Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?

[swongolianbbq]

I started leaving the shields on this past spring. I've been running shieldless for like 20 years lol

I built a cruiser with a Powell flight deck and longboard grip tape that I could use in the rain, so I put ceramic reds in there that I put some extra speed cream in before setting it up, and it made sense to me to leave the shields on. Then I just started leaving them on with my other setups. I thought the sound would bother me and sound soggy or dead but it actually was fine 🤷‍♀️

When I was younger I had some shields get mangled somehow, they popped out on impact or something and got caught in the nut and I ate shit, so I just stopped running them altogether.

I just use any of the bones stuff. Reds, blacks, 6's, ceramics, whatever.

[BL0B]

idk, for a rain board i'd run it w/o the shields. easier for them to dry out and re-lube if necessary, shields are going to trap water. eventually the races will rust but your balls wont, i guess.


i'm a shields on BL0B fwiw.

[swongolianbbq]

That's what I thought originally too. The water gets in, and it can get out easier too. If I ride with no shields, I run them totally stripped and dry, so stuff doesn't want to stick to them. Dirt can get in, but it can get out too. Really they just sound cool in footage when you can hear the wheels spinning in the air. Makes the footage more dynamic and appealing to the senses, yada yada, profit. Everybody does it. I'm not getting paid, or getting free bearings, so I'ma run em with shields from now on. I'm officially old I guess lol

 I rode in the rain with my friend to get beers one time, no shields, and my swiss 6's rusted together later and wouldn't move. I revived them and they're still going today but that experience definitely helped me with deciding to keep the shields on and just oil them boys up now and again, which ended up working better than I expected.

That, and switching all my cup and cone bearings to sealed cartridge bearings on my bicycle because I'm a lazy ass and I also ride in the rain a lot. Got me thinking about how I wouldn't pop the caps on my bike's bearings... But like, track cyclists and time trial/crit dudes were known to run all their bearings shieldless to save weight, and using a thin oil instead of grease for less friction. This was in controlled environments though and not going on a beer run in the rain, but yeah. Marginal gains.

I also have been trying to simplify everything and not tinker with my stuff as much. I stopped messing with my trucks, and now I can also just open the package of bearings, put em in my wheels, and go. No extra steps

[fulfillthedream]

just got a sale of the bronson g3's on sale for $20. the camouflage ones, i didn't realize the bearings are double shielded.

[swongolianbbq]

That makes me wonder if I can add shields to the back of the Bones bearings in my cruiser without them dragging on the back of the crown.... Probably? Hmmmm cruiser madness

Mini logo bearings come with double shields, one metal and one rubber... Or at least they did on all the sets I've had.

I had the Bronson raws when they first came out and I actually loved em and some of my friends still ride them, and I've seen a lot on the internet about them being not good, it's weird. I think the only bearings I ever broke were like, a whoole bunch of Reds, and when I was a kid some purple FKD's my grandma got me for my birthday

I remember the bearing of choice for the cool kids was black panthers, abec 7.. I always wanted those Reflex ones with the integrated spacer for some reason. Never got em lol. Damn I don't think I ever had black panthers either. My ass had the metal-shield Pigs and Luckys 😆 I'm bout to build myself a Shorty's setup to give to my inner child

[Too Frank To Fred]

Just made my annual purchase of Bones Swiss 6. $42.36 this year.

[Septa Bus]

bronson ceramics
might go back to bones 6 ball, the ceramics get gunked up so easy even with shields on/maintenance/cream
hard luck 6 balls are amazing and sucks they dont make cermiacs anymore

[BeachChicken]

That's what I thought originally too. The water gets in, and it can get out easier too. If I ride with no shields, I run them totally stripped and dry, so stuff doesn't want to stick to them. Dirt can get in, but it can get out too. Really they just sound cool in footage when you can hear the wheels spinning in the air. Makes the footage more dynamic and appealing to the senses, yada yada, profit. Everybody does it. I'm not getting paid, or getting free bearings, so I'ma run em with shields from now on. I'm officially old I guess lol

 I rode in the rain with my friend to get beers one time, no shields, and my swiss 6's rusted together later and wouldn't move. I revived them and they're still going today but that experience definitely helped me with deciding to keep the shields on and just oil them boys up now and again, which ended up working better than I expected.

