Inline Bearing Basics and Buying Guide

The basics of inline skate bearings (or most styles of bearings, whether they are used in inline skates, quad skates, or skateboards), including an overview of the types and sizes, as well as removing, installing, the lubrication of bearings.

[@AZ-Coug]

Excellent, concise explanation

[@RicsGames]

best video for understanding bearings. thank you very much!!!

[@yacindrazv9865]

Thank you very much for your video. You answered our questions perfectly :)

[@alfredojudah6505]

you probably dont care but if you guys are stoned like me atm then you can watch all of the new series on InstaFlixxer. Been watching with my gf lately xD

[@marshallbrixton8683]

@Alfredo Judah Yea, I have been using Instaflixxer for since december myself =)

[@philipmartin2123]

A higher abec rating doesn't nessasarily mean it will spin faster but they will be more durable at a higher speeds and maintain higher speeds for a longer time. (It doesn't mean they will go faster)

[@joerivera9106]

But is it faster?

[@WheelyArt]

'Maintain higher speeds for a longer time"This implies faster.

[@0utono]

@@WheelyArt this doesn't make a difference in roller skating and skateboarding because you litteraly CAN'T get to the speed needed to see the difference between the abec numbers

[@shawnthesheep6832]

Hey! I have a set of Rollerblades I’m trying to decide between the Twincam ILQ Bearing 9 Pro and the SG9 Bearings. Would you have a recommendation for which would be better for a recreational rider? Looking for a faster option than my current SG5.. thanks!

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Hands down the TwinCam ILQ9 bearings. Thanks for watching InlineWarehouse.com

[@bohussaain]

Hi, Thank you for the informative guide. I just bought ilq9 pro for urban skating. Do you think they can get damaged from jumping and such?

[@supermanwithsilvergun4679]

Doubt it. The Rollerblade Twister Edge X comes with Twincam ILQ-9 Classic Plus. I will probably get these as my next bearings for my RB110s since they are a bit faster than the SG7s that came stock. The twister is an urban skate meant for much jumping.

[@thilakpesadu]

Hi Thanks for your video and which brand bearing recommended for faster ,speed skating on synthetic track, kindly confirm

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

It will be subjective, but the Bones bearings brand is always great if doing the Swiss or Super Swiss 6. Thanks - InlineWarehouse.com

[@jkeiffer]

I have a dumb question... If you have sealed bearings, do you need to clean and lubricate those? I mean is there a process for this? Because I'm pretty lazy, and doing maintenance doesn't really sound all that appealing.

[@CAPGOD1]

John Keiffer he said you shouldn't open them but if you mean cleaning the outside. Why not

[@DerbyWarehouse]

I don't service my bearings and instead just buy new ones periodically. I too don't like messing with them and many times they seem not to be as good as before once cleaning but it depends. Sealed bearings are not meant to be serviced and are often referred to as 'non-serviceable' bearings. The shiels 'can' come off, but they are then difficult to get to stay back on. Sealed bearings do a better job of keeping stuff out and as they are 'sealed', but are not real good or considered a real good serviceable bearing to clean. So if you hate the idea, you will hate it most on sealed bearings :) thanks!

[@DerbyWarehouse]

Outside is fine to help stuff from working their way inside somehow sure.

But....but... but... why pay more? is there a real benefit for example between sg5 and sg9 when the amazon reviews says than the quality is very irregular? In the same pakage the bearings are diferent in the quality... the reviews says.

[@stanchaves5366]

Comparing within the same brand like a SG5 vs SG9, I would be confident that you will be getting a better race (spin) with the SG9. Comparing across brands is where it is tough as one brands ABEC5 isn't going to feel like another at the same ratiing. Brand recognition and trying some out to form your own opinion is best, or seek out somene you trust that has done that for you.

[@FutureLaugh]

i got brand new rollerblades right out of the box, how many seconds should the wheels spin? they al spin 5 seconds except 2 of the wheels spin for 3 seconds- are the bearings too tight right out of the factory?

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

There is no rule for how many seconds a bearing should free spin. Skate bearings are designed to be used under load (with weight on them) so spinning them without weight on them should just be used to make sure there isn't any resistance, grinding or anything else abnormal; it's not necessarily a performance test. Bearings also require a bit of breaking in as they have been sitting unused and that can cause the lubrication to built up. Using them will redistribute the lubrication and should get them all spinning easily for you! Also make sure that the axles on those wheels aren't overtightened. That can cause the frame to pinch the bearings!

