Wheel Bearings Guide for Surfskating

[@SurfskateLove]

Get links to all the wheel bearings I've tried (with my preferences) here: surfskate.love/wheel-bearings-guide-surfskating/

[@mellamorodrigo9516]

Zealous steel bearings user here. Once I tried them, I never went back. They do have a break-in period, but they are so smooth and fast afterwards...

[@lilycat1694]

Zealous are good bearings for my Carvers.

[@TonyNietnagel]

Agreed. Once they are broken in, they just keep rolling.

[@boardbuslife]

I've used tons of brands that may feel faster, but after Zealous, they never rust or lose their oomph, after break in they are indestructible. Even salt water won't get to them!

[@billfrigo7602]

@@boardbuslife - even the Zealous steel ones? I live by the ocean and want to make sure they don’t rust

[@nateross14]

Another thing to consider that effects bearing performance is wheel diameter and perhaps also wheel weight. Larger diameter wheels that are also heavier, leverage the wheel more while spinning and thus reduce percieved bearing friction. The distance of outermost surface of the wheel to the actual bearings where they seat on the inner race determines how much resistance the bearings have spinning, the same way a longer breaker bar puts more leverage on a bolt being torqued. I have some poor perforing bearings that are very slow with my 70mm wheels, but when I put them on my much heavier 97mm wheels they are fairly fast and cruise pretty good. A typical Surfskater choosing between 60- 75mm wheels won't notice as big a difference, but its still something to be aware of.

[@ramshaka]

I've been running the Dragon 'endurance' (non-ceramic) built in bearings, and had nothing but good experiences. They take a minute to break in because they come with a grease lube, but you can just clean, and re-lube them with an oil, rather than a grease. Having done both, I recommend breaking them in with a ride, as they seem to come out the other end smooth as butter. I get them for 16$ a set.

[@olivierpomerleau2847]

From my experience, you see the difference in bearing quality when using smaller and harder standard skateboard wheels. Over 60mm wheels size you don't see that much difference in bearing quality.... I'll probably try RaceRed's next.. for the availability and the built-in spacer... Great video!!

[@BerthaOverdrive]

I’ve noticed that too. Cheers.

[@chrhadden]

have you tried the same bearings skateboarders use? powell swiss or bronson ceramics? i have to wonder .

[@alchemydance7147]

Steve, Great review of what can be a complex topic with countless opinions. You have provided guidelines that are easy to follow and saves one money. The time and expense that you put into these reviews to advance the sport of surfskating is much appreciated!

[@scotthaggar]

Adding to a really old post. I've been using the Bronson RAWs (faceless) and like them a lot. Supposedly developed specifically for skating. Never need to clean or lube them. Occasionally, they get dust inside and slow down, but a few spins on the side and it's gone. I have a full year on them (regular use), and they still feel brand new. Downside - they are super loud.

[@ShrimpCracka]

these are the reviews i look for before i make a purchase

[@shirtlessGraveler305]

I ordered another set of zealous built in bearings for my carver surf skate. The stock carver bearings with the spacers are very fast ! However, on rough surfaces, such as parking lots or sidewalks by the beach or paver stones, the spacers make a lot of noise rattling all over the place so I’m very sure that the zealous Hilton bearings will be a little quieter. I have them in my longboard, and they are very quiet.

[@sventrautmann1540]

Thank you for the great video and the extensive blog post. Even though I (45) have been skating and longboarding for almost a year, I'm still a complete beginner when it comes to surfskate. I ride the Carver X Triton 31", whose bearings are not as high quality as those on other Carver boards. It's probably also down to my technique (I'm still learning with your video course), but I keep losing momentum, get very slow and have to push again. So I'm going to switch to Surfskate Love Wheels and G-Bomb or Waterborne Bearings and hope to get faster with them.

[@williammadray7818]

That was a spot on review. Nothing could be more true about the ceramic bearings.

[@chrhadden]

the ceramic balls are rounder and resistant to flat spots and rust. they crush any dirt that gets in and spits it out instead of dirt bending and messing up steel balls. you clean these bearings it comes with a kit. you dont just throw them away . i have been on the same set for over a year skating parks in Philadelphia. he is wrong ceramics bronson take the shield off and face the balls in. dirt spits right out

[@williammadray7818]

With bearings being such an issue with me, I had to come back and watch it again to really absorb it. I got to go with the built-in bones race reds and the two-pack ceramic steel bundle. The next time I actually purchase bearings.

[@yeakeltonyeah7493]

How where the ceramics

[@WRandallHead]

I don't really find it much more of a hassle to use spacers etc. with traditional bearings, and I find that built-ins don't seem to perform as well. That being said, you are correct in advising beginners not to worry about bearings. Just get out there and skate! If anything, clean and lube your bearings.

