In the worlds of inline and board skating, you will find many areas of much debate. However, one of the most contested areas you will encounter is that of skate bearings. German? Swiss? Ceramic? Stainless Steel? ABEC rating? So many choices, and so many opinions on what is better and what is not. When I was in grade school and into skateboarding, most boards had one of 2 types of bearings: cheap, crappy “American” bearings universally known by their shape which could be described as either mushroom, or T shaped like the Tetris piece, or “German” bearings, which were flat in that profile.
Needless to say, “German” bearings were the bees’ knees. They rolled smoother, longer, and generally faster. They were of much higher quality through and through, while the “American” bearings had cheap shields, generally a press fit cap style. They were sloppy and wore out quickly, as well as being slow in general. If you were rich, you could buy a pack of Bones “Swiss” high precision ceramic bearings, and you would get all the notoriety that came with it, provided you could skate worth a darn. One of the terms tossed around with the “German” bearings was “German Industrial Grade 3” bearings. Those, per all of my skateboarding buddies, were the best, bar none. They made you roll faster, ollie higher, kick flip more accurately, and anything else that could be attributed to such mythically awesome bearings.
If only us kids knew then what can be known now, we would have saved ourselves and our friends some cash, which we could then have spent on more important things like Garbage Pail Kids, marbles, skate shop stickers, and M.U.S.C.L.E. men, among other things. But I digress. Today’s ABEC ratings share a lot of similarities with the bearings of old that I and my friends knew, especially when it comes to sales pitches. Most notable of all being that a higher number equates to a better bearing. Now this is not entirely a lie. In certain industries, a higher number is indeed better. But this would be for reasons that pretty much mean jack for inline skaters and skateboarders alike.
You see, ABEC ratings cover a whole load of tolerance requirements for a bearing, but not much in regards to component quality, lubricant types, or any of that. So basically, ABEC ratings mean next to nothing for skaters at all. The tolerances and precisions that ABEC ratings deal with get mangled in the first few minutes of the bearings life by the simple act of getting on and riding down the sidewalk.
What am I talking about exactly? Well, let us just use the facts: ABEC ratings only specify the eccentricity of the bearings inner ring, or rather, its out of roundness. ABEC 1, the lowest grade, the max allowed out of roundness is .0075mm. As you can see, that’s pretty darn precise already. ABEC 3 is .005mm, ABEC 5 is .0035mm, ABEC 7 is .0025mm, and ABEC 9 is .0012mm.
Continued in part 2.
Photo Credits: Josh [unemployed IT dude]
Originally posted 2009-09-21 03:15:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Inline Skate Wheels pt1 When it comes to inline skates, the wheels you choose to ride on could quite possibly have the biggest impact on how well you skate. Inline skate wheels come in many different shapes, sizes, and materials (or composition). Different wheels are made for different skating styles, so picking the proper...... -
Learning to Skate Faster One question that hockey players and performance skaters often find themselves asking is how they can possibly learn how to skate faster or otherwise improve their performance on the ice. Regardless of how good a particular hockey player is, they are constantly going to try to improve their capabilities on...... -
High Tech Deck Skate Park Choices There is a great deal of interest in high tech deck skate park materials today as more and more people are becoming interested in the sport once again. As you watch the interest in skateboarding becoming more popular every year, there is more reason than ever for the innovations in...... -
Surf Skate Wake Board - What's Your Passion? For many people, there is nothing that they find to be more exhilarating or exciting then boarding of all types. This can mean surfing, skate boarding, wake boarding and more. For many people it may e the danger that they feel or even the endorphins that they feel coursing through...... -
Common Braking Mistakes There are a number of common mistakes that occur in braking when it comes to skating. Here is a look at some of those common braking mistakes that beginners make, and even more importantly, what it is that you can do in order to eliminate them simply by improving your......
Related Websites -
LendingStats Site Update LendingStats has just announced an update... And I think it has 2 cool features and a very nice upgrade to the LendingStats ROI calculation. The ROI upgrade: Updated the collection rates used to calculate estimated ROI corresponding to how Prosper split out the Penncro Collection rates by credit grade. This caused...... -
Explore the World of Collectible Teddy Bears There are a number of famous collectible teddy bears that you can buy or sell and build a collection out of. Here are some of the collectible teddy bears that you may want to consider looking for and perhaps adding to your collection of unique bears from all eras. -...... -
Pay Off Debt Or Invest - Well, It Depends. I think that the most common email I get from readers is "Should I pay off my debt or start investing and/or saving?"...and while there is no sure fire, no doubt about it answer, there are some general rules that you can follow. I am by no means a financial...... -
Leveraged Finance Defined Leveraged finance relates to funding a business, a company or another investment using more debt than would be considered normal. More than normal debt is going to imply by nature that the funding is a riskier prospect, and therefore more costly than normal borrowing in general. As a result, leveraged...... -
Introduction to Mortgages pt 3 of 5 This is part three in a five part series on what you need to know about mortgages before you buy a home. The housing market is an interesting beast, because it comes and goes, rises and falls, allows some people to flourish and brings others to ruins. If you want......