Which Bearings Are You Guys Running?

[Osage]

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.

   Yeah, but if he only skated in the 80's, it was just so different. I didn't skate then but know a lot of people who did and it was not uncommon at all to get a new complete like once a year and never change anything. Nobody was flipping their thick ass Madrid boards and they had tail bones or whatever so decks just lasted much longer.

[back smith]

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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.

[close]

   Yeah, but if he only skated in the 80's, it was just so different. I didn't skate then but know a lot of people who did and it was not uncommon at all to get a new complete like once a year and never change anything. Nobody was flipping their thick ass Madrid boards and they had tail bones or whatever so decks just lasted much longer.

It's not that uncommon even nowadays.. but only children store their board so that the bearings seize from rust.

[logjammin]

I bought jamie foy bronson raws today. they're teal. they spin forever out of the box. I hate the break in period with new bearings when they're all quiet. so that's why I went with the raws. we will see how long these things last... I think I tried raws a long time ago and they crapped out pretty quick. but maybe I got a bad set

[Steely Daniel]

Raws seem inherently flawed. Here's less bearing for the same price. Shields on brother.

The break in time is usually cause they're greased up with something thick. Can always clean them and lube with a low viscosity oil and they'll sound almost identical to dry bearings without all the downside.

Just my two cents anyhow.

[Mbrimson88]

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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.

[close]

   Yeah, but if he only skated in the 80's, it was just so different. I didn't skate then but know a lot of people who did and it was not uncommon at all to get a new complete like once a year and never change anything. Nobody was flipping their thick ass Madrid boards and they had tail bones or whatever so decks just lasted much longer.

[close]

It's not that uncommon even nowadays.. but only children store their board so that the bearings seize from rust.

That's what I would think too, but I still see grown adult skateboarders coming in with seized up bearings, or rusty setups, that I have to fix for them here.

We aren't even in the sort of climate that gets a ton of rain or even general moisture / where their gear gets wet that often, I would have thought.  No snow, doesn't even get below zero, but who knows what some people do.

Some just buy new bearings and are done with the old ones, but others don't even know what the reddish brown colour is on their gear, especially when I take the bearings out of the wheels and it is everywhere...

Anyway, some I can salvage and others I just let soak for a while if they leave them there, but most I can get back to good working order easily enough, regardless of whether they want them or not.

[rikki]

Raws seem inherently flawed. Here's less bearing for the same price. Shields on brother.

The break in time is usually cause they're greased up with something thick. Can always clean them and lube with a low viscosity oil and they'll sound almost identical to dry bearings without all the downside.

Just my two cents anyhow.

Yup. I put just one drop of sewing machine oil per bearing into my set of Swiss after cleaning --> shields on --> the bearings are loud and fast.

[Plan9Customs]

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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.

[close]

   Yeah, but if he only skated in the 80's, it was just so different. I didn't skate then but know a lot of people who did and it was not uncommon at all to get a new complete like once a year and never change anything. Nobody was flipping their thick ass Madrid boards and they had tail bones or whatever so decks just lasted much longer.

As someone that started in 82 I can definitely say no one I knew ever just bought completes. Same as now. Bearings take a crap, replace. Trucks ground through, replace. Wheels worn to shit, replace. Razor tail, replace. And yes we were flipping boards from 86/87 on. I’m sure others were before that outside of our scene.
Btw the plastics went away after 85. Even rails.
Well, except risers. Wheels were in the 60s then.

[rikki]

We were buying industrial 608 bearings (NMB, SKF) from hardware retailers back in the late 80's. I don't anyone cleaned their bearings ever, shit was dirt cheap even for teenagers back then. The shields stayed on.

[noxiousPond]

It’s pretty cool hearing all these mixed reviews after I decided to bite the bullet and get some Bronson raws. I guess I’ll find out in a few months (or weeks) how they last. I’ve only skated one barely session after getting them and being tired from work.

[logjammin]

Raws seem inherently flawed. Here's less bearing for the same price. Shields on brother.

The break in time is usually cause they're greased up with something thick. Can always clean them and lube with a low viscosity oil and they'll sound almost identical to dry bearings without all the downside.

Just my two cents anyhow.