[@marcusng8246]

My Tekon 6 balls do not have a clicking sound. I think it might be a manufacturing issue. So far this is the smoothest bearing i ever ride. Dragon, zealous and Tekon always have been my preferred choice.

[@naimaeko]

Cool video, but kinda disapointed you didn't cover the regular bearings (without spacers) more. I use them for my roller skates and it would have been great to have more details on them. It's impossible to use built-in spacers on roller skating wheels, the spacers are too big and they don't fit, we need specific smaller spacers :/

[@SurfskateLove]

Well this isn't a roller skate, channel, haha. ;-)

[@naimaeko]

@@SurfskateLove I knooow haha I also surfskate! But it is a bearings review so... 😛

[@eBoard3R]

🤙🏼 *I switched from Bones Reds to Zealous standard bearings, and never looked back* 🤙🏼

[@kihealthandwellness]

I agree... speed rings and spacers just add an extra step in the process with no discernable gain. But I will admit when I first got my Loaded Jehu bearings they were slow... but after a long breakin period they now roll fast and smooth... so I reckon people need to give them more time to breakin... more so than other bearings.

[@Kufunninapuh]

Speed rings and spacers preceeded built in bearing by years if not decades. They were an astronomical upgrade compared nothing. Ten years ago or so when I was truly active riding longboards the built ins tended to have a little bit more slop but then zealous showed up and changed the whole game. This spawned lots of cheap copycats that still had heaps of slop that which made riding noisy and power slides real sketch. Even the cheapest regular bearings I've bought have all worked absolutely fine because the manufacturing process was perfected way before skateboards were invented. You do need to make sure to have high quality spacers but that is a one time purchase that you can then bring with you for life instead of paying the built in premium every time you buy new spacers. That is not huge amount of money and most bearings (definitely on this list) will last you years so it might be well worth it for ease of use. Thank you for your time

[@agmostazo]

Wow. Excelente!! Gracias por el trabajo y lo que aportas a la comunidad surfskate. El mejor! Thanks for all.

[@JCKmusicandmore]

I use Bronson RAWs with Bones Speed Cream, they work for flatland and uphill propulsion

[@MrConfo]

Great video Steve. After more than one year of Zealous steel, i'm more than happy with them. I choose them for built-in friendly use and silent réputation. They roll even better after a break in period. Sometimes i thought to buy Zealous ceramic but never did it. I'm 100% concentrated on my ride with them. I use them on 2 surfskates and one longboard, all in 70mm wheels. I use also Tekton steel 6 balls and deplore the same noise Steve talked about. They roll as good as Zealous but their noise make that i won't buy them again. Listening only the wheel grip on the asphalt is important for me to feel closer than water or snow. Olivier

[@tomschwiehn]

Very informative! Thanks for sharing!

[@keikitano]

Hey friends. I’m a big fan of Andale bearings and Shake Junt. I got a shake junt bearing ( the green ones.🤷🏼) and they are fine even after 10years. Super speedy. Never cleaned them. Then i got the Andale (Puig edition) and they are just fine. G5 Bearing. Whatever it means ❤ my wife love the Reds but my alltime favorite for small money is „mini logo“.

[@ricardohnn]

Holy cow what a great video ❤

[@jg2wheels]

CCS or Daddies Ceramic built in bearings are pretty good. Smooth, quiet, and affordable. Edit: Not sure if they have them now. Bought mine last summer.

[@360vroomers]

Thanks very helpful!

[@stevesheffield45]

HI Steve, another great video. I searched but couldn't find anything regarding where you recommend buying your components in the US? I want to put together my first custom surfskate but don't know if I have to buy everything separately, or if there is a vendor that would have the different elements, i.e. Soulboardly deck, Yow Merkai trucks, bearings, wheels, etc. Sorry if you already addressed this elsewhere. Best regards and thank you for all the information and work.

[@SurfskateLove]

Thanks, Steve! I only sell wheels, bushings, and pivot cups in my shop: surfskate.love/shop/

[@Bawkr]

I guess Speed would = travel distance without pushing, that would be why I would want to upgrade mine.

[@BucksTheBear]

Have you heared about the new "Legasee" trucks from YOW? They look like the YOW version of the Carver CX, more focused on cruising. Can you ask YOW about the release date or some more information and make a video about it?. Would be nice 🤙🏻

[@SurfskateLove]

Yep! Got one on the way. :)

[@BucksTheBear]

@@SurfskateLove Awesome, keep it up :)👍🏻

[@rolandodelacruz4144]

Thanks for the review! What difference did yiu notice between the waterborne and the gbomb?

