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In-line Skating FAQ: Wheels, Bearings, and Hop-up kits

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Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2
Archive-name: sports/skating/inline-faq/part12

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   _r.s.s.inline FAQ: Wheels, Bearings and Hop-up Kits_
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                       WHEELS, BEARINGS AND HOP-UP KITS
                                       
Table of Contents

     * Inline Wheels
     * The Bearing Maintenance File
     * Hop Up Kits (axle upgrades)
       
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
Inline Wheels Files

   
   
   (written May 17, 1992)
   (last changed June 11, 1995)
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
   Copyright notice
     _________________________________________________________________
   
  Technical Info
  
   Most standard inline wheels are made mainly of polyurethane. Some
   wheels are designed for sliding and use use a mix of different
   durometers (like the RollerEdge wheels), or plastic rings (like the
   BrakeWheel). Wheels are classified on diameter, hardness, rebound,
   profile and core. Some are even classified by weight. However, most
   often you will see only the diameter and hardness printed on the
   wheels (e.g. 76mm 78A or 70mm 82A, etc.). The profile and core you can
   tell by visual inspection.
   
  Diameter
  
   The diameter of the wheel means simply how tall the wheel is. The
   usual diameters range from 43mm to 80mm. Most common sizes you'll come
   across for recreational skating are 72 and 76mm. Skaters wanting speed
   tend to use 80mm wheels, although 76mm's are used too, depending on
   the skates and racing course and distance. Vert/ramp skaters use short
   wheels with a high durometer to do rail slides. These range from 43 to
   76mm, depending on the skating situation (vert, ramp, rails, etc.).
   
   Generally, racing skates will fit up to 80mm wheels, high-end skates
   up to 77mm (sometimes 80 now), and the rest of the models up to 72mm.
   Although these are the designated max-sizes, skates can often take
   slightly taller wheels than the official specifications. For instance,
   in the old Bauer XF/3's, with the front and heel wheel spacers moved
   in (for a shortened wheelbase), can use 76mm wheels for all four
   positions. Extension modification (i.e., scraping down) of skates are
   need for wheels much larger than the intended size.
   
   In general, taller wheels will let you cruise faster but take longer
   to spin up. Taller wheels also tend to be less manueverable than
   shorter wheels. Shorter wheels are cheaper, but in general don't last
   as long since they have less material to wear down overall, given the
   same durometer. However since many of the small wheels are for stunts,
   they all tend to be sold in higher durometers anyway (they slide
   better), so they won't necessarily wear out that quickly.
   

   70mm               72mm               76mm               80mm
   Average speed____________________________________________Fast
   Quick Turns______________________________________Slower Turns

  Durometer (hardness)
  
   Durometer is a relative hardness measure frequently used for rubber
   and plastic products. There are several scales, with the "A" scale
   (hence the 78A, etc.) used for wheels. The number is the rating from
   0-100, with 0 being no resistance and 100 being very hard plastic.
   
   Note: there is a Rockwell scale which is used for steel. Only one
   wheel uses it now, Pebbles by Kryptonics, with a rating of 50R
   Recreational wheels generally run from 74A to 82A. For outdoors, the
   softer the wheel, the better the shock absorption. The trade-off is
   that softer wheels wear out faster. Harder wheels, since they have
   less drag, are preferred on indoor surfaces which are usually very
   smooth (e.g. hockey).
   
   Some skaters vary their wheel durometer depending on the temperature
   outside. Cold weather will mean the ground is harder so soft wheels
   are more suitable. In really warm weather the road might start
   literally melting, in which case a high durometer setup would be more
   preferrable.
   

   74A               78A               82A               85A
   Average Wear_________________________________Longest Wear
   High Grip____________________________________Average Grip
   High Rebound______________________________Average Rebound
   Low Body Weight__________________________High Body Weight
   Smooth Ride_____________________________________Hard Ride

  Rebound
  
   A higher rebound will provide more response on each stroke. The only
   reference to a rebound scale in the inline industry now is the Bashore
   Rebound, used by Roller Edge. Otherwise, rebound is referred to as
   low, medium or high. The rebound labeling seems to have been phased
   out as not many people seem to compare wheels based on this feature.
   