That, and switching all my cup and cone bearings to sealed cartridge bearings on my bicycle because I'm a lazy ass and I also ride in the rain a lot. Got me thinking about how I wouldn't pop the caps on my bike's bearings... But like, track cyclists and time trial/crit dudes were known to run all their bearings shieldless to save weight, and using a thin oil instead of grease for less friction. This was in controlled environments though and not going on a beer run in the rain, but yeah. Marginal gains.

I also have been trying to simplify everything and not tinker with my stuff as much. I stopped messing with my trucks, and now I can also just open the package of bearings, put em in my wheels, and go. No extra steps

Track and crit cyclists don't pop shields to save weight lol. Only some track setups have shieldless cartridge bearings as it's marginally lower drag, but not always. Same with time trial bikes and it's only dudes at the very top level that have team mechanics that might clean and re-coat between rounds, but it's rare for wheels. Common for chains. Crits are not a discipline impacted by weight and I know lots of domestic pro racers that just race whatever the sponsor sends and it's always the generic off the shelf sealed cartridge bearings.

[swongolianbbq]

Track and crit cyclists don't pop shields to save weight lol. Only some track setups have shieldless cartridge bearings as it's marginally lower drag, but not always. Same with time trial bikes and it's only dudes at the very top level that have team mechanics that might clean and re-coat between rounds, but it's rare for wheels. Common for chains. Crits are not a discipline impacted by weight and I know lots of domestic pro racers that just race whatever the sponsor sends and it's always the generic off the shelf sealed cartridge bearings.

I mean like, cup and cone, loose ball bearings, think how on Merckx's hour bike he had no shields on his hubs or pedals, which I read was specifically for weight reduction, along with some drillium, etc. I guess I was thinking more golden-era

[BeachChicken]

No one has used cup and cone on a pro track bike for years since people stopped using Campag hubs. Some Keirin bikes might, but nothing at the UCI level except for rare cases like the hour or team pursuit records and even then they've found in certain tests that over more than a minute or two you benefit from a shield as the lube pools between the shield and bearing and provides more even coverage. The tire/rim interface is much more important as is chain drag, but they test everything you can imagine. It's really interesting listening to Dan Bigham and some others talk about the insanely marginal tech gains they find in this stuff. Weight isn't super relevant on these bikes for the Kilo record dudes literally snap bottom brackets on frames and they end up with super heavy frames as a result.

[swongolianbbq]

I know, I guess why I said they "were known" to do so, I didn't think anybody still did it. Keirin hubs only come in loose ball. The BB used by most Keirin dudes is loose ball, but there is a cartridge octalink one available. The pedals most of them use are cartridge. The Keirin bikes and rules and stuff are cool. I like how some of the frame builders are descended from samurai sword makers. Those guys meticulously maintain their bikes, and race rain or shine. I heard the tracks have a tennis-court like texture to them. I regret selling my dura ace hubs, but I didn't trust myself to take care of em the way they deserved 😆
Yeah it is pretty nuts, the modern tech. Getting into the tire shape and material and stuff is wild. And yeah weight doesn't matter as much, it's not like they're climbing a hill. I always thought that was funny about Merckx's Mexico city rig.

[Badandoldskater]

I know, I guess why I said they "were known" to do so, I didn't think anybody still did it. Keirin hubs only come in loose ball. The BB used by most Keirin dudes is loose ball, but there is a cartridge octalink one available. The pedals most of them use are cartridge. The Keirin bikes and rules and stuff are cool. I like how some of the frame builders are descended from samurai sword makers. Those guys meticulously maintain their bikes, and race rain or shine. I heard the tracks have a tennis-court like texture to them. I regret selling my dura ace hubs, but I didn't trust myself to take care of em the way they deserved 😆
Yeah it is pretty nuts, the modern tech. Getting into the tire shape and material and stuff is wild. And yeah weight doesn't matter as much, it's not like they're climbing a hill. I always thought that was funny about Merckx's Mexico city rig.

