\nBuying Skateboard Bearings<\/a><\/strong> for a skater is like buying boardwax for a surfer – they’re the perfect stocking filler.<\/p>\n
So whats a bearing? Well basically in the middle of all skate wheels is a cutout which has the job of housing and protecting two sets of ball bearings. The purpose of these bearings is to stop friction between the axle and the inside of the each wheel as you skate around and these spin. You need this because the axle is in a fixed position.<\/p>\n
Bearings have flat sides and are circular in shape. Inside each one is seven, eight or nine lubed up balls. They are engineered to disperse the weight of you skating and ease friction between the axle and the wheels. There are two main types of bearing, steel and ceramic. I’m gonna point you towards the differences. <\/p>\n The balls inside the bearing are typically made of steel making them are durable and pretty cheap to make. For your average skateboarding Joe, steel bearings will work a treat.<\/p>\n If you are careful and keep your bearings dry, lubricated and clean, they\u2019ll work even better and can last for a long time. However what can happen is the friction between the axle and the wheels will produce energy, which will eventually heat up the steel, causing it to expand and making the bearings perform poorly. <\/p>\n![\"bearing_exploded-lg\"](\"http:\/\/wildtide.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bearing_exploded-lg.jpg\")
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\nExploded view of a bearing courtesy of Bones Bearings<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nSteel Bearings<\/h6>\n
![\"IMG_0513EC\"](\"http:\/\/wildtide.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_0513EC.jpg\")
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