I hear ya. I think because I am so extremely particular with my setups especially when it comes to messing with trucks/bushings, that I get real lazy when it comes to bearings. it's the part of the board that I just don't wanna mess with if I don't have to. I'll clean bearings in acetone or alcohol if they need it, but new ones out of the package? nope. I just wanna push em into the wheels, and be done with it. I used to buy new bearings whenever they'd start crapping out, but I realized that was pretty wasteful and finally started cleaning them. I've been on a lucky pack of reds for a year or maybe longer. cleaned a few times, but now they're making a weird loud noise that is not the desired loud bearing noise from nicely broken in ones. hence just scooping the raws. if these crap out on me pretty quick, I'll just get some Swiss 6 balls and try and be patient with the initial quiet phase.

[Slave IV]

I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day. I used to just spray wd40 into them to clean and thought that was the way to go. It seemed to work alright. Never even knew the shields could be popped off easily and if they did come off, it usually meant the bearing was toast.

Anyways, today was the first day in my life that I actually noticed a significant difference in bearing speed. There is a ledge I’ve been doing slappys on for the past year or so and I know the speed and pushes it takes to do very well. Today, I brought a different setup running my decade+ old Bones Swiss 6 that have been recently cleaned and I noticed I was carrying a lot more speed for longer with less push than any other setup I’ve ridden there so far. I’ve used MiniLogo, Reds, Bronson G3 and Raws and they all feel pretty much the same with maybe the MiniLogos slightly slower but those are also around a decade old. Most recently I was on Raws and G3s before that and I thought I might just stick with those or Reds in the future but after today, I think Swiss finally proved to me they are better. Maybe it’s specifically the Swiss 6 since that’s the major difference from all the other bearings I’ve used. I know for sure the bearings are what’s making the difference because I’m actually on smaller and slightly softer wheels 52 Dragon 97 compared to 54 and 53 99f4 with the Bronsons and riding plain sidewalk so it’s not a rough ground and the larger and harder Spitfires should have the speed advantage there.

[bombsaway86]

I’ve been riding Swiss 6 for 20+ years now. I felt like trying something new so I picked up a set of Quantum Atoms (shout out to 35th Ave for keeping them in stock). I’ve been riding them every day for about a week now and I am very impressed. They are just as fast as the Swiss 6, but they are so smooth and quiet. Can’t complain about Swiss 6 performance for less money. I’m looking forward to see how long they last. While Swiss 6 are still great quality, the longevity has seemed to decline over the years

[Richard Skidder]

Has anyone tried the Olympia Silver Grade ( six ball ) bearings?

[Slave IV]

While Swiss 6 are still great quality, the longevity has seemed to decline over the years

Do you mean the recent releases don't last as long as they used to as in a decline in quality? Mine are around a decade or probably more old and they are still the fastest bearings I own compared to various Reds and Bronson bearings that were bought recently.

[bombsaway86]

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While Swiss 6 are still great quality, the longevity has seemed to decline over the years

[close]

Do you mean the recent releases don't last as long as they used to as in a decline in quality? Mine are around a decade or probably more old and they are still the fastest bearings I own compared to various Reds and Bronson bearings that were bought recently.

I have a set from around 2005 that’s still going (I used them as spares now). I bought a new set in 2018 and another in 2022. The two newer sets each had a few bearings die in the first few months, so I replaced them with spares from the 2005 set. I can tell which ones are older because the shields have turned a darker blue with age

[Slave IV]

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While Swiss 6 are still great quality, the longevity has seemed to decline over the years

[close]

Do you mean the recent releases don't last as long as they used to as in a decline in quality? Mine are around a decade or probably more old and they are still the fastest bearings I own compared to various Reds and Bronson bearings that were bought recently.

[close]

I have a set from around 2005 that’s still going (I used them as spares now). I bought a new set in 2018 and another in 2022. The two newer sets each had a few bearings die in the first few months, so I replaced them with spares from the 2005 set. I can tell which ones are older because the shields have turned a darker blue with age

Good to know.

I just saw that Bones sells carriers for their bearings too. I never got that deep into repairing bearings but do those just pop out too? I've only ever removed the shields and it didn't seem like anything else was serviceable or able to be removed without destroying the bearing. Has anyone here ever replaced their carriers?

