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The 7mm bore 608 bearings are still widely available, for some older and higher end model quad skates, so it’s useful to know the type and size of bearings used on your skates before replacing.  However, if you get caught with 8mm axles and 7mm bored bearings, you can use bearing adapter sleeves to adjust for the difference.

There are also mini bearings and micro bearings, these seem more favored by indoor skaters. While lighter in weight, they are prone to attracting debris, dirt, and subject to extreme wear when used outdoors. With that in mind, mini and micro bearings tend to require more frequent maintenance.

Sizing Things Up:

• 608 Bearings Typical dimension:  8mm bore, x 22mm diameters, x 7mm width.
• 627 Bearings  Typical dimension:  7mm bore, x 22mm diameters, x 7mm width.
• 688 Mini’s Typical dimension:  8mm bore, x 16mm diameters, x 5mm width.
• 167 Mini’s Typical dimension:  7mm bore, x 16mm diameters, x 5mm width

SPACERS and ADAPTERS:

Spacers are typically not used with quad skates, but the spacers can help give better ability to tighten trucks to minimize the play in the wheels. Spacers used with inline skates are generally self-centering, or cylindrical type, or sleeved spacers. Some Recreation inline skates use a thru-type  7mm spacer. There are also adapters for both that can fit into the 608 wheels hub. 

How many bearings do you need for your skates? 

In years past 5-wheel inline race skates took a total of 20 bearings, these days 4-wheel and 3-wheel skates are standard, and bearings are mostly sold in sets of 16.   Quad skates used 4-wheels and use 16 total bearings. With larger 125mm wheels, or any 3-wheel set up, the total bearings all that is needed is 12, but manufacturers have not started to sell 12 packs (so, save those extras for spares).

Serviceable VS Non-Serviceable. Maintaining a Good thing:

Bearings can be non-serviceable (meaning the outer shields are sealed), or serviceable (shield(s) can be removed for cleaning).  The number of shields is typically single, or one-sided, though some bearings still come with both shields.  The protective shields are designed to come off for cleaning. SkateNOW teaches skate maintenance as part of our basic lessons, or catch one of our clinics.  From the factory bearings are either packed with a special light grease, gel, or oil lubricant.  Greased bearings take a bit longer to "break-in", but will last longer between cleanings, and best used in areas where potential moisture, or coming in contact with water, is probable.  Grease packed protects the bearings from water and dirt better than oiled bearings.  Just don't expect greased bearing to roll too quickly out of the box, until you get a few miles on them.  Oiled bearings roll faster initially, but require more servicing than grease packed bearings, oils break down quicker.  Gels are probably the most preferred of lubes, their formulas are a nice medium substance that will roll well out of the box, and last longer than oiled bearings, which helps to prolong the inevitable cleaning and re-lubing.

If your bearings get wet, get them dried out immediately or they will rust.   Towel dry, then use a hair drier to get them as dry as possible.  If necessary, as in you went thru puddles and they are soaked, break them down and re-clean as soon as possible.  If water is left to linger on bearings, they will rust.  If your skates come with non-serviceable bearings, expect to spend upwards of $35 for a new set of 16 skate bearings when replacing.  How do you tell a worn bearing?  Does it free spin/roll, does it make a hissing, whirling, crunchy or squeaky noises?  If the answer is "yes", to any those Q’s then they are ready for servicing.

What Bearings are Made of, Anatomy of components:

Outside: A standard size 608 has an 8mm bore, which is the inner diameter hole that the axle slides through.  The outer diameter is 22mm which matches your skate wheels hub diameter, and the width of the 608 bearing is 7mm.  The outer steel(or, ceramic) shell is called the outer race. Inside:  The retainer holds the balls equally distributed, it can be made of metal, or delrin(plastic), the number of balls varies by manufactures, 7 being the most common, though 6 ball has gained popularity, and even 5 ball can be found.