  Profile
  
   The profile of a wheel is defined by the cross-section of the wheel
   where it meets the ground. All wheels are 24mm thick as an industry
   standard, but the variation in a wheel's "footprint" is what provides
   different functionality. The larger the footprint, the greater the
   traction and stability. Many made-for-hockey wheels tend to have a
   wide footprint for those sharp turns. Racing wheels on the other hand,
   tend to be more tapered near the edges. More recently, FR Progressors
   has developed an asymmetrically-profiled wheel, to help align on curbs
   or rails.

   Wide/fat              Normal profile           Narrow (race)
   Best Cornering___________________________________Less Stable
   Slow____________________________________________________Fast

  Hubs/Cores
  
   The hubs or cores (either term is okay) are very important to the
   overall performance of the wheel. The core is everything other than
   the wheel material. The core holds the bearings and connects to the
   wheel material. Some wheels are open core (spokes showing), closed
   core (spokes covered), or no cores (real small wheels don't really
   need cores.) If the bearing core is slightly too large (as it often is
   for shoddy wheels), it will not hold the bearings tightly enough. This
   can allow the wheel to become "cocked" so that it rubs against the
   frame. Only one wheel needs to be out of alignment to mess things up.
   
   Misalignment is a serious problem, not only because it causes drag,
   but because it heats up the wheel. This will soon cause it to seperate
   from the hub and expand, and eventually destroy the wheel.
   
   The first sign is that the wheels creak as you switch your weight on
   the skate. If you remove the wheel from the frame, you can see an arc
   clear of dirt and dust where the wheel was rubbing. If you notice
   this, put your hands on your wheels after a long fast skate and see if
   any of them are much warmer than the others. If so, they are probably
   rubbing.
   
   This can happen a lot easier on frames like the Mogema and the
   Darkstar that have very close tolerences and the side of the frame is
   close to the side of the wheel. I'm not sure if is as big as a problem
   (or a problem at all) for recreational skates like the Aeroblade. The
   creaking is bothersome in any event.
   

   Closed Core               Tri Spoke Core               Racing Core
   High Wheel Weight_________________________________Low Wheel Weight
   Longest Wear__________________________________________Average Wear

  Axle Kits
  
   Another important aspect of your wheels is the axles. There are
   several axle replacement/upgrade kits (such as the Hyper Hop-up Kit
   and the Blading Edge Kit) designed to let your wheels roll much faster
   than your stock axles will allow. These kits are usually made of
   aluminium or steel. What they consist of is two axle bolts per wheel,
   each screwing into the threaded spacer in the wheel (the part that is
   sandwiched between the bearings). This prevents overtightening, which
   is common with regular axle systems, and will allow your
   wheels/bearings to spin freely. When putting your wheels back, make
   sure the wheels are just snug enough so they don't move around.
   Anything more just increases the friction on your bearings.
   
  Maintenance
  
   Wheels of any durometer will wear out, given enough mileage. There's
   only so much polyurethane on your wheels, while there's thousands of
   miles of asphalt out there. Much less wearage occurs for indoor
   skating, however.
   
   In general, your wheels are due for maintenance when your skates are
   much slower and not rolling as smoothly as when new. The inside edges
   will wear more quickly, which you will eventually notice:
   
   
   
   For those of you without the benefit of a graphics-ready computer:

               |    |                         |    |
       inside  |    |  outside       inside   \    |   outside
        edge   |    |    edge         edge     \   |     edge
               \____/                           \__/

              new wheel                       worn wheel

   There are two things you can do to get the most from your wheels:
   rotate and flip. Rotating your wheels means to switch the positions of
   the wheels. Different positions (like the heel or toe wheels) receive
   varying amounts of wear. By rotating the wheels, you can even out the
   wear on each wheel.
   
