I skate when I'm not working as a mechanical engineer. I never clean my bearings. I skate them to death then replace them but I don't buy fancy bearings either usually I get months out of a set. If you absolutely must clean them remove the shields completely, soak in a citrus solution for 5 mins and clean with a paint brush, use hot water to remove citrus cleaner. Dry out with air gun if you have one. Now they are clean and dry. Don't use any bearing "lubricant" it just collects dust and grime, use a dry lube like graphite. Don't put too much on thought.. if you can't get some just smash up a pencil lead. This is what I used to do and it worked so well.. throw away your shields they keep shit out but they also keep shit in and are useless once you deform them.. anyway if anyone could be bothered to read all of that. Thanks! Let me know if you try it :D
I do almost the same. I use instead of citrus, orange concentrate. and I spin them after soaking under running water until they feel like they have less resistant. This method works also with bearings with permanent shields ^^. After that I dry them using paper towels and hair dryer and add a little bit of Bones speed cream. I've never thought about the graphite but I will try it out :)
im on the same school of thought i dont polish a $15 turd i just buy a new one and doing bearing surgery for me is disgusting work, our streets are not known for their cleanliness. i am guilty of WD40 because it works for a few hours, by that point tho i know longer care if the bearing gets worse. if am very desperate i soak them in gasoline.
I think your right about not using WD-40. BUT YES I DO.I wipe mines down and i let mine set for about months on i was working as a babysitter lol yep. I come back after 2 (have nice sets to wait with) months of waiting to wipe down. Them i wipe. I tested them into the rain there water proof.....🐒🐒🐒🐒😆😆
SEWING MACHINE OIL...CHEAPER THAN SKATE BRAND LUBE, AND WORKS BETTER THAN ANY SKATE BRAND LUBE/CEREME I'VE TRIED...AND I'VE BEEN SKATING FOR 26 YEARS. FYI:Speed creme has always sucked imo. Gotta clean them before you oil'em too.
Wd 40 is a solvent and a water dispersing agent it has some lubricant in it also. It doesn’t gum up like some oils. I used it on bearings and it worked very well. We’ll see what happens long term though
WD-40 is great for cleaning bearings that have gotten seriously wet, because that's what WD is actually designed to do, that being getting rid of water/moisture, and it will actually cut/clean grease. Which means that if you use it, you need to dry it out with blower, or a solvent, then obviously re-grease/oil your bearings. What I do to clean bearings is use Electronic cleaner in an aerosol can, that way I don't need to fully disassemble the bearings, and the solvent is plastic safe, and effective. I just remove the wheel, remove the front seals from both bearings, while still in the wheels, spray them using the gust of aerosol to blow out debris, then use an air blower to fully (all while never removing them from the wheels). Then grease, or oil each ball, re-seal the fronts, give it a few obligatory spins, and replace the wheel. This process works a real treat, particularly for regular maintenance prior to getting heavy gunk, or rust, and you never will if you do this every couple of weeks, or immediately after getting into water. To the topic of this video though, if you're using grease that doesn't handle water well in your bearings, and get them wet, I'd follow the same process, but spray them out with WD first to cut/remove the wet grease, followed by the cleaner to effectively remove the WD. Carb, and brake cleaner works just as well, but can damage/harden urethane, and nylon retention rings. So only use that if you remove the bearings, and have steel retention rings, or completely disassemble the bearing spraying only the races and balls, and then clean the nylon retention ring with a mild soap, and water. Of note to is that WD can also damage plastics, just not nearly as quickly as acetone, carb, and brake solvents, so it's not something you'd want to do often, or leave in contact with your plastic, or rubber parts. Lastly, if you use light oil for low speeds, use it very sparingly it takes only two drops max if you use a dropper you should be able to just touch it to each ball and visually see each one get a very fine coat, but if you're bombing hills at 40+ mph, you should be using a light (low/medium tack) grease and you can lightly pack that evenly, just don't get crazy and fully pack it. After oiling or greasing, your bearing should be wiped clean, and able to sit on a paper towel without leaving an oil mark, and spin with with very little to no noise.
I am the same thing happened to me one time Then I stop skating bones bearings and a moved on to Bronson's and I haven't stopped skating Bronsons for about 2 years now
Citrus cleaner is good for cleaning but is not a lubricant. Buy some 3 in one oil, sewing machine oil. Apparently hair-clipper oil too. Or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed. The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
First let me say thank you for all the work you do for the skateboarding community truly appreciated... Now let me get into it. Dose anybody have any idea why 90% of the skateparks I've ever traveled to do not have water fountains...?
It dries bearings right out. It’s fine as a first step in cleaning to displace dirt and moisture but they should be soaked in acetone and lubed properly. The little extra effort adds a few months to the life of my bearings
@@akyura00 a bit, but not really. Science proves it. Acetone and wd40 are both a solvent. Ever wonder why do you need a solvent namely alcohol to kill a virus? Virus have a fatty cover. Fats can't mix with water. With alcohol however, the fat now can mix with water. Usually solvents aren't 100% pure, they contain water. Same goes for bearings. Lubricants are made of fatty molecules. Wd40 is a solvent. Which means if you spray it to your bearings, now the lubricant can mix with water. Wd40 also contains water. So it's bye-bye lubricant. Unless you re apply lubricant (after dried), your bearings are really bad. If you don't believe me, I've done an experiment with two of my bearings. If you still don't believe me and the facts, then you must have a bad grade basic chemistry.
@@F3RR3LL It will work fine for a short amount of time because WD-40 will clean them up and does have a little lubricant to help locked up parts move initially but it will fade much faster than a real lubricant. Why? WD-40 is a solvent, not a lubricant.
templaboom candlewax always worked for me, I'll take a soda can, remove the lid, put it in a pan with a little water in the bottom (transfers the heat), let it melt, let it dry, pop it out, literally $1 of tea candles worth will last me over a year
has anyone ever tried to soak their bearings in their mouth over night and does it help to use a mouth wash first, i tried without and my breaings are still locked uo
I know you did Grind King, but what happened to all the other skate trucks that were popular when I started skating? I looked and most of them still exist but you never hear about Destructo, Fury, Orion, Mercury etc... they all used to be huge.
I use Wd 40 and is a mini bearing smaller than skateboard bearing and let almost the full day and later the bearing haves a lot of rusty dust and I have to move manually is a key locker bearing but I don’t wanna get a rusty bearing.
Guys so I used the WD40 ofc and now it makes a rattling sound. Should I clean it and lube it with something else? If so, what should I use? Is there any common house item (like vaseline or sth) I could use or do I have to order something?
Hey Rad Rat, I have been skating the Flight Decks from Powell, and I swear by these decks. It feels like the snap and the pop last so much longer. Could just be my mind playing into their games though. Could you talk about some of the "gimmicks" that actually work?
I didn't know that about wd 40. Thank you for the tip! The alcohol makes sense since it will evaporate after. I love the channel by the way keep up the good work!
