Fastest Bearings?

[eastonjc]

what are the fastest and best bearing out today? Zero-drag ? boss? someone tell me so i can some new ones only the best though

[DannyG]

The Annular Bearing Engineering Council (ABEC) measuring system for tolerances in precision ground bearings runs from 1 to 15. I have been informed by a professional metallurgical engineer that anything over a rating of 3 is so precise that the degree of "greater precision" is not physically a factor in human level performance.

The guy said that the difference between 3's and 7's, when applied to skate wheels propelled by human movement, for example, is the difference between a 30 megaton nuclear blast and a 70 megaton nuclear blast, when trying to blow up a tree stump...

and, incidentally, while all opinions have value in your search for the best, all abec rated 9's will perform the same..the rating itself is the measure of performance...

I bet (has anybody tried this with, say, 10 people or so???) that you could take turns with five sets of bearings, say, 3's through 11's, and I bet you could not tell which was which...

anybody doing a paper for school???

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by DannyG on 01/03/03 01:54 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

[missionhockey21]

These might not be the "top of the line", but I got some abec 7 mini bearings a few weeks ago for $30, mission brand. They were on hockeygiant's site and in my opinion they match up to my ninja bearings and my old titanium bearings which I payed around $80 for.

[Drexel63]

My experience in choosing bearings has always dealt with how long they hold up...

I'm quite hard on my skates, and I've gone through many sets of bearings. While speed does not vary between Mission Abec-7 and Ninja Abec-7, durability does... I've found Mission to be the most durable for me... the Ninja's however, are what I'm using now, and I'll let you know in a year how long they've held up :)

[columbus_RHstar]

I like the Mission mini bearing that missionhockey21 spoke of. By the way are those still on sale? I could use a new set

[detroitbandit]

as Danny G states not a lot a difference for skaters to be concened with ABEC rating.The team I am with skates on Sin System Bearings. In fact the box states beyond Abec. The bearings are from the speed teams and the fastest skaters in the world skate on Sin System Bearings. The Bearings come with a system, top hat and spacers that keep the bearings straight and rolling smooth, if you have a set of bearings replacment bearings are only a buck the last time I checked the website. I find the difference between speed skaters and hockey players is that speed folks clean there bearings and us hockey guys for the most part just toss are skates in the bag. EMU HOCKEY GETS THE BEARINGS FROM THE SinSystem website.

[MDE3]

Very true - as I understand it Boss Swiss are not even an ABEC rated bearing - and we have found them excellent too (though expensive). Actually these ratings refer to the radial and lateral runout tolerances which are progressively tighter as the ratings increase (smaller for ABEC 9 than ABEC 1) what happens with these tighter tolerances is that the rolling resistance actually increases if you use a higher viscosity lubricant even though the races and balls are machined more precisely and should roll with a little less friction. Replacing the original lube or diluting it with a cutting oil will have more effect on the rolling resistance of your wheel than the difference in Bearing rating. The micro's having a smaller radius also have a little lower rolling resistance, but it is so minute that it really only shows up in energy gained over a long distance at maximum speed. Hence it's common use in speed skating. But micro's or mini's are definitely less tolerant of abuse (such as tossing them in a humid hockey bag). Pay attention to your lubricants and cleanliness - this will have much more effect than the rating of the bearings. Like the man said ratings 3 - 9 (and I would even say 1 - 9) are like deciding whether you should use a .410 guage or 12 guage shotgun to shoot an ant. There are differences in bearings more important than the ABEC Rating when it comes to durability - mostly related to the metals used in the bearing. Some are more resistant to corrosion and abrasive wear - hence they carry a higher price. However rarely is the exact metal used announced on the bearing description. I believe that the Boss bearings use some of the highest quality metals. This does not say that others do not and going with proven speed skating bearings is not all bad. However remeber that at the higher levels of speed skating, bearing durability is not the issue - strictly performance.
PS if you are hoping that a change in bearings will increase your skating speed look more to cleaning them out when you first get them. Many are packed with a grease which will protect them from from corrosion in storage and shipping, but is not optimum for operating use. Use a solvent like WD 40 to remove this and then use a small air compressor with a needle nozzle to blow then clean and dry -the inner race should spin rapidly from the air pressure when perfectly clean. Replace with a good speed lube and add a dollop of wd 40 again to cut this even further - this will give you maximum performance.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by MDE3 on 01/03/03 04:53 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

[Superstar9]

In my opinion.. bearings mean nothing.. 3 or higher and your fine.. dont let them get to be a year old.. replace em often like every other piece of equipment.. I replace bearings about every 3 times I replace wheels, I replace wheels about every 2 weeks or so and bearings about a month and a half.. I skate every day all day though and own a shop so it doesnt kill me $$ wise to do it

[Missionskater10]

I use the Mission Mini 7s also there the best i have used so far

[missionhockey21]

I just ordered two pairs off hockeygiant.com, one of the greatest deals I had ever gotten for $30 but they then dropped them to $20. Come on $20 for abec 7 mini bearings, that are pretty high performance is a great deal.

[MDE3]

We have found the minis much more suceptible to humidity failure (rust) than the standard sizes. Amazing how the prices on these things have dropped since they were introduced 2 years ago. I guess the fad has petered out and manufacturers need to get rid of inventory.

[missionhockey21]

Well, I've used minis for two years, both theNinja brand and Mission, and have had no problems at all. I keep them in tip top shape by cleaning them every week in a citrus solution and they work fine for me :)

[MDE3]

I agree with your practice and have no doubt about your satisfaction, but the majority of players are not so concientious as you - in my experience. Most of the time the skates go back in the bag until the next use. That's what I meant - they need more maintenance or you will find they give up the ghost much more quickly.

[almostheroes]

I use Bearings strictly from CYKO , I find that they will last for a year. I do notice a difference between a three and a seven, seems like you can go faster and coast long.

[JMUDukes26]

*supposedly* the Ninja Ceramics are the best bearings on the market, but at $300 a set, you better take out a loan to buy em...

[missionhockey21]

I wonder how many pairs they have actually sold, you could almost buy D1's or G90's for that kind of money, who would spend $300 on bearings.

[JMUDukes26]

Someone who should be sponsoring James Madison University's Roller Hockey team with all their extra money...


I heard if you sell your soul to the devil, and then sell yourself into slavery for the rest of your life, you'll almost have enough money to buy a set.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by JMUDukes26 on 02/20/03 06:45 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

[missionhockey21]

I dont seeing many people signing up to sell their souls for them either ;-) lol

[RichardGraham]

Hi Mission,

I did, look where it got me. (Just kidding.) lol

Actually, I've NEVER considered worrying about my bearings. When you skate poorly, have a lousy slapshot, get retaliation penalties, are out of shape, and rarely score more than one point a game, you put more emphasis on PRACTICE than bearings. Just my philosophy. lol

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[missionhockey21]

I guess the man makes the bearings, not the bearings makes the man. I guess that could be good or bad in some situations. lol

[JMUDukes26]

I agree, I've read that beyond ABEC 3 the difference is so small, that its nearly indetectable by humans, and the weight difference can be so small, it too proves inconsequential. But if you've got the cash, you might as well spend it!

[missionhockey21]

The speed diffenence is pretty low between a 3 and a 7. But isnt fun to brag to your friends, look how long my bearings spin. lol