   Flipping your wheels means to turn each wheel so that the worn edge
   now faces the outside. This lets you wear down the other edge of the
   wheels.
   
   There are several patterns for wheel rotation. The one you use isn't
   crucial, since there's no "magic" rotation formula that works for all
   situations. The main point is to maintain an even wear on your wheels.
   Often times you may find yourself swapping wheels at random until you
   get a good wearage distribution on your skates.
   
   Some common rotation patterns:
   
   The front wheel is "1" and the back wheel is either "4" or "5".
   

For 3-wheel skates:  3->2, 2->1, 1->3

For 4-wheel skates:  42, 31     OR   4->3 3->2 2->1 1->4

For 5-wheel skates:  5->3, 4->2, 3->1, 2->5, 1->4
                        OR   5->3, 4->5, 3->2, 2->4

   Whiled you're rotating and flipping your wheels, you might as well
   wipe off your skates, rails, wheels and bearings with a damp cloth.
   Some people wipe down their skates everytime they go out, even if they
   don't do any rotation, but I recommend you do it at least everytime
   you rotate your wheels. This keeps the amount of dirt on your skates
   and wheels to a minimum, which helps keeps grit out of your bearings.
   
  Rockering Your Skates
  
   Having skates non-rockered means the axles and wheels are all at the
   same height. This is the way the skates come when you buy then
   (usually). What many skates allow you to do is to change the height of
   some or all of the axles, to provide a different "blade" to skate on.
   Rockered skates then, have the middle two wheels lower relative to the
   front and heel wheels. This is accomplished by having oval spacers
   with an offset axle-hole; each spacer can have an up or down position.
   
   Racing skates are also adjustable, but only in the horizontal
   direction, allowing for a longer or shorter wheelbase.
   
   Although subject to some disagreement, many skaters find rockering
   provides much more maneuverability due to the curved "blade" of the
   wheels. Whether you rocker or not is really up to you. Many hockey
   players prefer to have their skates rockered for sharper turns on the
   court, while racers keep their blades flat for more stability at high
   speeds (rockers at high speed will produce speed wobble). Artisitic
   skaters may also prefer rockered, while extreme skaters may opt to
   keep them flat.
   
   Depending on your skates, there are various rockering configurations
   possible. If your skates can adjust the height of only the middle two
   wheels, you can have your skates flat or rockered:
   

Flat : ==frame==

        1 2 3 4


Rockered: ==frame==
           1     4
             2 3

If your skates can adjust the height of all four wheels then you have
the positions of


short even rocker: ==frame==    (wheels closer to boot, for more
control)
                    1      4
                      2  3

tall even rocker:  ==frame==    (taller, for sharper turns)

                    1       4
                      2  3

front-lift rocker: ==frame==    (a little more stable than regular
rocker)
                   1
                      2  3  4

front-lift,      : ==frame==    (tilts skates forward)
rear-down, rocker  1
                      2  3
                            4

   Wheels run from $3.00 to $10.00, depending on the 5 criteria referred
   to at the beginning of this section. There are many inline wheel
   manufacturers out there: Hyper, Kryptonics, FR Progressors, Senate,
   Labeda, UFO, Cyko, Cozmo, Grizzly Gear, Kuzak, RollerEdge,
   BrakerWheel, Ultimate, Bullzeye, Chaos, Core, Heavy, Kopp, Square,
   Sims and probably several others.
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
The Bearing Maintenance File

   (written May 2, 1992)
   (last changed Jan 6, 1995)
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Copyright notice
     _________________________________________________________________
   
  Contents:
     * General Info
     * Sealed or Shielded?
     * Bearing ratings
     * How to maintain your bearings
          + 1st method : If you don't mind taking off the seals.
          + 2nd method : If you don't want to pry off the seals.
            
   
   
  General Info
  
   Inline skates all use 608 bearings. The "608" means that the bearings
   are from the 600 series, with a 8mm inner diameter (the width of the
   hole, i.e., internal bore). The "6" appears to be for the 6mm
   difference between the inner and outer radii (from the outside edge to
   the edge of the hole).
   