We used to use Vaseline clean your Berings melt Vaseline put Berings in let them fill up or pack the Berings take some time to brake in but worked good smooth after . From Glenn CATT
Sidewalk did a magnetic sticker free with an issue which helped you flip easier on the chosen side.Now that's a gimmick. Also new wave boards from Flip were a good time
I live in anoka minnesota and before my skateshop closedown he had a old display of all the element (his words) "gimmicks" , he said their junk and nobody buys them so he stopped carrying them but i havent ever have had and element
Not gonna lie though what I did when I was cleaning my bearings, first I soaked it in water, ikr, then I sprayed wd 40 so it wouldn't rust and for me it worked totally fine for a long time so idk
Shield is ripped off, balls fall out, the inside plastic piece all crunched, and your basically just left with just a metal ring stuck in your wheel. The thing is caput, and it ends your session.
Busted three bearings in one session last week. I think it might be because my wheels are cupcaked. I think I might throw this question over to Rad Rat and see if there is any correlation between cupcaked wheels and busted bearings.
I soak my bearings in vegetable oil over-night. Then wipe 'em clean with a cloth--cheapest and safest way to do it. Don't bother taking them apart, no toxic solvents or expensive lubricants.
So im into skateboarding and rc cars. We use to soak our bearings in gasoline. A couple ppl said they wouldnt do that but i leave them overnight, or at least an hour. Of course take them apart. Shake them around now and then. The next morning u can see the dirt at the bottom and the gas is brown/black. Then dry it off. Goto a hobby shop or online for "marine grease" we use it in our rc trucks to lube our bearings, but its for rc boats and it's highly water resistant. We pack our axles full of it. Put it in the bearings u can pack it but not dumb full. And you got water resistant anti corrosion bearings
Never considered lubricating to be beneficial as after trying speed cream it was more effort to push than without it and I've bombed hills several times in a week with reds I cleaned with WD 40 and they still roll smooth so idk what all the "friction metal on metal wear" is about
I use teflon spray, it's pretty good stuff unlike wd40 it wont melt plastics, i mean it should be good for bearings if it's used in electronic machines with cogs and what not?
its totally fine to use wd40 to CLEAN bearings. But it is no substitute for grease. I use wd40 so thoroughly clean my bearings then i let them sit out to air dry. soak /submerge them in motor oil overnight then grease them up. Good to go. Buuuuuut its just what i do. I think most would rather just replace them then restore them.
@@apolonioramirez7830 no just soak it in isopropyl alcohol or a good solvent then use sewing machine oil once there clean and dry they should run like new
Paul Schmitt (the professor) made a comment on the helium board in his nine club interview. Said that the helium is bs since wood is so pouris that it was just a gimmick and the hollow parts in the plys just made it have weak points.
What about house hold items? Bc what if I soak in water and some soap n just let soak clean and then spray a little bit of wd40 on them. Would assume it's be ok. And other have said wd40 has worked for them.
if you watch Grosso's Love letters to gimmick episode. he and lance mountain explain where the air boards first came from. it was a furniture company in denver, Co. They made the Shogo air beam which I believe was there best selling board and probably the best selling "light, or air" deck ever sold, this was the turn of the 80s.
I had an helium deck that I bought last spring.. it was ok.. Seemed thicker, the one I got was Westgate one for 34 dollars from tactics on sale. Kinda like cardboard when it snapped. Most likely sticking with P2 decks , just personally like the feel to them.
Hey RadRat First off, I love your channel dude, keep it up! I've got a question for you, Are bs 360 ollies the next big thing? Lots of skaters are doing them recently, it feels like it's really trending
i think zumiez still has them because maybe they ordered a great amount of these decks back in 2008 when they came out. Or they got a good deal on the rest of all boards element still had on stock because they didn't wanted it anymore
I clean my bearings with water and Orange concentrate. I spin it until it feels like the dirt comes out and the bearing spins faster and with less resistant. I dry them with paper towels and finish with hair dryer. After that I add Bones speed cream to lubricate it. --- This method make my bearings last a few years. Yes, they become slower and someone would say they're broken. However even 4 years after starting skateboarding (about 2 year's intense skating, with tricks) they still spin. Loud and with resistant.. but they spin :D. I avoid skating in the rain but in summer this year I have to skate in the rain. With this method I could save my bearings from oxidizing. This method works on permanent shield, too. (I can't actually remove the shield)
You can also use 3 in one multi-purpose oil. Apparently hair-clipper oil too. Or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed. The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
Or gun oil! Gun oil is also a great cleaner and doesnt leave a bunch of gunk behind and make sludge. Also, it's pretty cheap at your local o'rielys and a can will probably last you years depending on how much you clean them
I use Rem oil. It’s marketed for firearms, n if it works for firearms (which have mini explosions, and extreme heat, and metal on metal contact) , then if it works for that extreme use then I’m sure it works good for bearing lube Also what I’ve learned from firearms, is less is more with lubricant. You apply just a lil, spin the bearing and wipe them down. I’ve learned that if you have excess lube, then it’ll attract dirt and grim PPS- most of the lube is the same, n should work for all purposes, it’s all made for metal on metal contact, to keep the moving parts moving smooth
Hey Rad Rat. I'm one of those dudes that uses WD40 in all my bearings after cleaning them. And sometimes just randomly. I skate almost daily and have two set-ups. One is just for tricks and skating around town. The other is strictly for cruising (but I can still do trick with it, it just has blue Ricta Clouds for ease of travel). WD-40 hasn't worn down my bearings, doesn't hold back my speed and doesn't inhibit my acceleration. I've used speed cream, sewing machine oil, etc etc. WD-40 does hold onto dirt but with my shields it doesn't sit in and get gritty, just seems to chill on the outside(I check em every month or so, clean every two months it seems). I used to avoid it like the plague, but after actually using it...it has yet to let me down.
Speed cream actually rules. I think it is like a tephlon oil or something. Personally, I love bones Reds. I had some Bones Swiss and absolutely LOVED them. Try the speed cream. For $6 it's worth it.
You can also use 3 in one multi-purpose oil or sewing machine oil. Apparently hair-clipper oil too. Or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed. The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
Jack Baker had it right use them and then replace them. IF you want to clean them remove the shield flush with wd-40 (the WD stands for Water Displacement btw) then hose it with break clean and lube with a light grease or thick oil, then replace the shields.
The thing that sucks about bearing is if you ride without shields you might as well forget about lubricating them and for the life of your bearings its best to ride them without the shields so the dirt doesn't have a place to build up. The honest truth is Reds are 15 dollars, go buy a new set of bearings that will last you probably half the life of your wheel if you skate the park or the life of a wheel if you skate lower impact street.
It also allows the dirt to not retain in an area because the rest of the unshielded bearing is in constant motion allowing the dirt to to back out as quick as it tried to gather (I learned that from The Boss). the shield is the only thing not in constant motion, Giving the dirt a place stay. Now it would be not smart to do that if you were able to take skateboard say 60 mph. Or as fast as it would sitting in a piece of machinery. It's rotations per second are not high enough to "blast" or basically blow them out from heat and friction that's where oil comes in to keep the parts in motion with as little friction as possible.. Really for skateboarding all the percision work is like a boob job on a dog. Unless you are tiny, tiny person under 100 pounds adult) you will never notice the difference between bearings made for skateboarding (not all of them are).