Balls:  these can be either polished steel, or ceramic, or coated steel(rain bearings). Inner race is the cylindrical grooved tube that the balls roll on, and its diameter is matched to the axle diameter (8mm, or 7mm). Outer Shields: these are removable shields or alum or rubber coated alum that seal and protect the bearing from the outside.  In past most bearings possessed both inner and outer shields, until the day industry wised up, lightened up, and realized only one was really needed.  Older bearings had a “C” ring which needs to get removed to release the shield.

BEARING RATINGS:

What's all the Hype about ratings of ABEC or ILQ? These ratings are industry standards for bearings, which for Recreational and Fitness skating purposes really doesn't equate to a whole lot, except maybe added expense.   The ABEC rating(Annular Bearing Engineering Committee, ANSI standards), are actually a machine rating designation, ranging from ABEC1 to ABEC 11, and for use in skates are priced accordingly.  The ABEC rating is a reference to the tolerance class standards of ball bearings. From Abec 1 to 11, as the tolerances increases  (in referring to the reduction of space between the ball bearings in the outer race and the inner race), the ABEC # increases, meaning the tolerances become tighter, with also less vibration. Again, this is as applied inside the bearings in a machinery application (not skating).   In skating applications if you have less gap (tighter tolerance), dirt and debris is able collect and will slow you down, requiring more maintenance.  In short, most ABEC ratings are just hype, tech-talk, as bearings used for inline skating will never meet or exceed the speeds they are designed for with ABEC ratings as used in machinery.  Some bearings are not rated at all, Swiss for example, or they have their own designations, as related to skate use, such as ILQ (inline qualified). ILQ developed bearings for skates early 2000’s, and offers both 7-ball and 6-ball configurations. What’s the difference you ask: simple, less balls allows the ball bearings can continue to move freely, even if subjected to dirt and debris that can build up inside the raceway, which saves maintenance and cleaning.  Ultimately, you’ll still need to service bearings: clean and re-lube.  You’ll also discover everyone seems to posses their secretive proprietary process for this task.  Make it easy on yourself, drop into a skateNOW clinic and learn how to spend more time skating and less time cleaning bearings.

If your skates come with an ABEC 3, 5, or 7, or ILQ 7, or ILQ 9 they should roll fine for many years to come providing you take proper care of them.  

BEARING TYPES: Steel, Swiss, and Ceramic, Rain Bearings... and, those mysteriously Fast Ones.

Steel bearings are the most common bearings on the market. Typically, all outer and inner componentry is made of steel, though the retainers can be delrin(plastic). The outer shields are typically aluminum, or combination of rubberized aluminum. Steel balls shape and steel race can degrade, and become slower over time when subject to dirt and debris, and rusting.  The inner race surface can scratch, and the balls can deform with wear.  Steel is susceptible to rust, from contact with water/moisture, so avoid water, enough said.  If you’re a use and replace kinda skater, with no time to clean bearings, just replace your set as needed.

Swiss bearings offer a much higher level of performance and materials quality than standard steel bearings, but keep in mind, the term Swiss does not necessarily mean the bearings are produced in Switzerland, as the name implies, so expect to find varying degrees of Swiss bearings made in different parts of the world.   Swiss  generally will spin faster and truer than garden variety steel bearings.  Like steel they are susceptible to corrosion from contact with water.  Our Pick Bones, Swiss 6 Ball, tried n’ true.

Ceramic bearings  lighten your load with either hybrid ceramic or full ceramic bearings.  The hybrid discussed here (steel race and ceramic balls) reduce weight by 60%, and have much less friction than all steel bearings. The ceramic balls are made of silicon nitride. The harder balls will help self-polish the inner steel race - the 2 dissimilar materials constantly in contact when rotating will polish the inner race, whereas an all steel ball bearing can get scratched on the inner surface and cause the balls to go out of true.  Ceramics with much harder material will stay true.  Our pick Twin Cams BCB, full lifetime warranty.  Why even think this over?

Full ceramic bearings use ceramic balls and an inner and outer ceramic race. On the plus side they are lighter.  The only drawback is that their hard materials are more brittle than steel, and they can be subject to cracking on impact (with activities like jumping or just crashing on skates).  In general ceramic bearings will outlast steel bearings and provide years of service without maintenance.

