Build Your Own Pro Grade Skateboard
Your bearings are inside little metal rings that fit inside your skateboard wheels. There's only one way to rate bearings at the moment, and it doesn't work well with skateboard bearings. The rating is called ABEC and goes from 1 to 9, but only odd numbers. Unfortunately it was originally developed to rate the bearings in machines, not on skateboards (for more, you can read "What does ABEC mean?".
Therefore, the ABEC rating only rates the precision of a bearing. Plus, the more precise he bearing, the weaker they usually are. Skateboarders take their bearings and abuse them, as normal skateboarding does. Skateboarders want bearings that are both precise and durable, so the ideal ABEC rating for a skateboard is 3 or 5. Smooth enough, but not going to break when you jump on your board. Some skateboard bearings don't even bother with the ABEC rating system. The best thing to do is try some out, ask your friends, or ask the guy behind the counter at the skate shop.
One warning, though: don't rush out and buy the most expensive bearings right away. You'll likely do something without thinking about it and ruin your first set, and there are some good medium-priced bearings out there, like Bones Reds.
Each skateboard wheel is mounted on its axle via two bearings. With few exceptions, the bearings are the industrial standard "608" size, with a bore of 8 mm, an outer diameter of 22 mm, and a width of 7 mm. These are usually made of steel, though silicon nitride, a high-tech ceramic, is sometimes used. Many skateboard bearings are graded according to the ABEC scale. The scale starts with ABEC1 as the lowest, 3, 5, 7, 9. It is a common misconception that the higher ABECs are better for skateboarding, as the ABEC rating only measures tolerances, which do not necessarily apply to skateboards. The ABEC rating does not determine how fast or how durable a bearing used for skateboarding will be.[3] In particular, the ABEC rating says nothing about how well a bearing handles axial (side-to-side) loads, which are severe in most skateboard applications. Many companies do not show the ABEC rating, such as Bones Bearings, which makes bearings specifically for skateboarding, often marketed as "Skate Rated". Each bearing usually contains 7 steel or ceramic ball bearings, although other configurations are used as well.
Bones Swiss Skateboard Bearings have the best reputation in the skateboard industry, and have had this honor for the past 28 years because of their performance and quality. Everyone who rides Swiss knows how fast they are, and most also comment on how long they last, typically several times as long as low cost bearings. Skaters who use Bones Swiss do so because they want the very best equipment they can get and they know the difference between ordinary and exceptional. Our team is a who’s who of top skaters and we are proud to be associated with each one of them.
