Everything you need to know about bearings - ABEC / 608

The article is translated from Latvian to English by the online translator

Find the answer to all your questions about bearings for roller skates, roller blades, skateboards and scooters. What is ABEC, myths, truths and how to choose the best bearings for your equipment.

How to choose bearings? Our #1 recommendation - choose quality bearings! The most important thing when choosing bearings is their quality - the quality of the materials, workmanship, construction and lubricants used. It is high quality bearings that will spin freely, quietly and last a long time.

ABEC bearing standard. The most common bearings in the roller skate, rollerblade, skateboard and scooter industry are ABEC standard ball bearings. The ABEC standard determines the bearing dimensions. A higher number after ABEC means greater precision in bearing design to ensure that all dimensions are as close as possible to the specified ABEC standard. An ABEC1 bearing is capable of functioning without interference at speeds of several hundred km/h! Are ABEC1 bearings worse or slower than ABEC5, ABEC7 or ABEC9? Not exactly! The ABEC standard does not determine bearing speed or quality. The number after ABEC (Annular Bearing Engineering Committee) is not the speed, number of bearing balls, etc. How do bearings affect speed? The short answer is very minimally, or almost nothing if they rotate freely without resistance. Unfortunately, bearings and measuring by ABEC numbers is the biggest sign of marketing or ignorance.

ABEC 11 bearings. A marketing gimmick as the official industry standard for ABEC bearings specifies ABEC9 as the highest accuracy standard or dimension.

ILQ bearing standard. ILQ is a standard introduced by the world-famous TwinCam bearing manufacturer, which, unlike ABEC, determines the quality of the bearings! The higher the number after ILQ, the higher the quality of the bearings. This is not an industrial bearing standard, ILQ stands for "InLine Qualified", which indicates the main use of these bearings in various sports such as roller-skating, skateboards, scooters, etc. Our personal experience has shown that ILQ is one of the best and highest quality bearings, providing long-lasting free and quiet rolling.

SG and other bearing designations / standards. Different bearing brands may have developed their own standards to indicate that the bearings have increased accuracy or better quality. ABEC 11 bearings can be placed in this same "other designations" category.

Ceramic bearings. If you want to equip your equipment (roller skates, skateboards, scooters) with the best, then ceramic bearings might be the right choice. The main advantages of ceramic bearings are better wear resistance, less friction and lighter weight. Ceramic material is much harder, so the bearing life is much longer. They require less maintenance, saving time and money. One of the great advantages of ceramic bearings is their resistance to moisture, as ceramic material is much more resistant to corrosion. Please note that most bearings are "hybrid-ceramic", meaning that ceramic material is used for the balls. 100% ceramic bearings are brittle and are not used at professional level in these sports due to the high risk of breakage. The outer and inner rings of hybrid ceramic bearings are steel and, more often than not, are not protected against corrosion. As with any suspiciously cheap product, ceramic bearings are of variable quality. Manufacturers of high quality ceramic bearings use the best Si3N4 material. The overall quality of ceramic bearings is determined by the quality of the materials used, the quality of the machining process and the design of the bearing. Ceramic bearings are not recommended for use in sports where there is a high risk of impact.

Titanium-coated bearings. Titanium coating gives the metal better corrosion resistance and forms a layer that increases wear resistance. Titanium is one of the hardest metals, so even a thin coating can provide better bearing rotation and less friction and drag. Titanium bearings = titanium-coated steel bearings. This coating can be applied to the bearing balls as well as to the outer and inner rings, resulting in a significant increase in the moisture resistance of these bearings.

Lubricants used in the bearings. A variety of oils and greases are used in bearings to prevent overheating, increase wear resistance and protect them from the adverse effects of moisture, corrosion and dirt. Bearings with synthetic oil generally rotate with less resistance due to the thinner oil film. This is usually the best choice for maximum free rolling. The grease used in bearings is thicker than the oil and therefore has other qualities, such as better protection against moisture and dirt or a longer maintenance interval. High quality greases (Kyodo grease, etc.) can make bearings rotate without noticeable resistance and also retain all the good properties of greases. If there is no oil or grease in the bearings, they wear out quickly and need to be replaced.

608 bearings. 608 bearings (8x22x7mm) are the most common size standard in rollerblading, skateboarding and scooter equipment. This bearing size is used by all brands and manufacturers worldwide. Only in very few and rare cases are other bearing sizes used. So, in 99.99% of cases you can be sure that 608 bearings will be the right ones and will fit your roller skates, skateboard/longboard, scooter! Industrial bearings follow the standard for engraving and indicating this size on bearing caps, but on most specialised brands, this 608 indication is not found at all. 608 bearings are 22mm large (outer diameter), 7mm thick (width) and have an 8mm bore (axial diameter) in the centre of the bearing.

6001 bearings. The 6001 size (12x28x8mm) bearings are the so-called "TWELVE / 12 STD", which is less common in general but often found in street trick scooters. This bearing size is used for example on Ethic Pandora street scooters. The 6001 bearings are 28mm large (outer diameter), 8mm thick (width) and have a 12mm hole (tapered diameter) in the middle of the bearing.

Number and size of balls. The number of balls in a bearing can have a direct relationship to its rotation or strength. The most common number of balls for ball bearings is 7 balls per bearing. The number of balls is usually not indicated on the bearing but can be found in the bearing specification. Bearing manufacturers are experimenting with the number of balls or balls in bearings to achieve lower rolling friction, thus potentially increasing rolling freedom. For example, bearings with only 5 balls produce less drag than bearings with 6 or 7 balls of the same size. This extremely reduced number of balls usually means a much higher load on them, which is why 5-ball bearings use a very hard and durable ceramic material. Bearings with an increased number of balls, such as 8 balls, are potentially very robust, as a higher number of balls can take a higher load. Typically, for 8-ball bearings, these balls are smaller in size to reduce rolling friction and allow them to roll as freely as possible.

Bearing speed. The "speed" of bearings is directly related to their design and the materials used. A more accurate term for the "speed" of bearings would be the rotation of the bearing. The only basic function of bearings is to rotate as freely as possible to ensure smooth rolling of the wheels. Bearings have an important but relatively small effect on the speed of the vehicle. The difference between low quality and cheap bearings compared to high quality premium bearings may be noticeable, but for medium quality bearings these differences are practically not noticeable. It is important that the quality of the materials used, the bearing lubricant and the sealing are at a level that allows the bearings to operate smoothly over a long period of time. Premium bearings have these 'speed' or spin characteristics at their potential best and last longer.

Bearing brands. Specialist bearing brands work with the biggest bearing manufacturers in the world to create the best possible bearings for rollerblading, skateboarding or scooter equipment. It is these brands that determine the material, construction, sealing, ball count and tolerances of their bearings. The most popular specialised bearing brands are Wicked (WCD), Bones, TwinCam, etc. Major bearing manufacturers include NTN, Koyo, Timken, SKF, FAG, etc.

Information about bearings was prepared by Taktika.lv specialists from their 30 years of experience with related equipment