[Osage]

I just saw that Bones sells carriers for their bearings too. I never got that deep into repairing bearings but do those just pop out too? I've only ever removed the shields and it didn't seem like anything else was serviceable or able to be removed without destroying the bearing. Has anyone here ever replaced their carriers?

   Yes, it's pretty easy. I was riding shit bearings for a long time and really the only way to keep them going was to deep clean them every so often. Take everything apart, clean and even polish the races and bearings and replace any bad cages with other used ones, then put back together.

[Slave IV]

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I just saw that Bones sells carriers for their bearings too. I never got that deep into repairing bearings but do those just pop out too? I've only ever removed the shields and it didn't seem like anything else was serviceable or able to be removed without destroying the bearing. Has anyone here ever replaced their carriers?

[close]

   Yes, it's pretty easy. I was riding shit bearings for a long time and really the only way to keep them going was to deep clean them every so often. Take everything apart, clean and even polish the races and bearings and replace any bad cages with other used ones, then put back together.

So I assume you can just pry them out then? Might look into that at some point if needed.

[SupremePizza]

I’ve been riding Swiss 6 for 20+ years now. I felt like trying something new so I picked up a set of Quantum Atoms (shout out to 35th Ave for keeping them in stock). I’ve been riding them every day for about a week now and I am very impressed. They are just as fast as the Swiss 6, but they are so smooth and quiet. Can’t complain about Swiss 6 performance for less money. I’m looking forward to see how long they last. While Swiss 6 are still great quality, the longevity has seemed to decline over the years

The Quantum Atoms were my first expensive bearing that convinced me to spend more on bearings. Reds get the job done but I'd have a few go bad within a year. The atoms have been doing well for the last 2 years. I just clean them about once a year

[bombsaway86]

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I just saw that Bones sells carriers for their bearings too. I never got that deep into repairing bearings but do those just pop out too? I've only ever removed the shields and it didn't seem like anything else was serviceable or able to be removed without destroying the bearing. Has anyone here ever replaced their carriers?

[close]

   Yes, it's pretty easy. I was riding shit bearings for a long time and really the only way to keep them going was to deep clean them every so often. Take everything apart, clean and even polish the races and bearings and replace any bad cages with other used ones, then put back together.

[close]

So I assume you can just pry them out then? Might look into that at some point if needed.

Take a paper clip and push in between the balls and the retainer will pop loose. You usually have to do it in 2-3 spots to fully remove it. Be careful because once it’s completely loose the balls will fall out. Use a tray or something to contain them

[Xen]

I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

[spitfirehardslider]

Mini logos, apparently theres not much difference to Bones Reds and for cheaper too.

[logjammin]

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I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

[close]

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

I recently found them on eBay for a good price I've been thinking about trying them. with those metal shields on both sides, seems like a bearing you'd barely ever have to clean? NOS made in Germany adds some hype, too.
https://ebay.us/m/C36t5m

[back smith]

Bought some Swiss and some Reds pretty close to each other during the winter and now the back heelside bearings are fucked in both sets.

[fakiefs180]

Got a set of Bronson G3s for the first time. I usually ran the Indy black bearings, whatever the name was. Gp-B or something like that. I will see how the G3s are.

[Mbrimson88]

Bought some Swiss and some Reds pretty close to each other during the winter and now the back heelside bearings are fucked in both sets.

Do you do anything that would have a higher impact on that wheel, eg smash hard into front smiths or something?

I had a friend who would always destroy one pair of bearings, but as he rotated his wheels way more often, he didn't realise until he left the wheels on longer than normal and it was maybe one specific thing he did that put a lot more pressure on one wheel and the two bearings in it were always bugging out - making that rotary noise, like early onset bearing dementia.

Anyway, it was just interesting to realise something like that is actually a real thing - certain tricks putting way more pressure on bearings than I would have thought.

[back smith]

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Bought some Swiss and some Reds pretty close to each other during the winter and now the back heelside bearings are fucked in both sets.

[close]

Do you do anything that would have a higher impact on that wheel, eg smash hard into front smiths or something?

I had a friend who would always destroy one pair of bearings, but as he rotated his wheels way more often, he didn't realise until he left the wheels on longer than normal and it was maybe one specific thing he did that put a lot more pressure on one wheel and the two bearings in it were always bugging out - making that rotary noise, like early onset bearing dementia.