That's why you see half this comment section riding bones reds. A bearing made for the impact of slamming it down in motion. Unless you switched to Bronson or andale ( I skate Olympia's) all of these are good shielded or unshielded honestly. Likely more the case people ride a set of those good skate bearings until way after expiration, it's a piece of machinery that is meant to be tossed at some point it is made to be slammed from full speed from 8 or 9 feet, they aren't gonna last like a pair of trucks can.
I doubt that all dirt just exits of its own volition especially with the relatively viscous lube keeping it stuck there. If it did exit so, it would build around the rim regardless where it can continuously re-enter the bearing on occasion. I really don't see how it's better than using the shield to keep dirt out for as long as possible and then cleaning it. Technically the shield is in motion btw, in rotation around the centre of the bearing (which is also loose around the truck axle unless you use built-ins or spacers + speed-rings/axle-washers with the axle nut tightened fully). And of-course the skateboard itself is in motion. ;) I also doubt skate bearings are any more impact resistant than cheap machine bearings.
what about lib technoliges with the clear smooth botom so you can noseslide, tailslide, boardslide everything a lot better and ztrucks that roll on lots of stuff no need for wax and everything grinds?
I used to wd40 my bearings when I was in middle school like 20 years ago. Put new bearings in, skate them until they got crusty, pop the shields off, throw shields away, then spray with wd40. Worked great for like a week. Had to wd40 them every week. Now I clean bearings the "proper" way with alcohol, lube them with "proper" lube and put shields back on. Usually clean them once a month.
Built-ins are the only bearings that offer any advantage (just make sure you get some with an extension on the other side as-well to replace your speed rings). Also removable shields which let you do maintenance are handy. This is because they align with each other in your wheel providing better function under torsional loads &such. Also it means you don't have to have bearing spacers (which could be too small to properly function) or speed-rings/washers; simpler process for disassembly/reassembly.
I've never seen them offered at any of the shops I go to online.
6 лет назад
the helium/helium featherlight work like bridges. my favorite of the "performance" gimmick decks, as they don't usually cost more (maybe that's because zumiez doesn't understand their stock, and has huge troughs of decks in backstock to put in as filler around contracted pro decks or some shit, thats my best theory
I used WD-40. i had these tools: COOKING SCREEN.( WD-40 GOES THROUGH THE COOK SCREEN). BEARINGS ARE THEN ON OR INSIDE THE COOKINGS SCREENS FOR ATLEAST 1-MONTH!!!(I HAVE ALOT BEARINGS) WIPE AND CLEAN AND POLISH. THE FINAL STAGES WITH LOTS NAPKINS. BEARINGS ARE WATER PROOF TOO BY THE WAY
I’m a long boarder and a shooter I personally always use hoppies number 9 cleaning solvent cause I just have a ton of it laying around but I’ve always had good luck with it it also is plastic safe. Just throwing that out there for anyone I also just prefer the smell to most chemicals kinda has an orange smell.
#askradrat Are rails "cheating"? I always skate with rails on my deck and my opinion is that if other people choose to hinder themselves by not using them, that's their problem, not mine. I've seen some people call rails cheating, though. What's your take?
Ko44cHPM what is it cheating? I think it preserves your board life and maybe offers some slick sliding surface but that is in no way cheating. Having rails isn’t going to make a lip slide down a set any easier
For whatever reason, I break/broke a lot of bearings in my day. I tended to snap the races so the balls would get jumbled and fall out. I would never shell out for high-end bearings because I'd usually break 3-4 out of any set of 8 basic level bearings. On any given setup, I'll be riding a mixture of random bearings, including hand-me-down expensive ones from friends. No brand or manufacturer seemed to last longer or roll better aside from the inexplicable randoms that would somehow spin forever and last for years. I'm not sure if you can still find them, but I'd even buy bearings from Ace Hardware or pull them out of Walmart boards. if I was in a pinch. I probably still have some early 90's german NMBs either on my board or in a pickle jar full of gasoline that I put old bearings in when they stop rolling for whatever reason. A lot of modern bearings have plastic races which can get soft, warped or completely disintegrate if you leave them in a strong solvent like acetone or gasoline for too long. I wouldn't leave anything but solid steel bearings in my gasoline jar for longer than 48 hours. I don't try to save every bearing. Some just roll like shit from the get-go. If they don't spin well after removing the dust shields and a 12 hour soak in solvent, I just throw them in an old shoebox in case of the zombie apocalypse. After soaking the bearings in solvent, I toss them into a soapy water bucket and scrub as well as I can with an old toothbrush and dishwashing soap. Some bearings get really jammed up with dirt and even rust. Even if they seem totally clogged, you can usually slowly roll them back and forth under tap water until all the bits of sand and dirt are cleaned away. You might have to wiggle them a bit and put them back in your solvent to continue breaking away dirt and sand trapped in the lubricant. Just don't force them too much, because you don't want to crush a bit of sand in with the precision metal bits. Once the bearings or race gets scratched, it's going to roll like shit The idea is to get the dirt out of there without ruining the precision parts. After you wash the bearings with soap and water, be sure to dry them off with a hairdryer, air compressor hose or other such tool. You don't want to let them sit with water on them and develop surface rust. After the bearing is clean, I'll scoop out a tiny bit of gray silicon lubricant I got at a bicycle shop with a toothpick and wipe it into the clean race. The smallest dab is all you need. You don't want to make your bearings greasy dust traps. Any synthetic lubricant, even synthetic motor oil, will work. Just don't use too much or it'll attract even more crud. Put a tiny dab in between the bearings, spin it back and forth until you can feel the least amount of resistance and leave it be. It's pretty satisfying when all of your wheels spin for well over a minute. I personally ride most of my bearings without covers, but I also have a couple dozen old, cleaned bearings to replace one that breaks or gets gummed up. If you're just starting your "old supplies" collection, you may want to just invest in new bearings and save the jammed up ones in a jar of solvent until you have a rainy Saturday morning to clean them out.
Fuck yeah. You know what's up. Personally I like bones reds because they're cheap and easy to take the rubber shield off and clean. I like to soak mine in solvent (lighter fluid is what I use) and WASH WITH SOAP AND WATER. Rad rat says not to do that but you must do this. I cannot stress that enough. And then let them dry before adding your lube. I live where mountain biking is huge so I've always use the shit people lube their bike chairs up with. Having said all that, I recommend that you REPLACE YOUR BEARINGS EVERY MONTH instead of cleaning them. The dynamic impact your bearing takes will break them faster than the dust they see on any given day. I hope that helps. Skate and Destroy
Taking the shields off is just inviting dirt to enter the mechanism and allows lube to fall out and attract more dirt. I'm not sure silicon lubricant is the best for this application but I don't see it doing any damage.
