Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?

[Big Brother]

OG Swiss. I didn't know people rode anything else!

[Richard Skidder]

Bronson RAWs at present, but being in the uk and the weather being nasty and the skateparks being dusty I am probably cleaning them once a month due to the dust and grit eventually piling up in them.

A can of compressed air is the way to go with Bronson Raw.

[Bumba]

Anyone who's skated SKF bearings felt like they make your board sound waterlogged? Thinking about getting some but someone on YouTube mentioned it. Think it's to do with the grease instead of oil

[Sisig]

Bones Swiss and I will probably never clean them

I was skating bones reds my whole life and tried our Bronson and noticed I was going way slow and not clearing gaps or hitting coping with ease.  After that I figured I’d just by bones Swiss and call it a day forever

[JimmyFive]

Anyone who's skated SKF bearings felt like they make your board sound waterlogged? Thinking about getting some but someone on YouTube mentioned it. Think it's to do with the grease instead of oil

Yeah it's the grease. I don't mind it, it's a low viscosity high speed grease and doesn't hold you back when you get going. If it is really bothering you could clean them with a degreaser/acetone and re-lube with their skate bearing oil that they released not too long ago. Or any good oil lubricant.

[Nom De Plume]

Always Bones Swiss, regular or 6-ball, shields on. When cleaned as needed and bought around the holidays it's by far the best performance for cost I've had. How about the price of Acetone though? Tried going to Reds and was surprised folks said performance can be comparable to Swiss, wasn't the case for me.

Rick Trapasso you are a man of the people and doing the lord's work, thank you for keeping us posted.

[Osage]

   I posted earlier that I'd been riding shit mismatched used bearings for years and recently switched to a new set of Reds and they're just so much better. I'm about to place an order for some wheels at the skate park of tampa 25% sale and was thinking of maybe getting some really nice bearings. They're out of Swiss and Swiss 6 but have ceramic reds. They'll be $70. Is this totally overkill? Everyone seems to say that they last for years, which would be great but will I notice an actual difference in performance? I skate maybe 5 days a week, sometimes in crusty and or damp conditions so a bearing that lasts is pretty appealing even if they don't perform any better than reds...

[neonbrown]

   I posted earlier that I'd been riding shit mismatched used bearings for years and recently switched to a new set of Reds and they're just so much better. I'm about to place an order for some wheels at the skate park of tampa 25% sale and was thinking of maybe getting some really nice bearings. They're out of Swiss and Swiss 6 but have ceramic reds. They'll be $70. Is this totally overkill? Everyone seems to say that they last for years, which would be great but will I notice an actual difference in performance? I skate maybe 5 days a week, sometimes in crusty and or damp conditions so a bearing that lasts is pretty appealing even if they don't perform any better than reds...

In general, I think "bearing performance" is meaningless in a skateboard application, but it has been my experience that a set of $50 Swiss bearings will outlast several sets of cheap bearings totaling more than the upfront cost of the Swiss. I don't think I'd pay extra for ceramics bearings, though.

[Ok]

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   I posted earlier that I'd been riding shit mismatched used bearings for years and recently switched to a new set of Reds and they're just so much better. I'm about to place an order for some wheels at the skate park of tampa 25% sale and was thinking of maybe getting some really nice bearings. They're out of Swiss and Swiss 6 but have ceramic reds. They'll be $70. Is this totally overkill? Everyone seems to say that they last for years, which would be great but will I notice an actual difference in performance? I skate maybe 5 days a week, sometimes in crusty and or damp conditions so a bearing that lasts is pretty appealing even if they don't perform any better than reds...

[close]

In general, I think "bearing performance" is meaningless in a skateboard application, but it has been my experience that a set of $50 Swiss bearings will outlast several sets of cheap bearings totaling more than the upfront cost of the Swiss. I don't think I'd pay extra for ceramics bearings, though.

neon is correct imo
we are paying for longevity, and less about speed.
this is only opinion, and not even bro-science on my part: i’ve got/had, plenty of ML bearings that were fast, and some sounded/looked faster in the highly scientifichandspinning test.
i’ve had swiss 6 last for years and years, and im pretty certain that my level of idiocy caused them more harm than good when i ‘cleaned’ them. (it isn’t difficult, but i tend to put bearings into some type of sauce, in a gatorade bottle that might be rinsed and mostly dry, and then wander off for a few hours/months.

[Slave IV]

   I posted earlier that I'd been riding shit mismatched used bearings for years and recently switched to a new set of Reds and they're just so much better. I'm about to place an order for some wheels at the skate park of tampa 25% sale and was thinking of maybe getting some really nice bearings. They're out of Swiss and Swiss 6 but have ceramic reds. They'll be $70. Is this totally overkill? Everyone seems to say that they last for years, which would be great but will I notice an actual difference in performance? I skate maybe 5 days a week, sometimes in crusty and or damp conditions so a bearing that lasts is pretty appealing even if they don't perform any better than reds...

I’ve never owned ceramic bearings but I’d imagine they could last longer if you say you skate a lot of damp areas. Might be better in your case than paying about the same for regular Swiss bearings.

[BartHarleyJarvis]

I’m about to out myself as a real sicko but here are the bearings I have in rotation:

Quantum isotopes
Quantum atoms
Quantum Metallics
Bones Swiss
Bones red big balls
Acer racing ceramics
Ace bearings
Bronson noras
Bronson raws
Heated wheel phasecasters
Spitfire cheapshots

They’re basically all the same to me aside from the spitfire cheap shots which are actually pretty terrible. I personally don't think that the *average* skateboarder puts enough stress on bearings to make a difference. If bearings are properly installed and maintained, they’ll all roll fine and last plenty long.