Talking bout Keirin bikes, I own one that was once owned by John Igei, he could wheely that bike for miles

[Meathook]

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I know, I guess why I said they "were known" to do so, I didn't think anybody still did it. Keirin hubs only come in loose ball. The BB used by most Keirin dudes is loose ball, but there is a cartridge octalink one available. The pedals most of them use are cartridge. The Keirin bikes and rules and stuff are cool. I like how some of the frame builders are descended from samurai sword makers. Those guys meticulously maintain their bikes, and race rain or shine. I heard the tracks have a tennis-court like texture to them. I regret selling my dura ace hubs, but I didn't trust myself to take care of em the way they deserved 😆
Yeah it is pretty nuts, the modern tech. Getting into the tire shape and material and stuff is wild. And yeah weight doesn't matter as much, it's not like they're climbing a hill. I always thought that was funny about Merckx's Mexico city rig.

[close]

Talking bout Keirin bikes, I own one that was once owned by John Igei, he could wheely that bike for miles

Love the track bike talk, especially in the bearings thread.  Years ago since my last cup/cone component which was the SG75 loose ball NJS bottom bracket.  Nothing but a pain in the ass.  I never needed my bottom to be that smooth since I never ride on the track, even though it was noticeably smoother.

Also I’m always shields on for skate bearings.  Wouldn’t even consider popping bearing shields on the sealed bike bearings.

[Meathook]

Just made my annual purchase of Bones Swiss 6. $42.36 this year.

Where’d you get so cheap?

[Too Frank To Fred]

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Just made my annual purchase of Bones Swiss 6. $42.36 this year.

[close]

Where’d you get so cheap?

Skate warehouse unfortunately. 20% off and they already price them pretty low at $52. Needed some other bits and pieces also so got free shipping.

[Scab Picker]

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Just made my annual purchase of Bones Swiss 6. $42.36 this year.

[close]

Where’d you get so cheap?

[close]

Skate warehouse unfortunately. 20% off and they already price them pretty low at $52. Needed some other bits and pieces also so got free shipping.

$39.99 at Cowtown, no tax, and free shipping on orders over $100

I’m currently on SKFs but will probably swap out for Snot Particles from Quantum. Not sure whether I’m lazy or just have too much gear on ice.

[Badandoldskater]

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Just made my annual purchase of Bones Swiss 6. $42.36 this year.

[close]

Where’d you get so cheap?

[close]

Skate warehouse unfortunately. 20% off and they already price them pretty low at $52. Needed some other bits and pieces also so got free shipping.

[close]

$39.99 at Cowtown, no tax, and free shipping on orders over $100

I’m currently on SKFs but will probably swap out for Snot Particles from Quantum. Not sure whether I’m lazy or just have too much gear on ice.

How are the skf treating you ? Coming front the bicycle world I would err on using them as they are excellent bearings in the bike world

[Scab Picker]

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Just made my annual purchase of Bones Swiss 6. $42.36 this year.

[close]

Where’d you get so cheap?

[close]

Skate warehouse unfortunately. 20% off and they already price them pretty low at $52. Needed some other bits and pieces also so got free shipping.

[close]

$39.99 at Cowtown, no tax, and free shipping on orders over $100

I’m currently on SKFs but will probably swap out for Snot Particles from Quantum. Not sure whether I’m lazy or just have too much gear on ice.

[close]

How are the skf treating you ? Coming front the bicycle world I would err on using them as they are excellent bearings in the bike world

They’re great but seem like they need to be cleaned twice as often and aren’t as fast compared to Bones Swiss.