Problem is that once you take the shields off metal faced bearings, you can't put them back on again. I'd put them back on if I could, for sure. You can always remove just one side, clean it out and put the bearing back in the wheel with the unshielded part inside the wheel, but I find that it's harder to get all the crud out with one sealed side. If you're not overlubricating and skating regular street spots and concrete parks that don't require rolling through a dirt patch, bearings don't take a lot of environmental abuse. I'll usually break the retainer or outer race way before the bearing gums up again.
I use one of those tiny flathead screwdrivers you find in an eyeglass repair kit (or a blunt, old exacto blade, small woodworking chisel or any other sharp, flat tool) and punch down the sealed ends until I can work the blade underneath and pop it off. Just try not to damage the internal bits more than you need to. Alternately, you can dent up the middle until the shield deforms enough to get the blade underneath and pop it out.
No, no kind of bearing gimmick offer better performance except perhaps built-ins (make sure you get ones with the speed ring extension on the outer side as-well, or get some speed rings too). If you don't have built-ins then get some bearing spacers. Ceramic only means the balls can't rust, the rest of the bearing will still rust just the same. Also, despite increased 'hardness' the balls are actually more likely to break under impact conditions. 'Swiss' is a meaningless term designed to charge more for bearings for literally no reason. You can get some super cheap 608 (technical size term for all skate bearings) bearings and they will perform the same, although depending on the letter designation following the number they might not have removable shields (which is useful if you plan on maintaining them instead of buying new ones (which you should (reduce, reuse, recycle!))). Also, they may or may not come with lube in them. Buy some 3 in one oil, sewing machine oil, or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed. The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
It's tribe mentality, you get in every hobby/stereotype fuck i mean i've seen it in flyfishing, some guy was using a rod incorrectly (probably because he's just started) and i saw some other blokes in the fishing lodge peering out the window laughing at him. it's no new behaviour and you'll see it anywhere and in anything. shame really.
Gimmick decks are lame. In the past I had an Element Fiberlite and a Flip P2. I broke the nose of the Fiberlite doing an ollying out of bank. The P2 got badly chipped from hardflip attempts. The kevlar was strong but the wood was crap and broke apart chunk by chunk until the kevlar insert was visible. I've had much better experiences with standard maple decks.
@ Skratch Tracks I suspect that most of hi-tech decks suck. The companies that make them are trying to attract customers with exotic sounding materials, similar to what Theeve did with their quasi titanium trucks.
Bones Reds aren't "cheap bearings". They are still expensive. More than $2 per piece. You can buy bearings in bulk. 30 cents per piece or so. Any industrial bearings will do if you get the right size. The same ones are used in washing machines. They may not last long when you skate them but it's still cheaper when they cost next to nothing and you have a sack of them to replace the broken ones. Just don't use them for longboarding as they get too hot and can't handle the heat.
I agree, although getting some with removable shields is best because doing maintenance, although a pain, is not as wasteful as going through bearings repeatedly. The technical size of skate bearings is 608, they have different letter designations for different shield types. I'd stick to any abec rated bearings also, just to have a bare minimum of 'precision' bearing, although higher ratings are of no practical use to skateboarders. Ultimately however, I prefer built-ins due to their advantages.
3:40 the video starts on bearings.
Thank u😭
It’s people like you that make this world not entirely shitty thanks👍❤️
Careful he is a hero
Thanks
Thanks
Of course I'm watching this 30 secs after I sprayed wd40 on my bearings 🙂🔫
Don't worry, he doesn't really know what he's talking about on WD-40, I've been using it for years, and I've used other lubes too.
Same
Lmaoooooooo same here
It made mine faster and it been 4 months
Austin Boyce u sure!?
I skate when I'm not working as a mechanical engineer. I never clean my bearings. I skate them to death then replace them but I don't buy fancy bearings either usually I get months out of a set. If you absolutely must clean them remove the shields completely, soak in a citrus solution for 5 mins and clean with a paint brush, use hot water to remove citrus cleaner. Dry out with air gun if you have one. Now they are clean and dry. Don't use any bearing "lubricant" it just collects dust and grime, use a dry lube like graphite. Don't put too much on thought.. if you can't get some just smash up a pencil lead. This is what I used to do and it worked so well.. throw away your shields they keep shit out but they also keep shit in and are useless once you deform them.. anyway if anyone could be bothered to read all of that. Thanks! Let me know if you try it :D
When dipping in cleaner do you just take out the shields or do you also remove the piece holding the balls in place?
I do almost the same. I use instead of citrus, orange concentrate. and I spin them after soaking under running water until they feel like they have less resistant.
This method works also with bearings with permanent shields ^^.
After that I dry them using paper towels and hair dryer and add a little bit of Bones speed cream.
I've never thought about the graphite but I will try it out :)
im on the same school of thought i dont polish a $15 turd i just buy a new one and doing bearing surgery for me is disgusting work, our streets are not known for their cleanliness. i am guilty of WD40 because it works for a few hours, by that point tho i know longer care if the bearing gets worse. if am very desperate i soak them in gasoline.
I think your right about not using WD-40. BUT YES I DO.I wipe mines down and i let mine set for about months on i was working as a babysitter lol yep. I come back after 2 (have nice sets to wait with) months of waiting to wipe down. Them i wipe. I tested them into the rain there water proof.....🐒🐒🐒🐒😆😆
What is "Zoomy-ezz" ?
lmao rad rat thinks we won't notice he went to zumiez if he mispronounces it
hahaa
I was thinking the same thing 😂😂
No, he went to zoomy ez, get it right.
@@emmjea6913 that's how I thought it was pronounced too growing up
SEWING MACHINE OIL...CHEAPER THAN SKATE BRAND LUBE, AND WORKS BETTER THAN ANY SKATE BRAND LUBE/CEREME I'VE TRIED...AND I'VE BEEN SKATING FOR 26 YEARS. FYI:Speed creme has always sucked imo. Gotta clean them before you oil'em too.
Nice. I've been using gun oil for years. Hoppes #9. Been my preferred for skate bearings and firearms.
What is sewing machine oil? I asked both me nans of they had any (both avid sewers) and neither knew what it was
Same
Wd 40 is a solvent and a water dispersing agent it has some lubricant in it also. It doesn’t gum up like some oils. I used it on bearings and it worked very well. We’ll see what happens long term though
Did anything happen?? I want to clean my bearings but don’t have bearing cream
You're like the Mr Rogers of skateboarding.
I know right. Cool mellow vibe and informative. He should start his videos by changing his work shoes to DC's or Globes or something 😂
I bet they just have a warehouse full of those helium decks and nobody is buying them
There’s a kid at my local who constantly has those helium decks
So what could i have in my house to lube my bearings instead of specific creams like the bones One?
Hair clipper oil, sewing machine oil, or, a thin bike chain oil..not the thick wet weather stuff.
Some folks use cooking oil (olive, sunflower, etc) . I reckon yeah, that would be cool also. WD40 is good to CLEAN, but then you need to lube.
3:41
Youre welcome
What do you think about wearing helmets like mike velelly
WD-40 is great for cleaning bearings that have gotten seriously wet, because that's what WD is actually designed to do, that being getting rid of water/moisture, and it will actually cut/clean grease. Which means that if you use it, you need to dry it out with blower, or a solvent, then obviously re-grease/oil your bearings.