   608 bearings are also the standard size for skateboard bearings. Quad
   skates use either type 608 (8mm internal bore) or type 627 (7mm
   internal bore). The 608's for quads are the outdoor bearings. If your
   bearings have letters following the "608" (like "S", "Z", or even "ZZ"
   or "SS") it is the manufacturer's way of denoting sealed or perhaps
   double shielded bearings. An "RS" label means shielded but that the
   shields are removeable (i.e., serviceable bearings). To make sure what
   they mean you should probably check with the manufacturer, since it
   can vary from company to company.
   
   A little cross-reference on part numbers for bearings, the 7MM ones
   are for quality indoor skates, the 8MM ones are used for in-lines,
   other indoor skates and skateboards.
   

Double Shielded:
        NTN     Fafnir  MRC     ND      SKF     HCH     YW
7MM     627-ZZ  37KDD   37FF    77037   R7-2Z   627Z    60027
8MM     608-ZZ  38KDD   38FF    77038   R8-2Z

Double Sealed (neoprene rubber):
        NTN     Fafnir  MRC     ND      SKF
7MM     627-LL  37PP    37ZZ    99037   R7-2RS
8MM     608-LL  38PP    38ZZ    99038   R8-2RS

   Single shielded/sealed bearings usually delete one of the doubled
   prefix/suffix characters. (Thanks go to George for the above chart).
   
   Bearings for recreational use generally come grease filled. Some
   bearings like GMNs are sold either greased or oiled (but usually
   greased).
   
   Some of the bearing manufacturers are: Black Hole, Boca, Boss, Cyko,
   DF, Fafnir, FKD, Get Your Bearings, GMBH, GMN, Grizzly, Hyper,
   Kryptonics (Russian), M&A Smith Stealth, NHBB, NMB, Powell Swiss
   "Bones", RPM, Sonic, Terminator, Twincam and Yak. (The NMB's are
   common as a stock ABEC-1 bearing in production skates, but they also
   make ABEC-5's). There are many brands of bearings out on the market
   now, although you should know that some are just bearings from the
   same factory, just labeled differently. Some brands are NMB, Powell
   Swiss (commonly called Bones bearings), GMN, Fafnirs, Black-Hole,
   YAKs, Twin-cam, M&A Smith Stealth, (Super) Sonic, Terminator, Hyper
   (Boss & RPM), FKD, NHBB, GMBH, DF, Grizzly.
   
   
   
  Sealed or Shielded?
  
   There are basically two types of bearings: shielded vs sealed. Very
   likely you will have shielded bearings, which all stock skates come
   with (as far as I know). Shields make it hard for dirt and grime to
   get in, but they certainly aren't dust or watertight. For superior
   protection against the elemnts, you need sealed bearings.
   
   There are three kinds of shielded bearings: 1) two shields (metal), 2)
   one metal shield & one pop-out cap for maintanence, 3) two pop-out
   caps. If you have types 2 or 3, you'll have an easier time re-lubing
   your bearings (see below)
   
   Sealed bearings have a teflon or rubber lip seal that actually touches
   the race and come packed with a fairly heavy grease. These are quite
   impervious to dust or water. Rollerblade sells sealed bearings under
   the name Max Trainers. You may find other brands as well. The
   advantage is that they should last a long time without any maintenance
   at all. The trade-off is that these bearings generally cost more and
   you also encounter a much higher rolling resistance. Slower bearings
   are not necessarily bad, since many people like the added resistance
   for a better workout.
   
   
   
  Bearing Ratings
  
   Bearings are rated on the ABEC ("Annular Bearing Engineering Council",
   _annular_ means circular) scale. The higher the ABEC number, the
   greater the manufactured bearing precision. There are no required
   materials to meet the ABEC specifications. The bearings simply have to
   be made to a certain precision.
   
