How many bearings do you need for inline skates?
For inline skates, you wheel need two bearings for every wheel on your skates. So, if you use 3-wheel inline skates you will need 12 bearings to suit your 6 wheels. For inline wheels, you will also need spacers to go in between the bearings in each wheel.
Those refer to the inner diameter of the bearing and the size of the axle its going on. Most of the new skates use 8mm axles so the standard 8mm bearings would be needed. The older models, and high end skates use 7mm axles so they would need the 7mm bearings.
608 bearings are the most popular form of inline skate bearings. They are also used in roller skates, skateboards, and scooters. As 608 bearings are so plentiful, they are very cost-effective. Although 608 bearings may all look alike, they are certainly not all made the same.
Consult the manufacturer's instructions for information about your specific type of inline skates. If you skate through water or sand, you'll want to change your bearings every year. If you cover terrain that isn't as rugged, change the bearings approximately every three years.
The 608 is a 8 mm Ball Bearing that can be used in many rotary and factory automation applications. The 608 Miniature Ball Bearings is an open style bearing.
Spacers are used in skates, scooters, waveboards and pretty much anything that rolls with bearings. You should always use the right kind of spacers with your wheels. If you don't use spacers, the bearings can be excessively stressed, roll badly and end up breaking in a short time.
- Find the Bearing Load & Load Capacity. First, know the type and amount of bearing load that your application will place on the bearing. ...
- Know the Rotational Speed of Your Application. ...
- Factor in Bearing Runout & Rigidity. ...
- Find the Right Lubrication for Your Bearings Needs.
Undersized bearings are used when a crankshaft has been machined or ground undersize. Oversize bearings have more material on the outside facing the bearing housing bore. Oversized bearings are used when the block has been machined or line bored oversized.
The Bones Swiss 608 Skate Bearings have become legendary since their introduction in 1983. For decades, this has been perhaps the fastest, smoothest, and longest-lasting bearing on the market.
there are two standardized sizes of bearings in the market: 608 (standard dimensions) - most often used size, is used at more than 90 % skates. 688 (micro bearings) - they are used only exceptionally mostly for lowering the weight of skates. Disadvantage is lower longevity.
Should inline skates be tight or loose?
The fit itself should be very snug, allowing you to stay in control of movements. Very snug doesn't mean uncomfortable: You should still be able to wiggle your toes, and there shouldn't be any pressure points.
How Long Do Skate Bearings Last? Bearings are perhaps the most delicate part of a pair of inline skates, but if you maintain them well by keeping them clean and free from dirt and grime, you should not have to replace them very often, they could last many years.

Are ceramic bearings worth the money? If you want more speed, then yes they are worth the money. If you look after them, you can use them for years.
The 608-2RS and 608-ZZ is a 8mm ball bearing that is found in many applications. The 608-2RS ball bearing has two contact rubber seals one on each side of the ball bearing. The 608-ZZ ball bearing has two non-contact metal shields one on each side of the ball bearing.
608 bearings have an 8mm inside diameter, a 22mm outside diameter, and they are 7mm in width. They are by far the most popular size and are used in quad skate wheels, inline wheels, and skateboards as pretty much everything has 8mm axles. 627 bearings are identical to 608 with the exception of a 7mm inside diameter.
The 6000 is a 10 mm Ball Bearing that can be used in many rotary and factory automation applications.
That said, wheel spacers affect suspension geometry, and will change the scrub radius, affecting braking stability, and also reduce the effective spring rate at the wheels. Wheel spacers can also cause wheel bearing failure.
As a necessary component to keeping the bearings in your wheels parallel and aligned, the role of spacers are sure to drastically increase performance. As you can see from the side angle of a deconstructed wheel, bearing spacers sit right in the between the inner races of each bearing on the truck axle.
Spacers in pre-adjusted wheel ends are reusable as long as they are not worn or damaged. They are not matched to the bearings and can be reused regardless of whether one or both of the bearings are changed. Spacer wear could occur if the bearing cone turns against the spacer, creating a burr on the softer spacer.
tight to 0.004 in. tight. For a tight fit, the wheel hub inside diameter (ID) should be smaller than the outer race OD by the fit values shown on the tables. For inner race fits, the spindle OD should be smaller than the inner race bore within the loose fit range.
How much tolerance should a bearing fit?
Load type | Shaft diameter dimensional tolerance | |
---|---|---|
upper | ||
Rotating inner ring load | Low speed Light load | -2.5 |
Rotating outer ring load | Low to high speed Light load | -2.5 |
-2.5 |
- Loading.
- Low profile.
- Temperature resistance.
- Corrosion resistance.
- Price.
- Environmental performance.
- Adjustable clearance availability.
For normal passenger car application, . 0031” of bearing clearance would generally be too much.
Too little clearance and you'll have trouble keeping your oil temperatures in check, and a spun bearing is much more likely. On the other hand, if the tolerance is too loose you hemorrhage oil out from around all the bearings.