What I do to clean bearings is use Electronic cleaner in an aerosol can, that way I don't need to fully disassemble the bearings, and the solvent is plastic safe, and effective. I just remove the wheel, remove the front seals from both bearings, while still in the wheels, spray them using the gust of aerosol to blow out debris, then use an air blower to fully (all while never removing them from the wheels). Then grease, or oil each ball, re-seal the fronts, give it a few obligatory spins, and replace the wheel.
This process works a real treat, particularly for regular maintenance prior to getting heavy gunk, or rust, and you never will if you do this every couple of weeks, or immediately after getting into water.
To the topic of this video though, if you're using grease that doesn't handle water well in your bearings, and get them wet, I'd follow the same process, but spray them out with WD first to cut/remove the wet grease, followed by the cleaner to effectively remove the WD.
Carb, and brake cleaner works just as well, but can damage/harden urethane, and nylon retention rings. So only use that if you remove the bearings, and have steel retention rings, or completely disassemble the bearing spraying only the races and balls, and then clean the nylon retention ring with a mild soap, and water. Of note to is that WD can also damage plastics, just not nearly as quickly as acetone, carb, and brake solvents, so it's not something you'd want to do often, or leave in contact with your plastic, or rubber parts.
Lastly, if you use light oil for low speeds, use it very sparingly it takes only two drops max if you use a dropper you should be able to just touch it to each ball and visually see each one get a very fine coat, but if you're bombing hills at 40+ mph, you should be using a light (low/medium tack) grease and you can lightly pack that evenly, just don't get crazy and fully pack it. After oiling or greasing, your bearing should be wiped clean, and able to sit on a paper towel without leaving an oil mark, and spin with with very little to no noise.
I remember my bearings exploding from friction using wd40
Hahaa Damn!
I am the same thing happened to me one time Then I stop skating bones bearings and a moved on to Bronson's and I haven't stopped skating Bronsons for about 2 years now
Was it a long board? I have never had weird things happening to my bearings and I swear by using WD40
@@sK_SK8s nope just a popsicle, not even going very fast to be fair just skating flat surprisingly
I’ve using a heavy duty citrus cleaner concentrate for cleaning and lube and it’s worked pretty good plus no harmful chemicals
Citrus cleaner is good for cleaning but is not a lubricant.
Buy some 3 in one oil, sewing machine oil. Apparently hair-clipper oil too.
Or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed.
The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
@@fuckenps3 isopropyl alcohol is not a lubricant either
First let me say thank you for all the work you do for the skateboarding community truly appreciated... Now let me get into it. Dose anybody have any idea why 90% of the skateparks I've ever traveled to do not have water fountains...?
I've always used WD40
Never had an issue
It dries bearings right out. It’s fine as a first step in cleaning to displace dirt and moisture but they should be soaked in acetone and lubed properly. The little extra effort adds a few months to the life of my bearings
@@nouh3053 bullshit
@@akyura00 a bit, but not really. Science proves it. Acetone and wd40 are both a solvent. Ever wonder why do you need a solvent namely alcohol to kill a virus? Virus have a fatty cover. Fats can't mix with water. With alcohol however, the fat now can mix with water. Usually solvents aren't 100% pure, they contain water. Same goes for bearings. Lubricants are made of fatty molecules. Wd40 is a solvent. Which means if you spray it to your bearings, now the lubricant can mix with water. Wd40 also contains water. So it's bye-bye lubricant. Unless you re apply lubricant (after dried), your bearings are really bad. If you don't believe me, I've done an experiment with two of my bearings. If you still don't believe me and the facts, then you must have a bad grade basic chemistry.
The isopropyl alcohol is also good for making rusted bearings usable, soak them in the alcohol, tap with a hammer, try to spin, repeat.
I cleaned my bearings with wd40 knowing that I wasn’t supposed to 😎
Omg super cool
Me too, it worked fine too
@@F3RR3LL It will work fine for a short amount of time because WD-40 will clean them up and does have a little lubricant to help locked up parts move initially but it will fade much faster than a real lubricant. Why? WD-40 is a solvent, not a lubricant.
Me too😎
@@jthymesthree602 exactly, as is isopropyl alcohol what he recommends!
Cleaning bearing with wd40 is fine, but lubricate it after with bearing grease
thoughts on candle wax vs skate wax? I've never tried propper stuff, is it a gimmick or actually worth the extra dollars?
I want to know this too.
templaboom did u use just straight candle wax or mixed it with some thing ?
Skate wax is better, but it's not worth it if you don't have the money. I always buy the plain, unsented tea light candles. In the little metal
Doesn't matter as long as you grab a rub brick and smooth out the surface first
templaboom candlewax always worked for me, I'll take a soda can, remove the lid, put it in a pan with a little water in the bottom (transfers the heat), let it melt, let it dry, pop it out, literally $1 of tea candles worth will last me over a year
That WD-40 is a lubricant is a massive misconception. Excellent job investigating that. Love your vids.
has anyone ever tried to soak their bearings in their mouth over night and does it help to use a mouth wash first, i tried without and my breaings are still locked uo
Can i use the oil delivered with my barber maschines (Panasonic, Wahl and Andis) for Bearings?
Can you use mineral turpentine to clean up the bearings
I have alot of CLP laying around because of my weapons. Do yall think I can use it to lube up my bearing?😅
I know you did Grind King, but what happened to all the other skate trucks that were popular when I started skating? I looked and most of them still exist but you never hear about Destructo, Fury, Orion, Mercury etc... they all used to be huge.
Good video, can u do a video comparing truck riser vs no riser pad as far as Ollie height and shock absorption from jumping stairs
I use Wd 40 and is a mini bearing smaller than skateboard bearing and let almost the full day and later the bearing haves a lot of rusty dust and I have to move manually is a key locker bearing but I don’t wanna get a rusty bearing.
what do you think about graphite dry lube? messy, yes . effective? i dont know the science of it
loved how you pronouce it Zumi-ez lol fuck that coorporate shit
Guys so I used the WD40 ofc and now it makes a rattling sound. Should I clean it and lube it with something else? If so, what should I use? Is there any common house item (like vaseline or sth) I could use or do I have to order something?
Hey Rad Rat, I have been skating the Flight Decks from Powell, and I swear by these decks. It feels like the snap and the pop last so much longer. Could just be my mind playing into their games though. Could you talk about some of the "gimmicks" that actually work?
I didn't know that about wd 40. Thank you for the tip! The alcohol makes sense since it will evaporate after. I love the channel by the way keep up the good work!
But bro you have to know how to pronounce zumiez if you have a skateboarding history and information channel on RUclips
He was actually wrong about a lot on WD-40, I've been using it for years along with other lubes, it works great.
i tried to clean a set of spitfire cheapshot bearings with metho and they jammed up and wouldnt roll at all
We used to use Vaseline clean your Berings melt Vaseline put Berings in let them fill up or pack the Berings take some time to brake in but worked good smooth after . From Glenn CATT
Sidewalk did a magnetic sticker free with an issue which helped you flip easier on the chosen side.Now that's a gimmick. Also new wave boards from Flip were a good time
I wanna learn how to air out of a bowl. Whats the easiest way to do it? Front or backside? What kind of grab?