   You may find cheaper skates with bearings not even rated on the ABEC
   scale (primarily on "toy" in-lines and real low-end/kids skates).
   These will often be labeled as semi-precision bearings.
   
   In non-skating applications (like in industrial machinery) using
   higher ABEC-rated bearings lets machines meet particular mechanical
   tolerance or vibration levels, so they can operate at a high speed.
   This is not because there is less rolling resistance, but rather
   because the precision is better.
   
   Whether ABEC-5 bearings will let you skate faster than ABEC-1 bearings
   is still largely debatable. The higher precision may not make a
   significant difference when you're at 10-20mph. Compare that with
   typical machinery that may run at 10,000 rpm (~80 mph), where the
   smallest change in precision can make a difference. Also, the higher
   precision will eventually deteriorate down to ABEC-3 or 1 due to dust,
   dirt and regular wear and tear. Cutting down wind-resistance and
   improving your technique is probably much more effective at increasing
   your skating speed.
   
   However, all this is not to say that there is no reason to buy ABEC-3
   or ABEC-5 bearings. Most ABEC-3 and 5 rated bearings are serviceable,
   while ABEC-1's typically are not. So although you may not be buying
   more speed, you will be getting more convenience in maintanence. 
   
  When to Clean and Re-lubricate Your Bearings
  
   Exposure to dirt and water are the main reason that your bearings slow
   down. Bad bearings will be ones which don't let your wheels spin for a
   respectable amount of time (the definition of "respectable" depends on
   on your type of bearings). If you hear or feel the vibrations of metal
   rubbing on metal, chances are your bearings are in need of some
   maintenance.
   
   If some of the balls or bearing surfaces have become roughened,
   there's basically nothing you can do. They won't get any better, but
   they may last a long time anyway. You can always replace your bearings
   a few at a time.
   
   Take care of your bearings by cleaning and preping them as needed.
   Assuming normal usage, they should last through several sets of
   wheels, depending on how much skating you do.
   
  Replacing Your Bearings
  
   You probably want to replace some of your bearings if (1) any of them
   them have somehow stopped spinning well, despite all the cleaning you
   do or (2) you want to change to different types of bearings (racing or
   sealed or whatever).
   
  How to Take Care of Your Bearings
  
    1st Method: Taking the shields off
    1. Remove your wheels from the skates, and push the bearings out with
       a spare bushing (the plastic/metal part that goes between the
       bearings) or one of the several types of bearing tools available
       on the market.
       
    2. Now there's three types of situations you'll be in: a) If you have
       shielded bearings with pop-out caps (Powell Swiss or Black Hole
       brands), simply pry/pop out the plastic cap on each bearing.
       
       b) If you have other serviceable bearings like Twin-cams or YAKs
       you need to pop out the snap rings (C-rings) before you take off
       the shields (use a small screwdriver to snap out the snap rings).
       
       Shown below are a close-up of the C-ring and shield when you take
       them out. Notice that the C-ring has a diagonal edge at either
       end. There's really only one end that you can pry the ring out
       with (i.e., the end with the pointed edge towards the inside). In
       the picture, it would be the end at the top of the image. (Click
       on either image to see an enlarged version).
       
       
       c-ring image shield image 
       
       c) For non-serviceable bearings like NMBs, GMNs (Germans), or
       sealed bearings, _FIRST_ make this decision: do you want to take
       the shields off?
       
       Some people tell you to never pry off a shield/seal, some say it's
       okay. It's really up to you. In general, if you think you will be
       doing a lot of maintainence on your bearings, you are much better
       off taking the shields off. Whatever you do, the new lubrication
       always helps.
       
     NOTE: if you have sealed bearings you might not want to pop the
     covers since you could ruin the seal integrity a little, which is
     what you're paying extra for in the first place. Still, I have some
     people say they put their bearings back together with no harm, so it
     is possible. For more nitty-gritty on maintaining sealed bearings,
     look at http://www.svi.org/~nates/bearing.html.
   