Rain bearings.  Designed with all-weather use in mind, these are water resistant, though the names say or imply rust proof, one still needs to exercise some caution in using these type bearings. The steel balls are generally coated/heat-treated, the bearings are packed in a lithium grease, to sustain life span in event of water getting into the bearings. They will hold up over standard steel bearings in wet conditions, but we recommend periodically breaking them down and cleaning them to maintain their life span. Hint: you can DIY Rain bearings with a tube of Phil’s bike grease. Be sure to wipe it onto the outer shield as well to create a barrier from moisture.

And lastly, Cronitect Bearings. If you were lucky to land yourself a set of these in the era of 2009, when they debuted at EU skating championships… Yay You! Cronitect’s are low-friction, corrosion-resistant, and virtually maintenance-free, these hybrid bearings had it all, including a hefty retail price.  A ceramic  5-ball configuration, with hard steel outer race that is 10x harder than normal steel, so the inner race won’t get scratched/marred from dirt and debris as quickly as regular steel races do with steel ball bearings. Scratches mean friction, and friction means loss of speed. These bearings can be exposed to water, but we recommend following guidelines for ceramics/hybrid ceramics for maintenance. The friction reduction compared to other ceramics bearings of the time was 49%, that means fast to you & me. You can still find cronitects used widely in the high-end cycling industry.  Are they worth the extra money?  If racing, yes.  If just looking to buy one set you’ll never need to replace, maybe.  To replace bearings on your rec skates, probably not worth the extra expense – you could purchase 3 pairs of new rec skates for that kind of dough.

LUBRICANTS:

Oils, Gels, and Grease. Our pick in the Gel category is the Ionic flux, it’s proprietary blend gives this formula ability to self-polish balls within the bearing as you skate, with touted nano-technology. Simply put it works to maintain  bearings and give you fast rolling.  We still recommend to break down and clean bearings any time they present issues.  Skaters have tried it all and things like baby oil (any mineral oils),  sewing machine oil, and lubes such as Tri Flow or WD40 are going to break down quickly and allow gunk build-up inside the bearings....this will slow you down, and you'll be back cleaning bearings, rather than skating.  WD 40 is fine to oil a door hinge, but don’t use it on bearings, unless you really like cleaning way more often than necessary. 

BEARING CLENAING:  Easy way or Hard Way?

Easy: Wash, Dry, Lube n’ Go. Skater Eddy Metzger produced a bearing cleaning video with Twin Cam using only water to clean. Boiling the bearing and baking them to dry.  Our techs at skateNOW use this method regularly. There are few times we use a designated (non-toxic) degreaser on bearings, but it’s rare.  How to:  Pop the shields off (either 1 or both sides). Place in a pot in hot water on the stove top, open side up. Hot water will break down and remove oils from the bearings; the oil will drift to the top of the pot. After boiling, approx 5-10 minutes, flush then once more with clean (hot) water in a sieve or spaghetti strainer. Dry them by tapping out excess water and placing them on a cardboard sheet into the oven (open side up), at 200 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Once dry, and cooled, re-lube and go skate!  *If you have concerns with hard minerals/chlorine in your water, use filtered or distilled water.

Hard: If you’re going to use a degreaser, select a non-toxic product, made for skate/bike bearings.    Most commercial degreasers add a sudsing agent (those you’ll fine in home improvement stores).   Commercial degreasers will leave a film of suds on the bearings, and a residual of degreaser that will continue to break down any lube you use, unless  you’ve flushed e bearings after soaking in the degreaser with hot water… and, look we just came back to the easy method. We’ve heard and seen it all, and youtube offers oodles of bearing cleaning ‘expertise’, everyone proclaiming their method is best.  Methods: Blow them out with compressed air, soak in gasoline, isopropyl alcohol, brake cleaner, acetone, kerosene, WD40, citrus cleaner, simple green, and ultrasonic cleaners in combination with any of the solutions listed. It all comes down to one Q: Do you want to spend your time cleaning, or skating? 