Which ever way you feel stronger. For most people, front side airs come first.
I learned BS Early Grabs first (grabbing Melon) but then learned legit FS Indy grabs later.
I live in anoka minnesota and before my skateshop closedown he had a old display of all the element (his words) "gimmicks" , he said their junk and nobody buys them so he stopped carrying them but i havent ever have had and element
#askradrat do you think that turtle shell shoes are better or do you think that modern shoes are better
I use Skanunu to maintain my bearings. Been on a set of Bear Space Balls that came with my deck for over a year now.
Not gonna lie though what I did when I was cleaning my bearings, first I soaked it in water, ikr, then I sprayed wd 40 so it wouldn't rust and for me it worked totally fine for a long time so idk
Same
Same bro nothing has happened to my bearings just spray them with WD-40 when they start to get slow
I bust a lot of bearings, probably about one every month. Maybe because I don't clean them? How often do you bust a bearing?
What do you mean by bust?
Shield is ripped off, balls fall out, the inside plastic piece all crunched, and your basically just left with just a metal ring stuck in your wheel. The thing is caput, and it ends your session.
i had that only after like 5 months of skating
Busted three bearings in one session last week. I think it might be because my wheels are cupcaked. I think I might throw this question over to Rad Rat and see if there is any correlation between cupcaked wheels and busted bearings.
Alexander Keown what are you skating? Been riding spitfire full conical 56mm and super reds (reds that are black) for 2+ years
I soak my bearings in vegetable oil over-night. Then wipe 'em clean with a cloth--cheapest and safest way to do it.
Don't bother taking them apart, no toxic solvents or expensive lubricants.
It actually works?
So im into skateboarding and rc cars. We use to soak our bearings in gasoline. A couple ppl said they wouldnt do that but i leave them overnight, or at least an hour. Of course take them apart. Shake them around now and then. The next morning u can see the dirt at the bottom and the gas is brown/black. Then dry it off. Goto a hobby shop or online for "marine grease" we use it in our rc trucks to lube our bearings, but its for rc boats and it's highly water resistant. We pack our axles full of it. Put it in the bearings u can pack it but not dumb full. And you got water resistant anti corrosion bearings
Never considered lubricating to be beneficial as after trying speed cream it was more effort to push than without it and I've bombed hills several times in a week with reds I cleaned with WD 40 and they still roll smooth so idk what all the "friction metal on metal wear" is about
I use teflon spray, it's pretty good stuff unlike wd40 it wont melt plastics, i mean it should be good for bearings if it's used in electronic machines with cogs and what not?
its totally fine to use wd40 to CLEAN bearings. But it is no substitute for grease.
I use wd40 so thoroughly clean my bearings then i let them sit out to air dry.
soak /submerge them in motor oil overnight then grease them up. Good to go.
Buuuuuut its just what i do. I think most would rather just replace them then restore them.
but does it work
@@apolonioramirez7830 no just soak it in isopropyl alcohol or a good solvent then use sewing machine oil once there clean and dry they should run like new
Paul Schmitt (the professor) made a comment on the helium board in his nine club interview. Said that the helium is bs since wood is so pouris that it was just a gimmick and the hollow parts in the plys just made it have weak points.
What about house hold items? Bc what if I soak in water and some soap n just let soak clean and then spray a little bit of wd40 on them. Would assume it's be ok. And other have said wd40 has worked for them.
if you watch Grosso's Love letters to gimmick episode. he and lance mountain explain where the air boards first came from. it was a furniture company in denver, Co. They made the Shogo air beam which I believe was there best selling board and probably the best selling "light, or air" deck ever sold, this was the turn of the 80s.
I had an helium deck that I bought last spring.. it was ok.. Seemed thicker, the one I got was Westgate one for 34 dollars from tactics on sale. Kinda like cardboard when it snapped. Most likely sticking with P2 decks , just personally like the feel to them.
Would you do a retro rippers on john cardiel? (I know hes not gone but I think he makes a good topic and is incredibly motivating!)
As kids we used to say don't use wd 40 but some times we would but figured out they just got more dirtier thanks rad rat
whats your thoughts on King of the road??
Hey RadRat
First off, I love your channel dude, keep it up!
I've got a question for you, Are bs 360 ollies the next big thing? Lots of skaters are doing them recently, it feels like it's really trending
I like the Almost double impact decks, but it does seem like they never really caught on, hope they don't stop making them.
i think zumiez still has them because maybe they ordered a great amount of these decks back in 2008 when they came out. Or they got a good deal on the rest of all boards element still had on stock because they didn't wanted it anymore
I clean my bearings with water and Orange concentrate.
I spin it until it feels like the dirt comes out and the bearing spins faster and with less resistant.
I dry them with paper towels and finish with hair dryer.
After that I add Bones speed cream to lubricate it.
---
This method make my bearings last a few years. Yes, they become slower and someone would say they're broken. However even 4 years after starting skateboarding (about 2 year's intense skating, with tricks) they still spin. Loud and with resistant.. but they spin :D.
I avoid skating in the rain but in summer this year I have to skate in the rain. With this method I could save my bearings from oxidizing.
This method works on permanent shield, too. (I can't actually remove the shield)
Also instead of pricey bearing lube , small machine oil works, like sowing machine oil. $1.50 at Walmart
You can also use 3 in one multi-purpose oil. Apparently hair-clipper oil too.
Or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed.
The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
Or gun oil! Gun oil is also a great cleaner and doesnt leave a bunch of gunk behind and make sludge. Also, it's pretty cheap at your local o'rielys and a can will probably last you years depending on how much you clean them
how does this channel not have more subscribers. better than the berrics that's for sure. almost as good as thrasher.
Do a video on the bones brigade documentary and your thoughts on that please.
I use Rem oil. It’s marketed for firearms, n if it works for firearms (which have mini explosions, and extreme heat, and metal on metal contact) , then if it works for that extreme use then I’m sure it works good for bearing lube
Also what I’ve learned from firearms, is less is more with lubricant. You apply just a lil, spin the bearing and wipe them down. I’ve learned that if you have excess lube, then it’ll attract dirt and grim
PPS- most of the lube is the same, n should work for all purposes, it’s all made for metal on metal contact, to keep the moving parts moving smooth
Almost double impact boards actually work very well
Hey Rad Rat. I'm one of those dudes that uses WD40 in all my bearings after cleaning them. And sometimes just randomly. I skate almost daily and have two set-ups. One is just for tricks and skating around town. The other is strictly for cruising (but I can still do trick with it, it just has blue Ricta Clouds for ease of travel). WD-40 hasn't worn down my bearings, doesn't hold back my speed and doesn't inhibit my acceleration. I've used speed cream, sewing machine oil, etc etc. WD-40 does hold onto dirt but with my shields it doesn't sit in and get gritty, just seems to chill on the outside(I check em every month or so, clean every two months it seems). I used to avoid it like the plague, but after actually using it...it has yet to let me down.