       
       If you decide _no_ then skip down to the section marked 2nd
       Method.
       
       If you decide _yes_ then carefully puncture or pry off the shield
       (or seal) on one side. Use a very small screwdriver, and pry along
       the edge of the shield until you can get under it and pop it off.
       If this is difficult, you can always push the screwdriver into the
       shield (or tap it through (lightly!) with a hammer or heavier
       tool). You don't need a whole lot of force since the shields
       aren't all that thick or hard.
       
       When removing the covers of entire sets of bearings at once, be
       careful to only take off one cover per bearing. Otherwise you'll
       be left with a shieldless/sealless bearing (which won't last long
       against outdoor conditions).
       
       Once you have the cover off, you should be able to see the ball
       bearings inside, held in place by a retainer (click on the image
       for a close-up).
       
       
       [LINK] 
       You won't need the old metal covers anymore so you can throw them
       away (assuming you're using non-serviceable bearings). They're no
       good anymore anyway since they're probably bent and warped from
       the removal.
       
       In Bones bearings the cap is ALSO the brace, so you won't see a
       brace, but just 7 bearings rolling around. Bones users should
       obviously keep the plastic cap when reassembling their bearings.
       
       NOTE: You don't want to take the ball bearings out since they
       aren't meant to be removed and replaced. Besides, you'll scuff the
       bearings and they won't roll well anymore.
       
    3. Soak the bearings (c-rings and shields too if you've got
       serviceable bearings) in Simple Green or some other biodegradeable
       detergent. DON'T dilute with water! Use it straight from the
       bottle. The detergents are very cheap and you don't need a whole
       lot anyway (just enough to cover the bearings). If you want to
       speed things up a little, put your cleaning container in a larger
       container. Fill the area around the cleaning container with warm
       or hot water but not enough to spill over into the cleaning
       container.
       
       The choice of cleaner/solvent isn't crucial so long as you can get
       all the dirt and old grease cleaned out. However, I'd highly
       suggest using one of the biodegradeable cleaners. They're cheaper,
       safer, easy to dispose of (just let it go down the sink) and good
       for other cleanup tasks as well.
       
       If you do insist on using solvents, avoid low-flash point solvents
       like gasoline, xylene, lacquer thinner, etc. which are dangerously
       flammable. Also wear latex/chem lab gloves if possible when
       handling these chemicals. Solvents are no fun to ingest or absorb
       through your skin. An alternative is to use a pair of tongs or
       tweezers to handle your bearings.
       
       _Soaking the bearings_
       
       How long you soak depends on how dirty and dried out your bearings
       have gotten. Previously maintained bearings won't need to soak
       very long. Bearings that have gone dry and have lots of grit in
       them may need to soak overnight, or even several days.
       
       If necessary use a brush or swirl your bearings around in your
       container to make sure everything breaks loose. Small coffee cans,
       peanut jars, or even those little black film canisters, all make
       decent containers. Dave Woodall (woodall@adrs1.dseg.ti.com) has
       his own way of swirling. He uses a battery operated drink mixer
       and spins his bearings to cleanliness. He says it works really
       fast, so if you like, try it out 8-)
       
       You don't really need large amounts of cleaner or solvent. Just
       enough to immerse your bearings. You also don't need to refill
       with clean solvent with each bearing unless the solvent you were
       using has gotten really dirty. The essential thing is that the
       dirt and grease is broken up. Step 4 will remove most of the gunk.
       
       WD-40 is generally not recommended as a cleaner since it leaves a
       sticky, dust attracting film on the bearings. Note, however, that
       some people swear by WD-40. It has become somewhat of a
       heavily-debated topic, so experiment with it if you'd like.
       
       Ultrasonic cleaners are ideal for cleaning bearings. If you have
       access to one, you can clean your bearings en mass and avoid
       getting your hands dirty.
       
    4. Now rinse out your bearings with hot, soapy water to make sure you
       clear out all the solvent. You now have some clean bearings. If
       they're truly clean they ought to spin real fast.
       
