bearings and wheels question $$$$$$

[60ndown]

where does everyone buy their bearings and wheels?

are bont and roces bearings better than online stores bearings?

and how much do i need to spend to improve on the stock wheels that came on my k2 motos (84mmx80a and ilq-7 bearings) ?

[60ndown]

sure are a lot of wheels/bearings out here on the www, which ones are good and which ones to avoid?

[gem]

where does everyone buy their bearings and wheels?

are bont and roces bearings better than online stores bearings?

and how much do i need to spend to improve on the stock wheels that came on my k2 motos (84mmx80a and ilq-7 bearings) ?

ILQ 7's are very gud bearings. If Ü like ILQ's they do make ILQ 9's. They have 6, 4.5mm bearings. The have 3 versions two with metal bearings and the best, 1 with ceramic and those are the big bucks though but very fast. In the meantime keep yor ILQ's maintained and they should last a long while.

[Mr. T]

Bearings is all about the quality of materials used. Forget about ABEC. We discussed this point several times before. ABEC is hype an nothing else. Basically, if all bearings were made of the same material, ABEC 1 (the lowest grade) would be more than enough for skaters. Since ABEC is based on the number of rpm that the bearings can sustain before the imperfections in their construction would affect the functioning of a machine, the max rpm for ABEC 1 would allow a skater on 80mm wheels to hit over 70-80 mph! On 100mm wheels much faster than that!
Of course, bearings could be assigned a high ABEC (ABEC 7 or ABEC 9), but if the material is not first quality, after you put some weight on them, the bearings deform and "hasta la vista" to the quality. You find yoursef with ABEC -3 very quickly.
Swiss does not even assign an ABEC to their bearings, to show that you can forget about ABEC.
Ceramic bearings are also hype: They do work, do not get me wrong, but the theory behind is that they generate less heat than traditional bearings. Less heat means less expansion of the materials and hence less friction. So far it is all good. But, my engineer friends tell me that the speed required to notice a difference is so high that people on skate would be arrested and locked up for being cannon balls!


Wheels make a lot more difference. Impossible to suggest you specific ones as they are to some extent a subjective choice. Of course, some brands are associated with high quality more than others or are found on the skates of those who win races. Yet, it is also about what you plan to do. If you just want to skate for recreational purposes, why spend $15 per wheel?

And, remember one thing: we have seen bearings come and go, we have seen bigger and bigger wheels. Yet, the overall time in marathons have not really gone down. I checked the time of those who win important marathons and it seems to me that the times are not different from the day of 5x80 or 5x84 when all is said and done.

A final word of advise. Rustproof bearings are great so you can go through water without fear of ruining them almost immediately like with most non rustproof items unless you clean and dry them immediately which is a chore and not a small one unless your skates are an object of cult as it happens for a few people out there.

[godzilla]

Some brands of Chinese Ceramic bearings have very poor tolerances, but Swiss made ceramic bearings are better than any steel bearing.

Genuine swiss steel bearings are better than any Chinese steel bearing I have ever tested.

alx

[Mikeyb]

This generates a question about ceramics. For the 'quality' ones, how resistant to water damage are they?

Mike B

[MachV]

They are resistant enough that they won't "seize" while your still skating in the rain like a steel bearing with light oil.

[chaosdsm]

As a user of Hybrid Ceramic bearings (Ceramic Balls with Steel races) living in Florida, I have some experience with wet bearings. How much water will affect hybrid ceramic bearings depends on the type & quality of steel used in the bearings... My TwinCam ILQ-9 Black Ceramic Ball bearings were used durring the Eddy Matzger Clinic earlier this year in which they got quite wet due to rain. I removed them & put the ILQ-9 Classics in for the remainder of the weekend, intending to thoroughly clean & dry the Ceramics, but I forgot about them till a month later... however a quick inspection revealed no rust , so I put them back in & they rolled like new. Some steels used in some current bearings can start to rust in just a couple of hours, especially some of the generic bearings (including hybrid ceramics) on the market.

In the case of full ceramic bearings, water doesn't matter, in fact they are impervious to most chemicals (the bearing retainers are the weakest link, usually made of Nylon, or in better quality full ceramics, Teflon) & can even be used underwater... not that you'd want to skate underwater or pay up to $700 for a set of bearings

I buy about 90% of my wheels from one of 3 sources: Vendor booths at races, http://www.inlinewarehouse.com, & http://www.adamsinline.com. The rest are purchased from whoever has the best deal on the specific wheels I'm looking for be that someplace local, or an online vendor.

For training bearings, I use VXB bearings which I buy direct in bulk http://www.vxb.com/ Their ABEC-7 bearings are just about on par with BSB ABEC-7 bearings, but a lot cheaper (I paid ~$50 for 100 bearings including shipping) http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/kit708 Same bearings, but I got mine from one of their Ebay auctions a couple years ago.
For race bearings, I use the TwinCam's which I ordered direct http://www.ilq9.com/

[Mikeyb]

I checked the web site. What bearing kit do you buy for practice?

Mike B

OOPS! Just saw it in you post.

[godzilla]

For training, I recommend Bont Abec 7 Racing bearings:
http://bontwheels.com
$30 a set

alx

[60ndown]

interesting read, i guess id rather spend some $$ up front and buy bearings that will last a long time instead of replacing bearings every 7 weeks, my skating is recreational only, on the street, mostly dry (california)

what have been the most popular wheels and bearings 2006-2007 that i might pick up cheaper somewhere?,

as everyone now wants 2008-9 models

i wonder if a 'high end' bearing and wheel from 2006, would out perform an entry level set from 2008?

[godzilla]

Bearings haven't changed much over the past 5 or so years. There aren't enough skaters to justify the R&D into faster bearings.

For the wheels, you can snap up some really great bargains on anything smaller than 100mm, but even the old 100mm wheels are holding their value pretty well because the new wheels are more expensive.

Paying more for bearings doesn't mean they will last longer. It sounds like a $30 set will do you fine.

alx