[@FutureLaugh]

thank you my friend for the thorough answer! one of the wheels was so tight that it was bending the plastic frame. I think i might return them and opt for aluminum

[@jamesjudge6398]

Thank you this video helps but just want to ask do all bearings fit any wheels

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Yes... 99.9% of the bearings on InlineWarehouse.com will fit into all the wheels sold on InlineWarehouse.com. The center hole of the bearing is 8mm. So if having 6mm axles, you use with a long-sleeved bearing spacer. If you use 8mm axles, you use the floating spacer which is also 8mm. But the bearings will fit, it then just the bearing spacer that may need to change (or you can just grab from your old wheels). There is one brand on our site (Qube) that has a 7mm hole.. The chances of you picking that one were small, but I wanted to mention just in case. There a few roller skate trucks that use a 7mm bearing, bu this the .1% i was referring to. Thanks

[@chizy8i8]

are all the bearings the same size for skateboards inlines and quads? or is it any differend? i mean can i buy skateboard bearings and use it for quads?

[@stanchaves5366]

99% are the same. The size is 608 which is the standard for all that you mention. A few quad wheels/trucks use a smaller 627 bearing bearing (7mm) but it very few.

[@PranavNair03]

Can u suggest a bearing for speed skating

[@muhaiminazlan4355]

In the video, you said there is generally abec 3,5,7 and 9. I dont know if mine is fake or not because it has abec 11 bearings in it. The wheels (with the bearings ofc) came in free with the skates. And the skates arent even expensive. So is there such thing as abec 11 bearings?

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Thanks for watching! ABEC 9 is technically as high as that rating scale goes but you will find some bearings that label themselves "ABEC11". Definitely worth trying out!

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Never heard of ABEC11, but brand awareness is a good way to look at it. An ABEC9 is not going to skate the same across all brands. Bones does not use raitings and are known to be great bearings.. Some brands simply do it better than others and that why you see price variations and so forth. Thanks.

[@ClashClansfaaiq]

i have a question. i have an cougar mszs835l .in the frmae it says abec 7.i need help to know whether hyper +G wheels work it has ilq 11bearings .plz help me.thanks in advance.

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

The frame is referencing the bering rating that came stock on your skates but the bearing rating does not effect the compatibility. The size of the wheel should match the stock wheel size and you'll want to make sure you use the same type of spacers that you already have but other than that you are free to choose what rating you want for your bearings!

[@ClashClansfaaiq]

Inline Warehouse - Fitness thank you!

[@Richard1976]

ILQ9 for me. Would even replace them with future new skates

[@yanava]

I've read on the Internet that the ABEC scale was meant to qualify bearings for speed, but not for actual quality of the bearing. Is that also true for ILQ and SG bearings? Some skaters told me Bones bearings are not meant for inline skating, but for skateboard skating. Is that true? Great video by the way.

[@agentmsb6293]

Okay so here's the deal with abec rating and skating/skateboarding. Abec rating makes literally no difference for skateboarders/skaters because at the end of the day, the bearings used are not meant to used so roughly like in skateboarding or skating. Your are practically better off with abec 3 bearings then abec 9 because all that changes is the bearing tolerances with the inner dimensions (like how wide the inner race is etc) . The higher you go on Abec rating, the greater the capability for HIGH PRECISION machines to go faster. Skates/Skateboards are not high precision machines so it completely neglects that (btw ABEC=ILQ=SG so yes the same regulation applies). As soon as you ride your skates, your abec 9 bearings will turn into abec 3s because the inner race will warp and the dimensions wont be the same because there are so many different forces being applied when you skate vs high precision machines that generally have very little variety of forces. You can use bones in skates its not going to do anything ( i own a longboard and skates it literally makes no difference.) One thing i will say though if you get bones you will have to clean em regularly (btw they have rubber seals and are removable so this allows you to keep the bearings working efficiently and will save you money if you clean and lubricate em).

[@yanava]

Agent MSB I agree with you, from my perception of riding my inlines, wheel quality makes a difference. But bearings, if not destroyed by use, tend to feel the same.

[@jonathanoxlade4252]

Want realy light bearing go full ceramic if you payed £450 for a seba brand thats full carbon and lighter remove the crapy stock and put ln lighter bearings it will feel nicer on your feet without all those heavy steel bearings lol

[@almy75]

I just changed the wheels on my k2, but one wheel is off the ground. Any idea what I might have done wrong?

[@billaniii]

almy75 bought the wrong size wheels lmao

[@rollingiw]

Likely nothing and with your weight on the skates by having them will likely take care of it. Probably just a slight variance. How much we talking about?

[@kaiserstorm886]

No moc rating?

[@Frico1964]

are these bearings for roller skates indoor and out door...

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Yes..The are suitable for both indoor and outdoor inline and roller skating. Thanks for watching . InlineWarehouse.com DerbyWarehouse.com IceWarehouse.com

[@nicholasjames6347]

I got a 2:21 spin on one of my wheels using mission Swiss le 608 bearings on my roller hockey skates. Toss up between the mission 608 and the bones Swiss!

[@clintnarain2375]

How can i buy suiss berings, can u give me a good link to buy them?

[@andyhlawnchhing8337]

Imagine if big bearings of atleast keychain ring size...thats fitted in inline big wheels...Do you think they d be remarkable?? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@santanukundu1817]

Hi, Which grade of Oil we should use?

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Hello... I don't look at it that way, but simply look to the various oils designed for bearings. Whether it be Sonic Oil, Oust, Bones Speed Cream.. I'm most comfortable using and recommending oils made for bearing lubrication that can be found on inlinewarehouse.com and other inline dealer sites. Thx

[@CS-hf4dq]

I have a question. If I want to Aggressive skate which bearings should I buy? Can anyone give me a recommendation to what brand and what ABEC number should I use?

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

It really depends on how much performance you are looking for and how much maintenance you are willing to keep up with. I recommend seriously considering the durability when aggressive skating because that impact can wreak havoc on some of the speed bearings. We actually just picked up some awesome bearings that are designed specifically for Roller Derby and Park skating and all of the impact that goes with that. They are called Cheezeballs and are pretty awesome! Here is a link to those options: www.inlinewarehouse.com/Cheezeballs_Bearings/catpage-CHEEZEFIT.html

[@CS-hf4dq]

Inline Warehouse - Fitness Thank you for your response, I am really looking forward to picking up some cheezeballs :)

[@nickrotaru6981]

Stank

[@eeltauy]

What about the size? Should I buy am 8mm or 7mm for Rollerblade inline skates?

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

8mm are most common (there a few 7mm on the derby site - but zero on our fitness site). Stick with 8mm and you'll have the largest selection of bearings AND wheels. All the wheels on our site are designed for standard hub 608 bearings. The hole in the center is 8mm and depending on your axles, will determine which bearing spacer you would use. 6mm axles use a long-sleeved spacer that fills up this center hole so that your axle takes up the whole space. 8mm axles use a floating spacer that floats between your bearings as the 8mm axle takes up the full center hole all on its own.

[@eeltauy]

Inline Warehouse - Fitness Thanks a lot.

[@odiastanley7129]

Please can i buy ABEC 7 to replace ABEC 5 on the same wheels?

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Absolutely. You can upgrade to ABEC7, ABEC9, Swiss.... or even Ceramic if you can afford it. All will fit. Rollerblade refers to their bearings with ratings of SG5, SG7 and SG9 (similar to ABEC). TwinCam brand uses ILQ5, ILQ7, ILQ9. All these will fit. It safe to assume all bearings you see on INLINE WAREHOUSE will fit your wheels using ABEC5. Thanks!

[@clintnarain2375]

Need a good link to buy the suiss berings, any help??

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

@@nicholasjames6347 www.inlinewarehouse.com/searchresults.html?search=products#search=products&searchtext=Swiss%20bearings&opt_page=1&opt_sort=priceAcc&opt_perpage=20 Be careful on eBay as some are knock offs, but Swiss is a rating and it can be found offered by numerous brands. Even Inline Warehouse has a swiss bearing you will see on this page. Bones Swiss are the best in my opinion.

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

@UCJsC6EuqnriPpgtAtBKjzjg www.inlinewarehouse.com/searchresults.html?search=products#search=products&searchtext=Swiss%20bearings&opt_page=1&opt_sort=priceAcc&opt_perpage=20 Be careful on eBay as some are knock offs, but Swiss is a rating and it can be found offered by numerous brands. Even Inline Warehouse has a swiss bearing you will see on this page. Bones Swiss are the best in my opinion.

[@ared18t]

why don't skate companies make nothing but 608 rsz bearings they have one nonremovable metal seal and a removable seal -_-

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Some like Rollerblade's SG bearings are sealed on both sides. This keeps dirt out better, but they are not serviceable. Reason for double shields is said to handle loads better like and stresses from jumping and what not with agressive skating. But two sealed shields keep the gunk out but there aren't a ton of them. Most have at least one removable shield so that they can be serviced. Thanks for the post!

[@JankoAcimovic]

You know you are at the right store when the guy corrects you and tells you "Its ABC"...........

[@dangerouskindmexico]

Why can't I find built in bearing spacers for inline skates anywhere in the world?

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Not sure what you mean by built in bearing spacers. Removable spacers are all I've seen.

[@dangerouskindmexico]

Something like this: bit(dot)ly(slash)2HF0mWB

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Most frames don't need that spacer any more. Frame spacers are no longer common with frames machines so that they meet the bearing and eliminate that space. You might be able to find frame spacers more easily though. Or, get new frames :)

[@dangerouskindmexico]

Ohh, my skates must be old models, both pairs came with built-in spacers and the wheel frame cannot be changed. I''ll get the bearings, the bearing spacers and the frame spacers and see how it works. Eventually I might get better skates anyway. Thank you so, so much for your help! :-)

[@MrDjcamo29]

Thanks bro

[@quickguesswho]

I've had my bone swiss ceramics for atleast 10+ years.. But i clean them religiously.

[@CAPGOD1]

quickguesswho that's helpful thanks 👍

[@Skating_Squid]

How often do you clean them?

[@jamesbarrett3149]

Religiously means every Sunday. Lol

[@patwilde3640]

Total BS....the ABEC rating has nothing to do with durability. It's the tolerances the bearings were made to. And it is not a speed rating that allows you to go faster. If you are going at 125 mph or better on ABEC 7 or 9's, you'll get higher running accuracy, which you couldn't possibly benefit from on a set of inline skates. If you had dentistry instruments, you would. You are not buying ABEC 7 or 9 bearings, even though the package says so. They are likely ABEC 3's with a 7 or 9 stamped on the side shield. I've seen bearing manufacturers in China have bins of side shields stamped 5, 7 and 9 side by side, and they just install whatever shield the order calls for. The bearing is the same. The bearings called 'Swiss' are made in China. The original 608 bearing manufacturers are FAG & SKF, our of Germany & Sweden, and still the world leaders in bearing technology. Buy those from an authorized distributor and save yourself from getting ripped off.

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

The best way to look at ABEC ratings are when shopping within the same brand. A brand offering a 3, 5, 7 and 9 for example.... The higher the rating the more expensive they will be, and the better performance from that brand. One brands ABEC9 is not going to feel like every other ABEC9 from other brands. This where brand recognition comes in and some trial and error if no one to give you their experiences. Thanks for post.

[@ared18t]

abec is a rating that requires specific tolerances abec 3 5 7 and 9 all have specific tolerances and do not vary from company to company since they are industry standards you are ill informed

[@stanchaves5366]

@Pat and @Ared. Of course there can be substandard bearings, just as with most any other commodity. Brand awareness can go a long way if unfamiliar. The video is a generalization/overview of bearings. If comparing bearings WITHIN THE SAME BRAND, it safe to assume the ABEC 9 will better (have better and faster tolerances if you will) perform over their ABEC 5. One brands ABEC 5 will NOT often work the same as another brand at the same rating. That where brand awareness can help. It can spin better, worse, etc... There different lubricants, and much more that come into play. Brand recognition can help find those that 'perform' better at their given ratings. @Ared.. It would be great if all ABEC7 worked the same, but they simply do not. Just as all wheels at 85A do not hold up and perform the same, there more that goes into it than just the rating. ABEC ratings were not designed for inline skating to begin with so it can cause further confusion. ILQ would be a more trie 'inline' rating. So both you and @Pat are not wrong, but perhaps overthinking it a bit for the purposes of this video. Again, if looking within the same brand, ratings 3, 5, 7, etc.... The higher rating will have the best tolerances/speed/performance that brand has to offer. Another brand at the same rating, can absolutely perform better and that were brand recognition comes into play and where some trial and error can help if not having someone that can share their experiences with you. I cannot/will not bash brands here but am happy to help if needed. I can tell you that Bones brand is very well respected and my personal favorite. It uses NO RATINGS other than their Swiss and Ceramic. But simply great performing bearings and one would not find them if looking for ABEC anything...

[@Dabazietta]

Inter / interconty aka phil |

[@Eugene32852]

Sealed cheap bearings for the win

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

Depending on what type of skating you are doing, you certainly can get away with some cheap bearings. But there is A LOT of difference between good and bad bearings. Not necessarily cheap and expensive.

[@SingaporeSkaterSam]

TwinCam for me.

[@SasukeUchiha-xb9cj]

b

[@unclesquap5324]

Cream

[@kontikinomads6750]

Abec doesnt matter, thats just a Engineering tolerance level nothing to do with speed of bearing unless your turning 20,000rpms the best bearing is a good hardend American bearing worst being china of course

[@wildgrem]

doesnt mention hockey once.

[@InlineWarehouseFitness]

That's because you would have to be on the hockey youtube channel. kzbin.info