Newbie Question- Changing bearings?

[grnmtnvt 18]

I was wondering what changing my Abec 5 bearings to Abec 9 bearings would do for my skates? Speed? Durability?

[poonie 0]

Better speed. Smoother. Less work for your legs. What type of skating are you doing

[grnmtnvt 18]

Just some regular outdoor roller hockey with friends. I have abec 5s and find them painfully slow.

[poonie 0]

You could swap to abec9 look at some swiss bones if you want something really good

[mickz 107]

Just some regular outdoor roller hockey with friends. I have abec 5s and find them painfully slow.

If you're playing outdoors then just stay with the bearings you have now. Higher end bearings will still get gunked up with dirt/dust so you won't notice much of an increase in performance. Just give your bearings a good cleaning and avoid using any sort of lubricant if possible (it will attract more dust and dirt.)

[voxyledbetter 9]

Bones Swiss outdoors would be a waste of $. I kinda agree with Mickz comment that the 5's are fine outdoors, but if you do want to upgrade take a look at Bones Reds.

[Vet88 674]

For outdoors you really want to find a bearing that has sealed metal shields. When they get to dirty throw them away and buy a new set. Bearings like Bones Reds and others that use rubber shields don't keep the dirt out as well and you spend a lot of your time cleaning them. I got much more satisfaction using some cheap Bevo bearings that I just replaced when they fell apart.

[grnmtnvt 18]

Thanks guys. Is there a website or something that give info on when and how to clean your bearings?

[poonie 0]

Just Google how to clean abec5 bearings

[Vet88 674]

Clean them when they don't spin properly. To clean, you can either:

1 - break them down fully and clean each part separately then reassemble and relube. Takes around 5 minutes a bearing once you get into it. As long as the bearings and internal surfaces are not damaged this will return the bearings to as near as new condition.

2 - remove the shields and soak the bearings in some degreasing agent like simple green or isopropol alcohol. Then wash them out, dry well and relube. This doesn't fully clean them but will keep them spinning for you and is quick to do. I know speed guys who soak there bearings in kerosene once a week overnight. This is all they do to keep them spinning.