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 -
ABEC ratings: Is higher really better? Pt. 2 Now do you see what I mean by these tolerances being mangled by the first few minutes of riding down the sidewalk? The pressure of you riding, along with the shocks of bumps and the cracks in the sidewalk will quickly add a lot more eccentricity to this groove, but...... -
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...... -
How are Roller Blading and Inline Skating Different? Roller blading is a name that has been applied to the inline skating sport as a result of the large role that the "Rollerblade Company" played in creating popularity out of the inline skating sport. Rollerblade, Inc. was not responsible for inventing, manufacturing or designing the very first inline skates....... -
Skateboarding Lexicon 180 - This is a term that refers to a half rotation. 360 - This is a term that refers to a single full rotation. 540 - This is a term that describes a 540-degree rotation while in the air. This is equal to one and a half full rotations....... -
The Types of Inline Skates To a lot of people, inline skating is likely seen as something as simple as putting on a pair of inline skates and rolling way. While this is true on a very broad scale, inline skating as a whole is quite a bit more than that. Inline skates come in......
Related Websites -
Why Selling Coin at Auction is So Popular Coin collecting is a very popular hobby for many people. This is because there are different things which attract people to it. For many, it is all about the history of the coins which attract them to the hobby. They like being able to talk about the different coins and...... -
Lumber Terms pt 2 Ply - This term describes a single layer of veneer. Pressure Treating - This term describes impregnating pieces of lumber with chemicals like fire retardants and preservatives through the forcing of the chemicals with high pressure into the wood's very structure. Reman - This is a shortened term referring to...... -
Lumber Terms And Better - This is typically abbreviated as "&Btr", and what it indicates is that the lumber contains pieces that exist in a higher grade than the lowest grade that is acceptable. Appearance Grade - This is a grade used for framing lumber that is intended for use in exposed...... -
How to Find the Best Rare Coins Dealers in the U.S. When you are talking you time, effort, and money to invest in coin collecting you need to be sure to only do business with reputable people and businesses in the coin industry. One of the most important things you need to know is how to go about finding the best...... -
Even More Hunting Terms Buck - This is the name for a male deer. The way that you can tell a male apart from female deer is by the antlers that are atop its head for a period of seven months. Other than this, male and female deer are quite similar in appearance, especially......
- Rodney Mullen Skateboards Skateboarding Skate Shop
- Ken & Same-Size Friends Friends & Family Barbie Contemporary (1973-Now) Dolls Dolls & Bears
- Rugs, Textiles (Non-Navajo) 1800-1940 Native Americana Cultures, Ethnicities Collectibles
- DarkStar Skateboards Skateboarding Skate Shop
- Hides, Pelts 1800-1940 Native Americana Cultures, Ethnicities Collectibles
There are fins present on the windsurfing board that can be replaced if anything ends up happening to them. Some people believe that these boards need to be placed right off the bat but this is neither always true nor necessary. Generally if you are buying a brand new beginner board, then the fins present on the board are also going to be designated for use by beginners, meaning that you should leave things the way that they are.
