Why longboard spacers

What are your favorite bearings for longboard and why? Share your experience through the comments below and help others with their choice. Have you seen they released a Ceramic version for not that much more? I think that now,i am sure which ones will fit my ride.

Not bad! Some bearings bear the same price tag without the spacers. Many thanks for an informative article. I was just thinking of changing up my longboard bearings. I wanted to see what else is out there besides Redzz.

Great article! Primarily, the bearings of my longboard are responsible for making my board wheels roll. I cannot ride at increased speed anymore even though I push it hard. There is something wrong with my bearings, I have to change them. Bearings from well-known brands are typically well-made and can handle the daily beatings of riding and cruising. It is a small price to pay rather than compromising the safety of my rides by settling for less. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Also Read : Best Longboard Trucks What is the difference between a skateboard and longboard bearings? Inconsistent spacer length Not all spacers are built with precision in mind. Some cheap spacers are not the same length, which can cause additional complications. The solution: Longboard bearings with built-in spacers. This is an especially prevalent issue with new skaters and first-time skateboard purchasers.

These little metal "cylinders" will help your bearings by keeping them parallel in your wheels. This avoids excess side load pressures, fights over-tightening, and prolongs the life of your bearings. Understanding how bearings work is critical to knowing why bearing spacers are needed.

The skate bearing has a few main components:. Below is a picture of half of a wheel, you can see the core inside, and the space where each of the wheels' bearings sit. The narrower center channel is where the spacer would be, between the two bearings' inner races:. This makes sure the inner races of the bearing are properly lined up.

When these are aligned correctly, the balls and outer races also align. When you have the spacer and two bearings aligned on the axle, the tightening force from screwing on your axle nuts is transferred through the bearings and spacer.

With properly sized spacers, this will align the bearings perfectly on the axle, creating the fastest spin with minimal friction. Riding a skateboard without spacers comes with a bunch of problems. If you experience any of these while riding, be sure to make sure spacers are installed. Some companies make things easy and include half-spacers built into each bearing as well as speed rings.

This means you don't have to deal with any extra loose parts. If you have a set of built-in style bearings, you don't need to deal with normal bearing spacers or speed rings as everything is included already. The only downside to built-in style bearings is that they will only work with wheels designed to accommodate them. Currently this is almost exclusively skateboard wheels.

Roller skaters, scooter kids , and rollerbladers will have to look elsewhere. If you are an aggressive skater who makes sudden stops and puts extreme weight on either side of your skateboard, it might be in your best interest to install spacers or buy a skateboard with bearing spacers installed. The main purpose of bearing spacers is to maintain alignment while riding your board. If installed, bearing spacers can help increase the life of your bearings, allowing you to skate for longer without purchasing or replacing your spacers.

If you skate aggressively without spacers, you run the risk of damaging your bearings during kick flips and sharp turns. If you are a casual skater who enjoys riding longboards and other boards that do not require sharp turning, bearing spacers are not necessary. Many longboards come without bearing spacers, opting instead to securely tighten the regular bearings into the wheels of the longboards themselves. Not installing spacers will save you time and money and reduce your chances of unnecessarily harming the bearings in your skateboard.

In addition, spacers can sometimes prevent your bearings from rotating with your wheels properly, especially if you have installed spacers that do not perfectly match up with the size of your bearings.