[@SurfskateLove]

Honestly, it's not a huge difference. The Waterborne bearings are legit. One of the big reasons why I like GBombs is because you can cinch down your axle nut and they still spin freely. Forgot to mention that in the review.

[@stevesheffield45]

Hey Steve, hoping you can help. Just got my Soulboardiy deck, yow meraki trucks, seismic hot spot defcons, and waterborne black-chrome steel bearings with built-in risers per your recommendations. I made sure bearings were well seated on both sides and logos facing out with risers facing in, speed rings in place, but after tightening the wheels don't spin freely? I remember your video where you showed that we should be able to tighten all the way. Only way they will spin is finger tight and I'm afraid if I do that the wheels will fall off. What the heck am I doing wrong? Do the waterborne bearings need to break in? I'm going to try switching out with your Surfskate Love wheels i purchased. Any advice before I take a road test, though it just keeps snowing and raining here in California. Thanks, Steve

[@SurfskateLove]

Not sure where you've seen me tighten wheel nuts all the way, because I always teach to back it off a little to make sure your bearings are spinning freely. Sounds like you're just tightening too much and you need to back it off a bit.

[@stevesheffield45]

Thank you

[@paveludaloff7294]

Maturity & experience.

[@igq91]

Thank you sir

[@JohnWolfrik]

Zealous are my choice!

[@brucedunn2293]

Wondering if anyone’s tried Oust bearings? Apparently they’re different than others in that they’re designed for side force as well as top down force and popular amongst slalom people. Maybe ideal for surf skating?

[@SurfskateLove]

Yes, I tried them. I don't use them because they're not built-in.

[@resaart12]

I have Oust Tech 5 on my longboard pusher. It’s one of my best bearings. I put it same class as Bones Big Balls. Note that I also have Swiss and Reds. I like Oust better than these. Oust needs to be lubed regularly though and cost more. My best ever are my BSB (Boss Speed Bearings) Swiss which I used for in-line racing. Same size as skateboard bearings.

[@resaart12]

Oh, my longboard pusher has Revenge Alpha II trucks so it’s almost a surf skate. The Oust is also more efficient than Bear Spaceballs steel.

[@MrConfo]

How long is the break-in period on G/Bomb steel comparing to Zealous steel please ?

[@SurfskateLove]

I haven't really felt any break-in period at all. They roll amazing immediately without needing to be broken in.

[@MrConfo]

@@SurfskateLove Thanks Steve, very good news, i'm gonna test them this week on your 70mm wheels (81a rear, 84a front). It'll be interesting to compare with my Zealous habits.

[@Surf_Salt]

Carver makes a really fast smooth bearing.

[@SurfskateLove]

They're good, but I find them to be slow compared to others.

[@Surf_Salt]

@@SurfskateLove interesting, all ive tried is bones reds, big balls (6 ball) and carvers. out of those 3, the carvers are way faster and less draggy feeling, i think the 6 ball reds are the worst.

[@funnysoraia]

What is yr feedback on carver official ones? Are they good?

[@SurfskateLove]

Great for stock bearings! Only Carver and SpiceSkate come with built-in bearings.

[@lowtechleon9874]

In my experience they feel pretty slow. Even compared to loaded jehu.

[@SurfskateLove]

@@lowtechleon9874 Yes, relative to aftermarket upgraded bearings. I'm just saying they're great for stock bearings, relative to other stock bearings. Especially since they're built-in.

[@fotobread]

Honestly, there is no noticable difference in surfskate speed. I always use 0.6usd per 8pcs bearing. They lasts at least a year with no maintenance. I have probably 30 packs of wheels. All bearings cost me about 20usd.

[@pyrimid]

Wait… so because you have to do something and learn stuff you dismissed the best bearings? Bummer to push that thought process. I wouldn’t use anything else but Swiss ceramics. The ability to break down and clean is paramount. Not to mention they never stop. They pay for themselves because they’re rebuildable. And will literally spin till gravity stops them. Win win Do yourselves a favor and learn everything you can about what you are interested in. Being able to rebuild things and know how they work is a very good thing in life. I’d rather know and do it myself than have to pay or guess or ask in life. We are capable of much more than we think.

[@SurfskateLove]

I have no idea what you're talking about. Your comment is very odd to me, given that I was riding all these bearings for a year. Not sure what else you'd like me to do to "do something and learn stuff." What else have you tried other than all the ones I list in this review? What's your frame of reference? And your comment is also arrogant because you're foisting your personal preference onto everyone else. I'm happy for you that you like the Swiss Ceramics, I personally think they're a complete waste of money. And I tried them very thoroughly. Our personal preferences and opinions don't make us smarter than each other.