Bearings

Inline Skate Bearings

Replacing your inline skate bearings can be an awarding process whether upgrading to a smoother bearing or simply replacing old worn bearings. When shopping bearings at Inlineskates.com you will be faced with a hard decision as we stock a great selection of different skate bearings. With all these different skate bearings to choose from you are sure to have some questions but worry not we have answers. Below are some the most common inline skate bearing questions complete with answers.

Are there different sizes of inline skate bearings?

There are some different sizes of skate bearings but the most popular and widest used size is the standard 608 size. You can still find some smaller skate bearings but for the most part these are no longer used. Double check what you have in your skates currently before replacing but the most common inline skate bearing is the 608 so you will most likely be shopping for this size.

What’s the difference between ABEC inline skate bearings and SG and ILQ?

A couple years ago all you would find would have been ABEC rated skate bearings. Now while shopping you will notice most bearings still use the ABEC rating scale but you will notice Rollerblade using the SG rating and K2 is using the ILQ rating scale. ABEC stands for “Annular Bearing Engineers’ Committee” and simply refers to the rating granted to the bearings by this committee. Rollerblade and K2’s rating systems for skate bearings simply cut out the middle man and they began rating their bearings themselves.

What ABEC, SG or ILQ rating in skate bearings do I need?

This answer needs to come from you as this is based on the skater’s preference. The rating system starts at 1 and goes up in odd numbers through 9. As the rating system goes up the inline skate bearings get a bit smoother and faster offering a bit more performance.

Can I swap my inline skate bearings out myself?

Yes you can definitely change your bearings out yourself. You will want to purchase a skate tool which will offer a bearing popper. Without the bearing popper to safely and easily pop out the skate bearings you can easily damage the bearing, axle or spacer being used. Be sure you do not use a normal screwdriver when working on your bearings, they can damage your inline skates.  Shop inline skate tools here…

There you have it some of the most common questions regarding inline skate bearings answered! If you still have any questions regarding bearings that we have not answered be sure to check out our content section here or talk to our customer service via phone or chat.