This is pretty cool. Thanks 👍
Speed cream actually rules. I think it is like a tephlon oil or something. Personally, I love bones Reds. I had some Bones Swiss and absolutely LOVED them. Try the speed cream. For $6 it's worth it.
You can also use 3 in one multi-purpose oil or sewing machine oil. Apparently hair-clipper oil too.
Or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed.
The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
Whats Zoomi-Ez?
Decomposed be makes the best deck in my opinion
Jack Baker had it right use them and then replace them. IF you want to clean them remove the shield flush with wd-40 (the WD stands for Water Displacement btw) then hose it with break clean and lube with a light grease or thick oil, then replace the shields.
You can use grain alcohol to clean the bearings. Any liquor store has it.
The thing that sucks about bearing is if you ride without shields you might as well forget about lubricating them and for the life of your bearings its best to ride them without the shields so the dirt doesn't have a place to build up. The honest truth is Reds are 15 dollars, go buy a new set of bearings that will last you probably half the life of your wheel if you skate the park or the life of a wheel if you skate lower impact street.
Taking the shields off is just inviting dirt to enter the mechanism and allows lube to fall out and attract more dirt.
It also allows the dirt to not retain in an area because the rest of the unshielded bearing is in constant motion allowing the dirt to to back out as quick as it tried to gather (I learned that from The Boss). the shield is the only thing not in constant motion, Giving the dirt a place stay. Now it would be not smart to do that if you were able to take skateboard say 60 mph. Or as fast as it would sitting in a piece of machinery. It's rotations per second are not high enough to "blast" or basically blow them out from heat and friction that's where oil comes in to keep the parts in motion with as little friction as possible.. Really for skateboarding all the percision work is like a boob job on a dog. Unless you are tiny, tiny person under 100 pounds adult) you will never notice the difference between bearings made for skateboarding (not all of them are).
That's why you see half this comment section riding bones reds. A bearing made for the impact of slamming it down in motion. Unless you switched to Bronson or andale ( I skate Olympia's) all of these are good shielded or unshielded honestly. Likely more the case people ride a set of those good skate bearings until way after expiration, it's a piece of machinery that is meant to be tossed at some point it is made to be slammed from full speed from 8 or 9 feet, they aren't gonna last like a pair of trucks can.
I doubt that all dirt just exits of its own volition especially with the relatively viscous lube keeping it stuck there. If it did exit so, it would build around the rim regardless where it can continuously re-enter the bearing on occasion.
I really don't see how it's better than using the shield to keep dirt out for as long as possible and then cleaning it.
Technically the shield is in motion btw, in rotation around the centre of the bearing (which is also loose around the truck axle unless you use built-ins or spacers + speed-rings/axle-washers with the axle nut tightened fully). And of-course the skateboard itself is in motion. ;)
I also doubt skate bearings are any more impact resistant than cheap machine bearings.
Element just did a collab with 303 in Denver and its a featherlight deck
what about lib technoliges with the clear smooth botom so you can noseslide, tailslide, boardslide everything a lot better and ztrucks that roll on lots of stuff no need for wax and everything grinds?
I read you actually have to rinse the solvent off with water, then dry them with a towel/hair dryer
I used to wd40 my bearings when I was in middle school like 20 years ago. Put new bearings in, skate them until they got crusty, pop the shields off, throw shields away, then spray with wd40. Worked great for like a week. Had to wd40 them every week.
Now I clean bearings the "proper" way with alcohol, lube them with "proper" lube and put shields back on. Usually clean them once a month.
I used to have an element fiberlite it had a fiberglass layer
Please do a 'what happened to Gershon Mosley'. Dude was an absolute powerhouse!
I always used graphite for a free spin after I cleaned in gas and washed in soapnwater then dried em with a hairdryer an put em in the sun.
Is there any good Walmart skate equipment?
Like anything???
FeatureCasino Fishing only if you're a complete beginner
You could get the 35$ kriptonics torpedo board and replace the bearings and it's cheaper alternative to a penny board
I've gotten my young son boards from there(4 years old) but they NEVER roll at all.....he's outgrowing them now..
Shoe laces and socks, that's about it haha
Maybe a helmet
please do a video about which bearings are the best!?!?!?!?
Built-ins are the only bearings that offer any advantage (just make sure you get some with an extension on the other side as-well to replace your speed rings). Also removable shields which let you do maintenance are handy.
This is because they align with each other in your wheel providing better function under torsional loads &such.
Also it means you don't have to have bearing spacers (which could be too small to properly function) or speed-rings/washers; simpler process for disassembly/reassembly.
nd4spd what are built-ins?
Search engines are your friend.
They're bearings with built-in bearing spacers alright
I've never seen them offered at any of the shops I go to online.
the helium/helium featherlight work like bridges. my favorite of the "performance" gimmick decks, as they don't usually cost more (maybe that's because zumiez doesn't understand their stock, and has huge troughs of decks in backstock to put in as filler around contracted pro decks or some shit, thats my best theory
I used WD-40. i had these tools:
COOKING SCREEN.( WD-40 GOES THROUGH THE COOK SCREEN).
BEARINGS ARE THEN ON OR INSIDE THE COOKINGS SCREENS FOR ATLEAST 1-MONTH!!!(I HAVE ALOT BEARINGS)
WIPE AND CLEAN AND POLISH. THE FINAL STAGES WITH LOTS NAPKINS.
BEARINGS ARE WATER PROOF TOO BY THE WAY
I’m a long boarder and a shooter I personally always use hoppies number 9 cleaning solvent cause I just have a ton of it laying around but I’ve always had good luck with it it also is plastic safe. Just throwing that out there for anyone I also just prefer the smell to most chemicals kinda has an orange smell.
I use an ultrasonic cleaner along with paint thinner to get all the nasty gunk out of the bearings with remarkable results.
Hey, Rad Rad Could You Make a Video or Ask rad rat question on Street Plants, my dad say that they became really uncool around 1988
Love your videos
#askradrat Are rails "cheating"? I always skate with rails on my deck and my opinion is that if other people choose to hinder themselves by not using them, that's their problem, not mine. I've seen some people call rails cheating, though. What's your take?
Just sounds like skaters being their usual stubborn to me. Personal preference.
Cheating what lol
Ko44cHPM what is it cheating? I think it preserves your board life and maybe offers some slick sliding surface but that is in no way cheating. Having rails isn’t going to make a lip slide down a set any easier
For whatever reason, I break/broke a lot of bearings in my day. I tended to snap the races so the balls would get jumbled and fall out.
I would never shell out for high-end bearings because I'd usually break 3-4 out of any set of 8 basic level bearings. On any given setup, I'll be riding a mixture of random bearings, including hand-me-down expensive ones from friends. No brand or manufacturer seemed to last longer or roll better aside from the inexplicable randoms that would somehow spin forever and last for years. I'm not sure if you can still find them, but I'd even buy bearings from Ace Hardware or pull them out of Walmart boards. if I was in a pinch.
