Wheel And Bearing Help Needed

[theWB 2]

The title says it all. I'm a lifelong ice player who is starting to play some roller. My buddy runs a league and got me out a couple times last year and it was a blast. I can get a pair of boots that are the same as mine for ice (one90's) on the cheap and they fit me like nothing else so I've decided to go the custom build route. I asked my friend for some recommendations but he really isn't dialed into the gear aspect of the game. I've already decided on Mission Vanguard chassis (size small for a 6 1/2 skate) so I'll need some help with the rest. I'll be playing on sport court only so these skates will never see daylight.

First off, wheels. I don't mind spending a little extra to get a good product. I really just want the best value (combination of durability and performance) I can get for my dollar. My buddy swears by Labeda Grippers but I think that is just what comes stock on his skates. Also, I see there are at least four different models of indoor gripper wheels. What am I getting from the most expensive (gripper dynasty 2) that I'm not getting from the least (gripper). From what I gather, durometer is probably the most important aspect. I weigh about 145 lbs. and am not hard on my equipment so what should I go with. One thing I noticed going through the skate conversion thread is that guys don't always use the same model for all their wheels. Are they just different size wheels of the same model to accommodate the hi-lo chassis or do players use different durometers/models on their skates. What would be the reason for this? More grip in the front for starts? More grip in the back for turns? Lastly, I've read that because of the hi-lo setup of the vanguard, sometimes the outsoles of skates need to dremmeled to let the wheels spin freely. Please correct if wrong but the vanguard usually uses an 80 80 76 76 wheel setup back to front. Could I move to a 76 76 72 72 to avoid dremeling? Would I even need to? I assume the adverse effect would be slightly slower speed as bigger wheels would move faster.

On to bearings. Thanks to MSH, I've learned that abec pretty much means nothing and swiss bearings are the way to go. I'm debating between bones super swiss and bsb swiss bearings. Is there a difference between the two or am I going laterally? Also what do you guys use to clean and lube your bearings?

One last question. The vanguards come with short and long sleeved spacers. How do I know which to use?

Sorry for the novel and thanks to all for the info and recommendations. Its awesome to have a community where I can get these type of questions answered by people who not only have a passion for the game but also have a passion for the gear.

[Invert 13]

Lot of questions there. I'll try and take them 1 by 1.

For the dremelling with the Vanguard Chassis, you will not have to. Mission leaves enough space to get the wheels in there (sometimes it has even been said there is a bit too much space.) The chassis with the dremelling is the Labeda Hum'er due to its flat 80 configuration.

The best value for the money in bearings is Bones Reds. They are something like 29.99 for 16. They are made the same as the Bones Swiss, but in China so the cost is less. As for Bones/BSB, I've always found the quality of Bones bearings to be top of the line.

Wheels are everything to do with how big you are. There are a lot of people here who swear by Rink Rat and Revision wheels. I personally love my Rink Rats. I've used the clear grippers and they were much too soft for me, but I am a larger guy. Something to think about is the HockeyMonkey White Lite Rink Rats. If you are only wearing a 6.5 skate, I am betting you are close to the size for these. I don't think you can find a better wheel for the price.

I'm not entirely sure on the spacer question, I think it might be dependent on whether you use 608 or 688 bearings, but don't hold me to that. Someone more familiar with the Vanguard can answer that.

Something else to think about. You can get the Red Star E-Frame here for $49.99 which is a great frame at a good price. It uses a 80-80-72-72 setup.

[fatwabbit 93]

Agree with Invert... you dont have to dremmel if you are using the vanguard. I think the only one that needs it would be the hummer chassis, everything else is ok...

Bones Red bearings are $18 on Hockeygiant the last time I checked... they may have changed the price or run out of stock..

Spacers i think you need the 6mm with the longer sleeve... the other ones will be used for 8mm axles. mission uses 6mm axles

Good luck... post with some pics.

[FatAndSlow 0]

WB,

If you are buying a brand new Vanguard chassis, it will come with both types of spacers )a set for regular bearings and a set for micro bearings)

Hope this helps

[theWB 2]

Thanks for the help and suggestions guys. I didn't think I would need to dremel but I think I did so much research, I confused myself. I went with bones red bearings (thank you invert and fatwabbit) and some labeda gripper dynasty wheels. Also thank you fatandslow for the clarification on the spacers. They should be done in about a week. I'll post em up.