Bearings - Reds
Hi there!
I'm 50+ returning to indoor quad skating. Actually, I was getting back into it a few years ago and feeling good about how it was going so I decided to treat myself to some new wheels and bearings. I was recommended Bones Reds 8mm bearings. Unfortunately, I now feel like I'm going to kill myself. They are WAY TOO fast for me! I mean, I can do alright, but, I like to skate for some exercise. I don't need to push myself at all with Reds. I prefer to get my heart rate up a bit, not just roll with the wind. Are there slower bearings out there? What do you suggest? Thanks for any feedback. (The wheels I got are Bones Logo 57mm.)
gogo
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Comments
Just use grease instead of oil.
From The Netherlands
First off, using grease or oil to lube the bearings will not make much difference in your speed. Yeah they will definitely look slower when you spin them with no load, but I have yet to find a sk8r that rolls them w/ no load. On top of that, once the grease is broken in it presents very little load on the balls and as you roll them and they warm up, it may as well be oil.
If ya want to slow down, pop for softer wheels. So how hard are your wheels and where do you sk8??
I have been using normal car bearing grease, it was slow under load and also after breaking it. Just depends how much you add grease. For warming issue it is the trick to have enough amount of grease. Now I switched to expensive Skf LGLT grease better roll under load....
From The Netherlands
The LGLT looks comparable to the Royal Purple I use in most of my bearings.
Hi!
Thanks for the input. I'm hoping to get back to the indoor hardwood floor at the rink eventually.
The wheels I have are medium hard: Bones Logo and I really like them. I've used softer wheels for outdoors, but I'm kind of digging the Bones.
I guess I was wondering if I could do something to the Reds to slow them down. I guess I could start with trying grease.
If I wanted to trade out the Reds bearings, what would I get? I feel silly asking for a set of slow bearings. ha ha I just now happened upon a review on Amazon where someone purchased "Rollerex 20-pack, 608Z ABEC-1 Wheel Bearings" and commented they needed slow bearings for getting back into skating. I also see there's an ABEC-5. Sorry - it's been so long I don't know much about the technicalities. Which would be slower? or are these just a completely bad idea?
Thanks for your time. I appreciate the advice.
gogo
Define medium hard. Durometer # helps. As I said previously, nothing really slows a bearing down. To be honest any good ball bearing that fits your wheel and axle will work ~ the same. In the 20 odd years I have been doing this, I have yet to have ANY bearing be demonstrated as superior for speed to the point it was obvious. I have NEVER found any engineering data from manufactures that backs up the advertising, so I don't buy it. I have tested many different high end (ie ceramics) to non ABEC rated 50 cent each "junk" with national level speed sk8rs... including record holders.. The conclusion reached was if there was any variability it was invisible below the noise floor of the timing methods available to me or just the variability of the sk8r on any given day. Now if you are really convinced bearing will help, find some Hartford silvers or some old 608 semi precision bearing like show up in 50.00 a pair sk8s. That may slow ya down. Although NOT recommended, one can over tighten the axle nuts assuming there is no spacer between the bearings. That will slow ya down to nothing but will certainly not do your reds any favors.
When bearings has been breaking it should matter which lubrication you are using for rotation per minutes.
When you add oil : spin faster.
When you add grease: spin slower.
Lubrication acts as layer between rolling parts.
And main goal for heat transfer.
While oil film is thinner and grease thicker (so more friction).
From The Netherlands
Yeah I get your point. However, on a scale of 1 to 10 lubrication is ~ 0.5 in the scheme of things. I got 20 + years of practice experimenting and testing and using who knows what to lubricate sk8 bearings....and that includes bearings you have never used in sk8s and most likely lubricants you have never had your hands on as well. So please, if you think you are schooling me, stop.