Anyway, it was just interesting to realise something like that is actually a real thing - certain tricks putting way more pressure on bearings than I would have thought.

I'm putting the blame on backside slashers

[Slave IV]

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I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

[close]

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

Is that how it was? I remember GMN being hailed as the best back then but considering I finally just noticed a clear difference in speed from bearings after 40 years of skating, it didn't matter too much to me back then.

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

[close]

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

[close]

I recently found them on eBay for a good price I've been thinking about trying them. with those metal shields on both sides, seems like a wheel you'd barely ever have to clean? NOS made in Germany adds some hype, too.
https://ebay.us/m/C36t5m

Nice! What ever happened to whatever company that made those? Did they become some other brand or did they just disappear after Swiss bearings came out and became the new best thing?

Back then, my cleaning process was spraying WD40 into my wheels and spinning them a bit to evenly distribute without removing from trucks. If they got really bad, I would do a deep clean by removing the bearings, wiping them off and then soaking with WD40 again with another coat of WD40 on my axels. I still don't know if the metal shields could come off without destroying them and never bothered trying. It's funny that now WD40 is shunned as counterproductive for cleaning bearings and I haven't done it that way since I got my Bones bearing cleaning kit and read the instructions but it seemed to work fine for me back in the day. I still have trucks and bearings from back then that still could work fine if I needed them.

[back smith]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

[close]

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

[close]

Is that how it was? I remember GMN being hailed as the best back then but considering I finally just noticed a clear difference in speed from bearings after 40 years of skating, it didn't matter too much to me back then.

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

[close]

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

[close]

I recently found them on eBay for a good price I've been thinking about trying them. with those metal shields on both sides, seems like a wheel you'd barely ever have to clean? NOS made in Germany adds some hype, too.
https://ebay.us/m/C36t5m

[close]

Nice! What ever happened to whatever company that made those? Did they become some other brand or did they just disappear after Swiss bearings came out and became the new best thing?

Back then, my cleaning process was spraying WD40 into my wheels and spinning them a bit to evenly distribute without removing from trucks. If they got really bad, I would do a deep clean by removing the bearings, wiping them off and then soaking with WD40 again with another coat of WD40 on my axels. I still don't know if the metal shields could come off without destroying them and never bothered trying. It's funny that now WD40 is shunned as counterproductive for cleaning bearings and I haven't done it that way since I got my Bones bearing cleaning kit and read the instructions but it seemed to work fine for me back in the day. I still have trucks and bearings from back then that still could work fine if I needed them.

WD40 is great as a cleaning agent especially for removing rust and not shunned as far as I know. But it's not a good lubricant and for that purpose it is and should be shunned.

[Slave IV]

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I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

[close]

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

[close]

Is that how it was? I remember GMN being hailed as the best back then but considering I finally just noticed a clear difference in speed from bearings after 40 years of skating, it didn't matter too much to me back then.

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I remember NMB and “German” bearings from back in the day.

[close]

NMBs were the fucking worst,so slow. GMN all day back then

[close]

I recently found them on eBay for a good price I've been thinking about trying them. with those metal shields on both sides, seems like a wheel you'd barely ever have to clean? NOS made in Germany adds some hype, too.
https://ebay.us/m/C36t5m

[close]

Nice! What ever happened to whatever company that made those? Did they become some other brand or did they just disappear after Swiss bearings came out and became the new best thing?

Back then, my cleaning process was spraying WD40 into my wheels and spinning them a bit to evenly distribute without removing from trucks. If they got really bad, I would do a deep clean by removing the bearings, wiping them off and then soaking with WD40 again with another coat of WD40 on my axels. I still don't know if the metal shields could come off without destroying them and never bothered trying. It's funny that now WD40 is shunned as counterproductive for cleaning bearings and I haven't done it that way since I got my Bones bearing cleaning kit and read the instructions but it seemed to work fine for me back in the day. I still have trucks and bearings from back then that still could work fine if I needed them.

[close]

WD40 is great as a cleaning agent especially for removing rust and not shunned as far as I know. But it's not a good lubricant and for that purpose it is and should be shunned.

That makes sense. I was using it as an all in one and considering many people don't even use lube, it probably still isn't a bad option to use. Seems like they might actually be the ideal product for people running Raw/shieldless bearings.

Don't think I didn't giggle to myself typing about lube and raw.