In regards to performance, generally speaking, the bigger the ball inside the bearing, the better, as increasing diameter has an exponential factor for increasing contact. More contact means more even distribution of forces, and results in better rolling performance and durability.
Some friends have bought ABEC 9 bearings and they tell me that it definitely increases speed.
They may reach speeds of up to 130 km/h.
2 Z / ZZ - Bearing with a metal seal on both sides. Z - Bearing with a metal seal on one side, one side open.
The C code of the bearing indicates how much internal clearance the bearing gets in the machine. Your choice is crucial to prevent your bearings from having too much internal clearance. The size of the internal bearing clearance largely determines the operational performance of the bearings.
What is the difference between 2RS and ZZ bearings? The 2RS are sealed for life bearings i.e. the grease within the bearing cannot get out or contaminants get into the bearing and damage it. The ZZ are just a metal shield to stop larger contaminants damaging the bearing.
Should my toes touch the end of my inline skates?
Finding the Right Fit
The skate boot should fit snug, not loose not like your slippers you wear around your house, or your slip on shoes. Your toes should either barely touch the end of your boot or be almost touching.
The challenge with inline skates is to build your ankle strength as balancing on one line of wheels does put pressure on your ankles and feet. The truth is BOTH types of skates - inlines and quad roller skates - are hard at first as they require balance, core strength and leg strength.
How tight should hockey skates fit? Hockey skates should be snug, but not uncomfortably tight. When unlaced, your toes should just barely touch the toe cap. When standing in your skates with them fully laced, you want your heel snug in the heel pocket, so your toes have a bit of space at the end.
The majority of bearing failures occur because of improper lubrication. Lubrication failure can occur if the wrong lubricant is used, if not enough lubricant is applied, or if the bearing has been exposed to excessive temperatures that have caused the lubricant to degrade.
Squealing & Growling
The classic sounds of a bad wheel bearing are cyclic chirping, squealing and/or growling noise. You can also tell that the sound is related to wheel bearings if it changes in proportion to vehicle speed. The sound can get worse with every turn, or it can disappear momentarily.
Yes, you can apply any kind of lubricant to the bearings. Be sure to dry any excess once you have sufficiently lubricated the bearings.
Bronson Skateobard Bearings are dedicated to their name. They advertise their bearings as the fastest, strongest, longest lasting, longest spin skateboard bearings ever made. Their next generation bearings have really proven popular. Their G2 bearings are Bronson's answer to Bones REDS, an affordable option.
How Often Should I Clean My Skate Bearings? With regular use under normal conditions, you should clean your bearings only once every two or three months. If you skate only indoors and the surface is dusty, you may need to clean them a little more frequently—maybe once a month.
They are able to run without lubrication, have low thermal expansion, are normally low density and have non-magnetic qualities. However, they are expensive, have low load capacities, are sensitive to thermal shock and are difficult to achieve a high quality of surface finish on.
The Bones Swiss Ceramic Skate Bearings are the best money can buy. These waterproof bearings allow you to accelerate quicker and to roll faster/farther than anything else on the market.
How many bearings go in a skate wheel?
A skateboard requires a set of 8 bearings, 2 for each wheel. Almost every skateboard bearing is the same size and will fit on any skateboard wheel and truck. When choosing your bearings, it is important to think about your experience level and riding style.
A skateboard needs eight bearings in total. Four are located in the wheels, and the other four are located in the trucks. The bearings in the wheels allow the wheels to rotate freely, while the bearings in the trucks enable the trucks to pivot smoothly.
They're just about always sold with only one. Apart for the ones meant for Hockey or trick skating, which have none. Speed or high-end fitness skates may also be sold without brakes.
Each wheel has its own wheel bearings, so a typical car should have four sets total. Your wheel bearings have a heavy impact on the handling of your vehicle. It would be extremely dangerous to drive with old wheel bearings, as it may cause your wheels to stop turning entirely and abruptly.
The bearing spacer is a very important, but often overlooked part when people set up their completes. This is an especially prevalent issue with new skaters and first-time skateboard buyers. These little metal "cylinders" will help your bearings by keeping them parallel in your wheels.
Examine both sides of your bearings. If the bearing has only one shield, place the bearings with shielded sides facing in (toward the hanger), and exposed sides facing out. If the bearing is double shielded, it can be set on the axle either direction.
- Find the Bearing Load & Load Capacity. First, know the type and amount of bearing load that your application will place on the bearing. ...
- Know the Rotational Speed of Your Application. ...
- Factor in Bearing Runout & Rigidity. ...
- Find the Right Lubrication for Your Bearings Needs.
A higher rated bearing will NOT make you “go faster”, but the quality of a bearing does affect your roll out. The roll out is how long your wheels will continue spinning after you push off. A better bearing will keep you rolling longer, so you can put in less effort to cover the same amount of space.
This is done so that left-foot dominant skaters can switch the brake to the left skate.