Skate Bearings

The bearings (also Called rulemán or bearing) is a mechanism for reduccir the friction of a gear assembly. In the skates, the friction is used for reduccir between the wheel and the screw that holds this one to the guide. In the skates in line, every wheel takes 2 bearings, to the credit 8 wheels, a pair of skates needs 16 bearings to work.

The Standard ABEC Bearings

The standard ABEC, created by Annular Bearing Engineering Council, defines the tolerance and precision of the bearings of rigid type of balls, the used ones commonly in skates. The scale ABEC defines five types of tolerances or precisions: 1,3,5,7 and 9. Being the ABEC 1 that of minor precision and the ABEC 9 of major.

The bearings ABEC 1,3 and 5 are the most common, being the ABEC 7 and ABEC 9 least secondhand, normalemente only they are used in skates with a concrete target (like the speed skates for careers).

Normally, to major ABEC and major precision, the bearings are usually more fragile to impacts or side charges. This is translated usually in that a few bearings ABEC of high precision will have uan short or very short useful life if they are used in skate parks, jumps or on dirty or rough area.

Not for the fact of having a category taller ABEC it means this that they are going to cover more or go more rapid. Or at least not until there is reached the speed limit of every category, which for the case of the ABEC 1 this one in more of 500km/h before the heat melts them. What means this scale is the resistance that they are going to put up, so to reach them 20km/h will be more lightly easier in unso ABEC 7 that in a few ABEC 1, but the difference really was evident in the time that we will bear to 20km/h before the velodidad goes down .

For making it very exaggerated: with ABEC 1, if you go to 20km/h and stop skating, take a minute in stopping for the friction, but with ABEC 7 you would take approximately 8 minutes you in going so far as to stop, with what you cover more distance with the same initial impulse. (this is very exaggerated)

That's why a few buenso bearings are VITAL in patinje of speed, so once you reach a high speed, it will find it hard to you many menso to support it, on not having lost scarcely speed for friction

ILQ Bearings

Recently, there are commercialized a few bearings that do not use the standard ABEC, but a terminology called ILQ, developed by a company. Unlike the ABEC, which are developed by a committee.

In the standard ABEC it is possible to know the precision of the bearing measured in microns with with regard to the standard. (This is, minor all that is the deviation, is more quality the bearing). The measurement ILQ, to be opened nor standard, implies that there does not exist way of comparing a bearing ABEC and a bearing ILQ of sure form, since they are in different scales for which a mail factor is not known.

In other words: what is better an ABEC or an ILQ? Objectively only the engineers of the ILQ can know that, the rest we have to believe (or not) the publicity of the ILQ.

Bearings Size: Microbearings vs Normal

There are two types of sizes:

• 608: The normal ones that are used in the majority of skates.
• 688: The so called microbearings. They are smaller and light than the normal ones. Line is used sometimes in hockey and in speed skating. But problems with the wheels and guides have done that his use is very limited. (The microbearings you need wheels and special handlebars, after everything is narrower)

Cleaning Bearings

The skates bearings can (and they have to) be opened and be cleaned periodically. It will depend on as it is the surface for which normalmene we skate cleaning them with a frequency or other one. In general, if we skate for superfies with tiera release or on wet areas, the bearings will suffer much more and will have to be cleaned earlier.

In practice, it will depend on the money, the desire that we have and the handyman that we are. If we begin noticing that the skates are braked very much we can try to open them and to clean them (at the risk of breaking something, losing some little boll, etc) or on the other hand we can approach a shop and buy a new game. Election is completely to nuestar. He remembers that there are 16 bearings in 8 wheels of a pair of skates, so it is taken a little bit in opening them, cleaning them and lubricating all of them.

To clean the bearings they have to of there is dismantled of the wheels with the help of the keys Allen (more specifically, with the help of 2 of these keys, one for every screw that holds the wheel, the assistant and the fixed one). Once dismantled, with the needle of a pin the lid is dismantled, with what there will remain exposed the camera and the little bolls that form the bearing. This is the area that it is necessary to clean and then to lubricate properly. For this there are several oils and gels. (It is possible to use kitchen oil, but perhaps finish worse than before opening them, unless they were dry).