Let’s Get Down to Business, Bearing Cleaning Process:  

1. disassemble your wheels from your skates using a Skate Too. SkateNOW sells a variety of tools, but we favor those “T” handle types with a specific Bearing Retractor Nub on one end, it wll make the job much easier. (Cado motus or Zandstra). The other tool of choice, and particularly if you are using Aluminum hub wheels will be the Zeleritaz Bearing Retractor Tool, sold by SkateNOW. There are also Bearing presses/retractors sold that work will for both inline & quad wheels.  For skates with a Bearing Sleeve, you’ll want a Tool that has a “Bearing pusher”, like a “Y” tool that has a lip to push the bearings from one side of the wheel, or a “T” tool that has a stepped head near the handle, used for this purpose.  Using a Bearing pusher: Push from one side until the opposing bearing pops out. Once one bearing is removed, the sleeve and second bearing are easy to push out or retract. Avoid using the end of a screw driver or the head end of your skate tool to pry bearings out, as this can damage the bearing or inadvertently the shield that protects it. See our Tutorial on Tools for more info.
2. Remove the shields. Most bearings have one or two shields (read above). If your bearings have 2 shields, you only need to replace one side when you’re done cleaning. This will make the task easier next cleaning sesh, and lighten your bearings.
3. Degrease/Scubbing/Soaking/Rinse/Dry: We recommend removing both shields to assure all grease/lube is removed from the bearing during cleaning. For cleaning greased bearings start by flushing them out in a non-toxic degreaser solution – soak them 10 minutes or longer. Use an old tooth brush to scrub any grease caught in the race. With oiled / gel lubed bearings you can leave on one of the shields, and drop them right into a pot of boiling water.  Next, boil the bearings, open side up (5-10 minutes), to remove any residual grease/lube. Remove from stove and drop them into a sieve or spaghetti strainer, and flush them with water.  Tap the bearing onto a paper towel to remove any excess water then set them open side up on small piece of cardboard, and place in an oven for 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees F.  The slow warm heat will help to evaporate any lingering water/moisture on the bearings.  Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool before lubing & replacing shields. 
4. Lube bearings with 1 drop of lubricant per bearing, if using oil or gel. If using grease you can pack them with a bit more. With oil and gel lubes using any more than one drop will result in excess lube seeping out at the shield, becoming a magnet for dust and dirt. 
5. Replace shields, one side only. A note on shields, it’s rare to see “C” rings any more on bearing shields, but they do still float around in the market. To remove a “C” ring use the end of a safety pin to find the edge and pop it off. Be sure they snap fully back into place when re-assembling.  When replacing the bearing into the wheels hubs, the open side of the bearing is to face inward, and shielded side faces the outside. Replace the bearings into the wheel hubs with spacers/sleeves.  *Be sure to clean the spacers and sleeves, too – good time to do this is while bearings are either boiling or drying. 
6. When replacing the bearings into the wheel hubs take care to be sure they ‘seat’ properly, this takes a bit of “feel” to get the idea. The easiest way to ‘seat a bearing’ is to push the wheel on the bearing side against a flat table surface, and you’ll hear a slight pop. That ‘pop’ is what you are after to ensure the bearings are well seated into the wheels hub. If left uneven, you’ll find them rubbing on the inner frame and causing drag.

Prior to reassembling all of the wheels, take a moment to check the security of the frame to boot bolts. Use a skate tool to ensure the bolts are tight.   It’s also a good time to take a rag and wipe off any dust/dirt collecting on the underside of the frame or wheel shoulders (where the wheels contact the frame from inside the frame). And, if the wheels hubs are dirty, clean those. This is an excellent time to do wheel rotation, too. See our Tutorial On Wheel Rotation.  Replace all of the wheels, snug the axles, and you are ready to roll.

All of the options can be overwhelming.  Bottom line is maintaining your skate wheels and bearings will provide you hours of optimal skating pleasure.  Still unsure, let SkateNOW technicians offer you guidance in your purchase of bearings, and schedule your skates for routine maintenance.  

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