.

[j....soy.....]

With the bike analogy, cartridge vs. cones?  I think with skating the difference is that a dry bearing sounds great, it just may not last as long….and I still stand by that I a lot of bearing problems are related to vibration/impact and one isn’t necessarily more durable than the other….

[logjammin]

Bronson Raws indeed suck ass. Even after cleaning and trying dry runs or lubed they just started seizing up again in no time.

I've been on a lucky set of reds that I've cleaned like twice and it's been a long time since the last cleaning. Never add speed cream. Bone dry and shieldless and they will not quit. It's great not having to worry about bearings because coming from someone who is obsessed with fucking with their trucks, I loathe having to clean and fuck with bearings.

[Eddy Mitchel]

Bronson Raws of course.

[BOILED ANGEL]

indy blacks

[Rick Trapasso]

Polarizer - bones swiss

Zip zinger - quantum isotopes

Antihero scallywag - quantum isotopes

Regular setup (8.38 14.5wb dlx) - bones swiss

I've always been a shields on guy, but I recently popped the shields on my regular setup to see if I like it or not. My hopes are that I can just throw a drop of lube in them every so often and won't have to take them out of my wheels, or my wheels off my board.

My fears are that I'll ruin a perfectly good set of swiss bearings.

Only one way to find out. 🤷

[rikki]

Polarizer - bones swiss

Zip zinger - quantum isotopes

Antihero scallywag - quantum isotopes

Regular setup (8.38 14.5wb dlx) - bones swiss

I've always been a shields on guy, but I recently popped the shields on my regular setup to see if I like it or not. My hopes are that I can just throw a drop of lube in them every so often and won't have to take them out of my wheels, or my wheels off my board.

My fears are that I'll ruin a perfectly good set of swiss bearings.

Only one way to find out. 🤷

Keep us posted. I'm also a shields-always-on guy but been thinking similarly. Interested to know how your experiment goes.

[Rick Trapasso]

Expand Quote

Polarizer - bones swiss

Zip zinger - quantum isotopes

Antihero scallywag - quantum isotopes

Regular setup (8.38 14.5wb dlx) - bones swiss

I've always been a shields on guy, but I recently popped the shields on my regular setup to see if I like it or not. My hopes are that I can just throw a drop of lube in them every so often and won't have to take them out of my wheels, or my wheels off my board.

My fears are that I'll ruin a perfectly good set of swiss bearings.

Only one way to find out. 🤷

[close]

Keep us posted. I'm also a shields-always-on guy but been thinking similarly. Interested to know how your experiment goes.

Will do, I started this test when they probably could've used a cleaning, they weren't horrible just starting to slow down a bit.

I didn't feel like cleaning them properly so I just popped the shields and threw a drop of lube in each one.

The lube seemed to help, but they're currently at that dead sounding/feeling stage before theyre broken in again. So only time will tell

[PatrickSkateman]

Bones Swiss with the shields off for all setups except for on I put together as a Christmas complete in Europe that has Oski SKF’s.

[rikki]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Polarizer - bones swiss

Zip zinger - quantum isotopes

Antihero scallywag - quantum isotopes

Regular setup (8.38 14.5wb dlx) - bones swiss

I've always been a shields on guy, but I recently popped the shields on my regular setup to see if I like it or not. My hopes are that I can just throw a drop of lube in them every so often and won't have to take them out of my wheels, or my wheels off my board.

My fears are that I'll ruin a perfectly good set of swiss bearings.

Only one way to find out. 🤷

[close]

Keep us posted. I'm also a shields-always-on guy but been thinking similarly. Interested to know how your experiment goes.

[close]

Will do, I started this test when they probably could've used a cleaning, they weren't horrible just starting to slow down a bit.

I didn't feel like cleaning them properly so I just popped the shields and threw a drop of lube in each one.

The lube seemed to help, but they're currently at that dead sounding/feeling stage before theyre broken in again. So only time will tell

Yeah it's the same thing with new bearings, I've been on brand new Bones Super Swisses for 3-4 sessions now and only now are they starting to scream properly, at first they felt sluggish and even kinda slow, be it though that maybe more of a psychological thing when they're initially too quiet. Shields still on, though. But I like it when they start to make some noise.

[back smith]

Seals on just makes sense to me.

[mrosk8]

skf ceramics