Best Bearings For Longboards (Top Picks In 2023)

Every longboarding lover dreams to glide freely. In order to fulfill your dream the only key is to get the best longboard bearings.

Our Top Picks

 

Bearings? Yes, these small circles are the most important part of a longboard to affect your speed. Bearings are the most effective components for speed as compared to any other part.

Best Bearings For Longboards 2023

To ensure your experience to be a fun filled adventurous ride it is very important to buy the perfectly matched bearings with your needs and longboarding style. To help you out, here are a few premium, tested and tried brands of bearings. I hope this will be helpful for you.

The bearings only weigh about 0.3 pounds to keep the whole equipment lighter. These are ball bearings with small lubricated balls moving to give you high speeds. These balls are already lubricated with Archoil Nanoceramic grease which makes it smoother.

The bearings have a smooth feel and are made with alloy steel. Alloy steel makes the bearings strong enough to even work at a good speed. The bearings are unbreakable and non-corrosive to an extent. Precision 8 mm axle holes are used so that the bearings have an increased tolerance and can easily move with more speed.

The pro bearings come with 0.5 mm built in speed rings which give more space to balls for moving, giving you a high gliding speed. The whole structure is covered with green rubber seals which keep the dirt and sticky materials away from the bearings which makes it more durable.

The box has eight premium longboard bearings with four washers and eight spacers. These bearings come in a size of 3.15 inch * 3.15 inch * 1.18 inches and weight about 0.26 lbs.

The balls are made up of ceramic. Ceramic balls are built to work more precisely and move at a good speed. The balls are protected from titanium steel rims which provide safety to the balls and give free space to the balls to move.

Mixture of these materials make the bearings corrosion resistant, giving it durability. The bearings are made at a level of ABEC-11 making them one of the superior bearings having high tolerance levels.

Each bearing comes in a dimension of 2.99*2.99*0.94 inches. Each bearing is 13 mm thick. The premium longboard bearings are made with steel which gives them strength to take weight at high speed and also makes them unbreakable.

Nylon strips are used to give them flexibility as well as support. It also acts as a barrier for dust. The bearings have a top precision at the level of ABEC-9 and can give a smart, efficient and speedy ride.

It comes in a size of 7*22*8 mm and in a pair of eight. It also has oldboy cool stickers for your longboard to show the use of oldboy bearings. The bearings are made of ceramic and steel.

Each bearing has seven balls made up of ceramics. Being made of ceramic, the balls do not catch rust and keep on moving with pro speed. The bearings are already lubricated to resist friction damage and damage occurred due to water and from wear and tear.

These bearings make you perform like a pro due to its nylon cage. The nylon cage protects the bearings from external particles like dust. It also plays its role in maintaining the shape of the bearing.

There is also a logo sticker inside to abolish the longboard. Each premium bearing comes in a dimension of 5.59*2.01*0.59 inches and is lightweight with only a weight of 3.84 ounces.

Nylon bearing retainer with ceramic bearings inside is a pro pair to get a premium bearing feel. Nylon ball retainers also work great to move at a good speed.

 Ceramic bearings do not corrode while nylon keeps it protected from dust. Removable rubber shield makes it easier to clean and wash the bearings. It is also easy to lubricate the bearing balls.

In the package each bearing comes in dimensions of 4.5*4.3*1 inches and each weighs about 2.4 ounces. The bearings come in a set of four, enough for the whole longboard. Each bearing comes in a blue color representing its strength. Each and every part of the bearing is properly finished.

The bearings are composed of steel hence are very strong. These bearings can take a good amount of weight, hence making the longboard good for heavy borders. The bearings are easy to clean and to lubricate. The pro bearings can make the wheel move at a fast speed more efficiently.

Every blue bearing is pre lubricated hence is easy to lubricate for the next time. It is good and meets the standards and is rated as ABEC-7. The chrome blue shields present outside the bearings are easily removable. These removable bearings are easy to clean and can be lubricated easily.

Each bearing has an inner diameter of 7 mm with an outer diameter of 22 mm. It is about 8 mm in height and weights about 0.494 ounces. The bearing is referred to as a ball bearing. It is made of chrome steel. Chrome steel makes it strong and durable.

The balls of the bearings are lubricated with grease so that it can move smoothly at a fast speed. Its strong composition resists deformation. The bearing is covered with a rubber shield. This rubber shield acts like a lock.

The rubber does not allow dust particles to enter , which increases its life. It also plays a role in locking in the lubricant which enhances the speed. All these pro features combine to make it a premium bearing rated as ABEC-11.

Best Bearings For Longboards-Buying Guide

In order to get the best bearings which properly compliment your skating style and fit perfectly with your longboard. To get the best bearings it is important to know the detailed parts.

Basically bearings are made with five parts.

