Does taking the shields/caps off bearings really make them faster?
People have told me tht it duz and a lot of people I know are doing it?
I just want to know as I want more speed
P.S i have bones reds if tht makes any difference.
Thanks

i beleive they do but it screws up the bearings faster.

yea probs seeing as how theres less friction but there wont be much of a difference and infact will slow u down in the long run seeing as how ure immune to dirt more.

i wouldnt do it!

I'm pretty sure it doesn't. Its just easier to clean, and makes more sound.

It might mess up your bearing.

Uhm no it doesnt. It just makes your bearing dirty, which can cause it to slow down.

The shield or the ball spacer inside the bearing? I'm pretty sure that if all is clean in the core of the wheel, that putting the open side of the bearing facing inwards couldn't harm it. I don't think it'll make it faster since the shields don't come in contact with the inner race, so no friction is made.

If you remove the ball bearing spacer, it will make it faster, however they won't last for a long while. Here I'm talking about 1 day max. All the balls will collect to one side of the bearing allowing the inner race to become loose of the outer race. If this happens to both bearings in the wheel at the same time and you turn, the wheel will roll of, the balls of your bearing will go away and you might loose the inner and outer race... If you've practised enough, you might be able to put the balls into the outer race, then put the inner race to fix the bearing, but remember you'll end up with 6 balls, not 7 like when they were intact, since it's almost impossible to put in all 7 balls by hand. You could get a Bones Super Swiss Six ball spacer or cage (designed for 6 balls) off Skateone.com, but I'm not sure if this would fit...

Sorry for the large explanation!

Cheers =)

Christ, I remember I was cleaning my bearings once and I removed the cage by accident - as you said, jayadams, the balls collected to one side and fell out. I tried for two hours to get the damn balls back inside the bearing.. but to no avail. I ended up buying a whole new set. Now I have 7 spare bearings, just in case :)

Christ, I remember I was cleaning my bearings once and I removed the cage by accident - as you said, jayadams, the balls collected to one side and fell out. I tried for two hours to get the damn balls back inside the bearing.. but to no avail. I ended up buying a whole new set. Now I have 7 spare bearings, just in case :)

A bearing has seven balls right (except for Bones Super Swiss 6's). If they fall out, it's almost impossible to put all 7 back in. With some practice though (take an old bearing), try put six balls inside.

www.skateone.com has spare parts for bearings, including cages (set of four cages costs 2$). Since Super 6's have 6 balls instead of 7 like all other bearings, you might want to try using that cage for your bearing. I never tried it before, and it might not work, but it only costs 2$, so if it works, not much is lost.

Cheers!

They're there for a reason.

it will make them more vonerable (spelling) to bad stuff

Nope, just like everyone else said, it will make them more vulnerable to dirt, dust.. etc etc.

I've actually heard mixed views on this, and this is from guys who are sponsored by Vans etc... (My summer job rocks :P)

Anyways,

Taking the shield off the bearing I wouldn't reccomend if it's a good bearing, like say, abec 5+ or so, any lower then definitely, but in the end it's your call. What I will say is this. Don't do it when your bearings are new. I don't know anything about going faster, but with new bearings, the shield keeps dirt from getting in, and the oil from leaking out/getting contaminated. However, (and this is what I've heard from some of the guys at work) when your bearings are older, and the shield is a little worn, pop it off.

The reason?

Though it'll allow dirt etc... to get into your bearing, it also comes out a lot easier, especially if you WD 40 em (No, WD 40 doesn't rust/kill your bearings, it's an anti-rust lubricant, think for a second, what it will do is make them louder, but your bearings are old anyways right?). That's why if you WD-40 your bearings and then ride a bit, you get those black streaks stretching out over your wheel, it's cleaning all the dirt out. So yeah, don't take shields off if they're new, but old is fine.

And like jayadams said, never remove the spacer, haha.

dirt is always bad on bearing surfaces. the fastest bearings will always be new bearings...

or you could just get stronger legs :)