If you’re switching from Bronson G3, they’re an improvement, but somewhat of a downgrade if you’re switching from Swiss/Swiss 6.

You get what you pay for, and can easily get them for $26-35 on sale. I used to go through multiple sets of Bones Reds in a year, and those were around $18/set at the time. Overall, SKF are solid for the price and durability.

[Scarecrow Radio]

Bones Reds and Spitfire Cheapshots seem to be working fine for me. I have a strong push though

[devils acrobat]

Quantum atoms for 2 years now. I am cleaning them every 6 months or so and they still run smoothly and fast.

[fulfillthedream]

bronson ceramics
might go back to bones 6 ball, the ceramics get gunked up so easy even with shields on/maintenance/cream
hard luck 6 balls are amazing and sucks they dont make cermiacs anymore

is this an issue with all ceramic bearings?


i had the quantum isotopes and some of them began to "freeze" - used that lube they have and i even cleaned em. still no luck - i hit em up on IG and they replaced the ones that were stuck but i found the same issue again and kinda gave up on em.

[swongolianbbq]

I've put my Reds ceramics thru hell and didn't have that issue 🤷‍♀️

[Unkle Fleak]

I’m about to run these reds that I found on a board that I had stashed in the storage. No rust, but they were all clogged up with some type of animal hair. Not my board. The shields were on and this just further shows me that I’ll never ever leave shields on my bearings again.

[munchbox]

anyone clean their skfs?
what kind of grease do you use after that

[back smith]

Got some Reds for the first time in years. Times are tough, can't be spending more than 3x the price for geopolitical reasons.

anyone clean their skfs?
what kind of grease do you use after that

I mean they are bearings.. just use Speed Cream or Bronson or sewing machine oil?

[counter spell]

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bronson ceramics
might go back to bones 6 ball, the ceramics get gunked up so easy even with shields on/maintenance/cream
hard luck 6 balls are amazing and sucks they dont make cermiacs anymore

[close]

is this an issue with all ceramic bearings?


i had the quantum isotopes and some of them began to "freeze" - used that lube they have and i even cleaned em. still no luck - i hit em up on IG and they replaced the ones that were stuck but i found the same issue again and kinda gave up on em.

i have tried a few brands of ceramic bearings and found that bronson raws and bones reds or six balls have been better longevity-wise. they do indeed not rust, but something about the ceramics just attracts debris. i would rather maintain my raws or shiedless six balls than deal with ceramics again. not the $100+ i will spend again anytime soon for less than a year of consistent performance.

[munchbox]

Got some Reds for the first time in years. Times are tough, can't be spending more than 3x the price for geopolitical reasons.

Expand Quote

anyone clean their skfs?
what kind of grease do you use after that

[close]

I mean they are bearings.. just use Speed Cream or Bronson or sewing machine oil?

i mean yes, but the “grease” they come with
seems to be what makes them reliable

does anyone know what they are using

[Badandoldskater]

Expand Quote

Got some Reds for the first time in years. Times are tough, can't be spending more than 3x the price for geopolitical reasons.

Expand Quote

anyone clean their skfs?
what kind of grease do you use after that

[close]

I mean they are bearings.. just use Speed Cream or Bronson or sewing machine oil?

[close]

i mean yes, but the “grease” they come with
seems to be what makes them reliable

does anyone know what they are using

I know they offer a lubricant now for their bearings but if it was me I would just take any lithium grease and thin it down a tiny bit with a liquid lubricant almost making a very loose paste and pack it,

[rawbertson.]

someone told me SKF bearings are amazing and feel much faster than any other bearing. Anyone else had this experience?!?

[Texas_Tone]

someone told me SKF bearings are amazing and feel much faster than any other bearing. Anyone else had this experience?!?

I am a vocal advocate for SKFs and while they are durable and a good bearing, I don’t like speaking in absolutes so I wouldn’t say they are the fastest or anything but they have been treating me right and I don’t see myself going back to reds as long as these are available