For me SPECIFICALLY this has been true because I’m old and skate slow and I’m SCARED OF HURTING MYSELF ON MY SKATEBOARD.

[Goggzy60]

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

[neonbrown]

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

I don't use a treadmill for new bearings, that's pretty ridiculous, but when I've got a sticky older bearing I'm trying to get functioning, I'll hold it against my wire wheel to get it spinning ridiculously fast and a lot of times that and plenty of lube has been enough to get the bearing working within the parameters required for skateboarding.

[Slave IV]

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

That sounds like someone was just fucking with you. Break in your bearings same way you break just about anything in - by using them.

[Goggzy60]

Yeah definitely was weird to hear and thought maybe it was shit done back in like the 70-80s.

I think the sound of my board disturbed him 😂

[Slave IV]

Yeah definitely was weird to hear and thought maybe it was shit done back in like the 70-80s.

I think the sound of my board disturbed him 😂

Haha, my setup would probably give him a heart attack then. Just cleaned Swiss 6 in new Dragon 97 wheels, new deck and barely used AceAF1. Sound is completely damped  that is sounds weird to me.

[rikki]

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

My biggest issue here is why on Earth would anyone even ask about someone's bearings not being broken in enough for his taste in the first place. I mean, dude.

[Too Frank To Fred]

Expand Quote

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

[close]

My biggest issue here is why on Earth would anyone even ask about someone's bearings not being broken in enough for his taste in the first place. I mean, dude.

Middle age gear nerds... not pretty... I should know... But I contend the only acceptable way to break in skate equipment is to skate... spend a day bombing hills, and re-lubed- that's the advice from George himself...

[moonordie]

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So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

[close]

My biggest issue here is why on Earth would anyone even ask about someone's bearings not being broken in enough for his taste in the first place. I mean, dude.

[close]

Middle age gear nerds dipshits...

I fixed it for you

[Sila]

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

Wtf. We are gonna need specs of those treadmills so we can pile those on to the rest of our gear madness

[Sila]

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

Wtf. We are gonna need specs of those treadmills. Just another branch on the tree of madness ya know?

[back smith]

Just bought some ABEC7 Black Panthers. I like them instantly because they come with the little spacers that come with your trucks, some of which you always end up losing. And regular bearing spacers... Price is pretty nice. Let's hope they roll well.

[Goggzy60]

Expand Quote

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

[close]

My biggest issue here is why on Earth would anyone even ask about someone's bearings not being broken in enough for his taste in the first place. I mean, dude.

I assumed the issue is everything else is worn in and just fresh bearings I don’t know why it would bother him. I thought he was just trying to start a conversation both being older (me 32) than everyone but we spoke for all of 3 minutes and he was still at the park when I left.

[rikki]

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Expand Quote

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

[close]

My biggest issue here is why on Earth would anyone even ask about someone's bearings not being broken in enough for his taste in the first place. I mean, dude.

[close]

I assumed the issue is everything else is worn in and just fresh bearings I don’t know why it would bother him. I thought he was just trying to start a conversation both being older (me 32) than everyone but we spoke for all of 3 minutes and he was still at the park when I left.

Did he have a Powell Andy Anderson deck and Dragons?

[neonbrown]

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So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

[close]

My biggest issue here is why on Earth would anyone even ask about someone's bearings not being broken in enough for his taste in the first place. I mean, dude.

[close]

I assumed the issue is everything else is worn in and just fresh bearings I don’t know why it would bother him. I thought he was just trying to start a conversation both being older (me 32) than everyone but we spoke for all of 3 minutes and he was still at the park when I left.

[close]

Did he have a Powell Andy Anderson deck and Dragons?

Hey, he might have the new Chris Hiett deck. Maybe even a Welcome!

[Goggzy60]

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Expand Quote

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

[close]

My biggest issue here is why on Earth would anyone even ask about someone's bearings not being broken in enough for his taste in the first place. I mean, dude.

[close]

I assumed the issue is everything else is worn in and just fresh bearings I don’t know why it would bother him. I thought he was just trying to start a conversation both being older (me 32) than everyone but we spoke for all of 3 minutes and he was still at the park when I left.

[close]

Did he have a Powell Andy Anderson deck and Dragons?

Nah he was on a twig it must have been at most a 7.5 I don’t tend to pay attention to others set ups though unless I’m trying them out and that’s usually just friends boards.

[back smith]

So heard the weirdest thing at the park today and trying it on some bones ceramics I have lying around.

So this older guy (maybe 45-50) asked why my bearings aren’t broken in so told him blew my last set bearings (the previously stated SKF) and it was my first sesh on a new set (warranty replacement), supposedly this guy and his friends use treadmills to break in bearings. Does anyone here do it if so how.

Was it this guy?

[Steely Daniel]

Lol damnit I was gonna post that

[Goggzy60]

Bumped into that guy again so much of the conversation was missed because I still had music blaring, basically he was wondering why on a beaten up set up I bothered putting in new bearings.

Was a bunch of miscommunication I thought he was some old head but he just started skating again very recently after his grandson started skating pretty rad dude with some weird stories from the 80s. The treadmill’s thing comes from wet dirty Scotland/UK in the 80s they would use WD40 and use treadmills to wear it in after bearings sitting rusting all winter. He still was doing it I ended up showing him they way we do it properly now and gave him my spare bones bearings cleaner.

TLDR thought dude was weird turns out he just doesn’t stick new bearings on old setups and never puts new bearings in old wheels.

[Slave IV]

That sounds weird too. Bearings bad, put in new bearings regardless of how new or old anything else is. Same for any other part of the skateboard. I rarely and close to never get an all new skateboard without using some old parts somewhere on it.