• Bearing balls
• Closures
• Outer ring
• Inner ring
• Ball retainer

Each part comes with its own importance. A slight change can affect the working ability of bearings. These bearings are responsible for the whole movement of the wheel. Each part comes in different variants. We will try to choose the best variant.

Bearing balls

These are made of two types. Ceramic and steel. At this point the question raised most is which material ball should be used. Ceramics are considered to be superior than that of steel balls. The ceramic balls are stronger than that of steel balls hence are very expensive.

Basically three different ceramic materials are used to manufacture the bearing balls. Silicon nitride is the most used and the hardest material used while manufacturing. The silicone is present in the form of powder. When the ball is structured the outer surface cools down but still the inner one remains as powder.

Use of bearings with silicone looks impractical. It breaks on the vertical load, which is mostly done while longboarding. The other fact to discuss is that when we say ceramic bearings, it only means that the balls are made with ceramic material. The outer rings are still of steel which can catch rust. Hence, spending on these would be a waste of money.

As compared to ceramic bearings, steel bearings are more effective. They are hard and do not change shape if any load is applied. The only advantage ceramic has over steel is that it does not catch rust. But the point is that the outer surface is still able to catch rust. It would be hence best to buy a low price steel bearing.

Closures

These are the protective covers of balls. The main function of closures is to stop the dirt and debris from entering the bearings. The debris that goes inside can harm your speed and gliding experience on longboards. Closures mostly come in two types. Bunna rubber and metal shield.

Metal shields are classified in two types. The one which is removable is called a removable shield. It allows you to clean the inner bearings but loses its grip with time making it useless. The other type of shield is pressed in non-removable shield. It does not allow any maintenance and is covered with a c- ring so not recommended.

In such cases bunna rubber is widely used. It closes the lubricant inside the balls and keeps them moving. Bunna rubber is also divided into two types. One is slightly close and hence is the best to keep lubricant inside the balls. It is called slight touch rubber.

Outer ring

It is the outer steel path for bearings to move and the inner ring is the inner steel path of bearings. Both the rings are joined by bearing balls. Both the rings tend to separate on continuous movements of balls so It is better to use bearings with spacings to prevent breakage.

Ball retainers

These are specifically used to keep the balls of bearings at a correct distance. Ball retainers are available in two types known as crown and cage. Crowns are removable while cage retainers are not. The materials used for manufacturing also count.

Retainers are made up of steel, nylon and brass. If you are a bit heavy you should use steel retainers as they can bear weight but if you are not chubby consider nylon retainers first as they can give you a fast speed due to less friction.

ABEC Rating

Basically ABEC rating is the system to grade the bearings. It is specifically designed to choose the correct bearing for your longboard by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee.

The abec rating system comes with ABEC 1,3,5,7 and 9. With the increase in the number, tolerance of the bearing towards weight and speed increase. Tolerance also directly affects the runout and roundness etc.

The ABEC 1-3 have lower tolerance but still good to work with your automotive applications and electric motors which do not need speed. The ABEC 5-7 comes with more tolerance and can move at more speed with precision. They are used in machining tools where more speed is needed even with more tolerance of weight.

How do ABEC ratings matter in longboards?

If you want to move with more speed you need the bearings with more ABEC rating to meet your tolerance requirements according to speed. If you are a slow mover you can go with the lower ABEC number.

Maintenance

To increase the life of your bearings it is mandatory to keep your bearings maintained. The maintenance process of bearings consists of two steps.

• Lubrication
• Cleaning

Being new or old, used more or used less it is very important to lubricate the bearings. Lubrication keeps the bearings running. For the purpose of lubrication, use any of the well known lubricant and follow the directions given on it.

Cleaning

It should be carried out whenever you see that the bearings are dirty or they start to work slowly. Cleaning can be carried out with the help of different procedures. Take a jar and fill it with cleaning water or any other type of cleaner. Put your bearings in it and close the lid of the jar.

Shake the jar vigorously so that the cleaner may reach each and every curve. The other method is to open it and clean each and every part of the bearing with liquid and clean it, dry it and lubricate.

Bingo!  You have done the job. Put them back and try a clean ride.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Here are a few bearings which are my favorite and referred to as the best pro bearings.

Oldboy Premium Ceramic Skateboard Bearings: is one of the premium longboard bearings. The bearing can give you an awesome ride smoothly at a good speed. If you are looking to get the best bearings for your longboard put your hands on oldboy bearings as they are the best.

Zealous Bearings for Skateboards and Longboards: are one of the premium longboard bearings. They can compete with any expensive bearing brand. Buying this would not be a bad choice.

Zsling 8 Pack ABEC-11 608ZB Skateboard Bearings: are rated as ABEC 11 due to their foremost features. All of the material used in manufacturing is to increase the durability. Buying this would not be a waste of money.

Hope now you will be able to buy the best bearings for your longboard.

Learn More:

1). Best Wheels For Longboards

2). Best Longboards For Cruising

3). Best Snowboard Brands