I probably still have some early 90's german NMBs either on my board or in a pickle jar full of gasoline that I put old bearings in when they stop rolling for whatever reason. A lot of modern bearings have plastic races which can get soft, warped or completely disintegrate if you leave them in a strong solvent like acetone or gasoline for too long. I wouldn't leave anything but solid steel bearings in my gasoline jar for longer than 48 hours.
I don't try to save every bearing. Some just roll like shit from the get-go. If they don't spin well after removing the dust shields and a 12 hour soak in solvent, I just throw them in an old shoebox in case of the zombie apocalypse.
After soaking the bearings in solvent, I toss them into a soapy water bucket and scrub as well as I can with an old toothbrush and dishwashing soap. Some bearings get really jammed up with dirt and even rust. Even if they seem totally clogged, you can usually slowly roll them back and forth under tap water until all the bits of sand and dirt are cleaned away. You might have to wiggle them a bit and put them back in your solvent to continue breaking away dirt and sand trapped in the lubricant. Just don't force them too much, because you don't want to crush a bit of sand in with the precision metal bits. Once the bearings or race gets scratched, it's going to roll like shit The idea is to get the dirt out of there without ruining the precision parts.
After you wash the bearings with soap and water, be sure to dry them off with a hairdryer, air compressor hose or other such tool. You don't want to let them sit with water on them and develop surface rust.
After the bearing is clean, I'll scoop out a tiny bit of gray silicon lubricant I got at a bicycle shop with a toothpick and wipe it into the clean race. The smallest dab is all you need. You don't want to make your bearings greasy dust traps. Any synthetic lubricant, even synthetic motor oil, will work. Just don't use too much or it'll attract even more crud. Put a tiny dab in between the bearings, spin it back and forth until you can feel the least amount of resistance and leave it be.
It's pretty satisfying when all of your wheels spin for well over a minute. I personally ride most of my bearings without covers, but I also have a couple dozen old, cleaned bearings to replace one that breaks or gets gummed up. If you're just starting your "old supplies" collection, you may want to just invest in new bearings and save the jammed up ones in a jar of solvent until you have a rainy Saturday morning to clean them out.
Fuck yeah. You know what's up. Personally I like bones reds because they're cheap and easy to take the rubber shield off and clean. I like to soak mine in solvent (lighter fluid is what I use) and WASH WITH SOAP AND WATER. Rad rat says not to do that but you must do this. I cannot stress that enough. And then let them dry before adding your lube. I live where mountain biking is huge so I've always use the shit people lube their bike chairs up with. Having said all that, I recommend that you REPLACE YOUR BEARINGS EVERY MONTH instead of cleaning them. The dynamic impact your bearing takes will break them faster than the dust they see on any given day. I hope that helps. Skate and Destroy
Taking the shields off is just inviting dirt to enter the mechanism and allows lube to fall out and attract more dirt.
I'm not sure silicon lubricant is the best for this application but I don't see it doing any damage.
Problem is that once you take the shields off metal faced bearings, you can't put them back on again. I'd put them back on if I could, for sure. You can always remove just one side, clean it out and put the bearing back in the wheel with the unshielded part inside the wheel, but I find that it's harder to get all the crud out with one sealed side. If you're not overlubricating and skating regular street spots and concrete parks that don't require rolling through a dirt patch, bearings don't take a lot of environmental abuse. I'll usually break the retainer or outer race way before the bearing gums up again.
How did you even remove the shields from a bearing without removable shields?
I use one of those tiny flathead screwdrivers you find in an eyeglass repair kit (or a blunt, old exacto blade, small woodworking chisel or any other sharp, flat tool) and punch down the sealed ends until I can work the blade underneath and pop it off. Just try not to damage the internal bits more than you need to. Alternately, you can dent up the middle until the shield deforms enough to get the blade underneath and pop it out.
Buy WD40 Specialist. It won’t dry out
Has anyone ever rode any of those blind vertical plies deck
have you ever done a video on ANDY ROY?? love that guy, a true skater thru and thru
Get one of those bones cleaners and iso. I used to wd40 my bearings as a kid lol
Wd40 Is great but the dirt gets stuck inside the bearing in a greasy paste thing , then it gets bone dry
Is it worth spending $60 for ceramic bearings? I feel like the $10 ones just don't cut it and I never seem to be able to go as fast as I want.
No, no kind of bearing gimmick offer better performance except perhaps built-ins (make sure you get ones with the speed ring extension on the outer side as-well, or get some speed rings too). If you don't have built-ins then get some bearing spacers.
Ceramic only means the balls can't rust, the rest of the bearing will still rust just the same. Also, despite increased 'hardness' the balls are actually more likely to break under impact conditions.
'Swiss' is a meaningless term designed to charge more for bearings for literally no reason.
You can get some super cheap 608 (technical size term for all skate bearings) bearings and they will perform the same, although depending on the letter designation following the number they might not have removable shields (which is useful if you plan on maintaining them instead of buying new ones (which you should (reduce, reuse, recycle!))).
Also, they may or may not come with lube in them. Buy some 3 in one oil, sewing machine oil, or white lithium grease if you prefer to have a bearing that requires less maintenance at sacrifice of a little speed.
The oil will slip right into closed bearings but the grease requires shield access.
Why do so many people care about posers? Like why don't people just let others skate how they want?
It's tribe mentality, you get in every hobby/stereotype fuck i mean i've seen it in flyfishing, some guy was using a rod incorrectly (probably because he's just started) and i saw some other blokes in the fishing lodge peering out the window laughing at him. it's no new behaviour and you'll see it anywhere and in anything. shame really.
@@JamesWaton yep you also see it in music, video games, and even to an extent archery
To me poser means someone who brings their skateboard everywhere but dont skate and trys to look cool
Oh bones finally got proper information on their cleaning instructions nice. Speed cream is too thick use sewing machine lube.
Gimmick decks are lame. In the past I had an Element Fiberlite and a Flip P2. I broke the nose of the Fiberlite doing an ollying out of bank. The P2 got badly chipped from hardflip attempts. The kevlar was strong but the wood was crap and broke apart chunk by chunk until the kevlar insert was visible. I've had much better experiences with standard maple decks.
@ Skratch Tracks I suspect that most of hi-tech decks suck. The companies that make them are trying to attract customers with exotic sounding materials, similar to what Theeve did with their quasi titanium trucks.
They have helium deck at my zumiez
Bones Reds aren't "cheap bearings". They are still expensive. More than $2 per piece. You can buy bearings in bulk. 30 cents per piece or so. Any industrial bearings will do if you get the right size. The same ones are used in washing machines. They may not last long when you skate them but it's still cheaper when they cost next to nothing and you have a sack of them to replace the broken ones. Just don't use them for longboarding as they get too hot and can't handle the heat.
I agree, although getting some with removable shields is best because doing maintenance, although a pain, is not as wasteful as going through bearings repeatedly.
The technical size of skate bearings is 608, they have different letter designations for different shield types.
I'd stick to any abec rated bearings also, just to have a bare minimum of 'precision' bearing, although higher ratings are of no practical use to skateboarders.
Ultimately however, I prefer built-ins due to their advantages.
I used this 😶 they suggested at a skateshop