    5. Use a hair dryer to make sure that all traces of water are gone.
       
    6. Now lubricate with your favorite lubricant. Lubricant choice
       always seem to be somewhat preferential. Lots of people find one
       lube that works for them and they just stick with it. It's hard to
       try out multiple lubricants and get a thoroughly accurate
       comparison throughout all types of skating conditions. 1) people
       don't always have the extra money to do so, 2) to change lubes you
       need to clean and relube (unless you have an extra set of
       bearings) and 3) there's still no real good way to measure how
       well a lube helps speed up or slow down your skating. A no-load
       "finger-flick" spin test doesn't really cut it since it doesn't
       entirely translate into the equivalent rolling resistance with
       your weight on it.
       
       Ideally, you'd have an indoor incline and/or flat surface,
       multiple sets of identical bearings for each lube, and you'd see
       which one gave you the most glide. Of course, this still doesn't
       take into account how fast the lube dries or bleeds from the
       bearings, or how easily it collects or repels dust/grime/water,
       and on and on.
       
       In the end, it doesn't make a huge difference unless you're into
       serious racing. Your main choice will be choosing between oil,
       cream/grease, telfon based lubes, (bicycle) wax/paraffin, and
       whatever else is out there. Most people end up using grease or
       oil. Oiled bearings have slightly less resistance, but need to be
       maintained more often (as often as once a week). It is very
       helpful to have a little hypodermic style oiler with a long needle
       to let you put the oil right where you want it.
       
       Grease works well because after a while most of it gets shoved out
       of contact with the balls and only a little bit smears onto the
       workings. However, newly greased bearings, will take a while to
       expel any extra grease and move the rest out of the way.
       
       For oils, although you can use stuff like sewing machine oil, or
       5W-20 motor oil, household oils (3-in-one, etc) may gum up after a
       while. In any case, most mail-order shops sell their own brand of
       lubricant, as do many of the bearing manufacturers (e.g., Bones
       and BlackHole). Although it's not proven these "special" formulas
       are all that better, it's usually only a few bucks for a nice
       little bottle of lube that should last you for a long time. Some
       brands also come in a very handy hypodermic-style dispenser which
       is perfect for putting a drop exactly where you want it.
       
       NOTE: Use only a few drops of oil per bearing! Overlubing will not
       only waste your lube, but you'll also make the bearings more
       sticky and more prone to attracting dust and grime, which is
       exactly what you don't want. Spin the bearing to spread the oil
       around inside.
       
       Let the bearings sit for an hour, and wipe them off.
       
    7. Put one bearing back into the wheel, with the open face towards
       the inside of the wheel. Insert the bushing and then put on the
       second bearing (with the open face towards the inside again). It
       is pretty hard for contaminants to get into the bearings from the
       inside.
       
    2nd Method: Keeping the shields on
    
   First do Step 1 (from 1st Method).
   
   If your bearings are permanently sealed (or you don't want to remove
   the seals) you can still soak in solvent (see step 3) for several
   hours or as long as you feel necessary. Enough solvent should soak
   through to remove some of the grease.
   
   Then you can lubricate the seams and/or press some in with your
   fingers. Enough oil should seep through to lubricate your bearings
   (see step 6).
   
   
   
   _-Tony Chen (adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu)_
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
Hop-up Kits

   Hop-up kits are simply upgrade kits that include frame spacers,
   bearing spacers, and axels. They're made of aluminium or brass or some
   other metal. Some incorporate threaded spacers too. The advantage in
   using hop-up kits is that you can crank down real hard on your bolts
   without compressing the spacers. The stock plastic spacers on most
   skates will compress or even crack if you do this a lot. (more to come
   in this section)
   
   If you want, look at the hop-up kit reviews in section 3.4.
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   *This image is Copyrighted  1994-1996 by Anthony D. Chen. Permission
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   The image may not be sold for profit, nor incorporated in commercial
   documents or merchandise without prior written permission of the
   copyright holder.
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
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Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM