Best Longboard Bearings (Review & Buying Guide) in 2022 | The Drive

2022-05-06 19:25:32 By : Ms. Lotus Wang

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Every skateboarder has their favorites parts and pieces, from customized decks to specific trucks to specially selected wheels. Of course, you can’t forget about the bearings. Your skateboard’s bearings are essential, allowing you to ride smoothly and fast. Bearings are the small ports that give your board’s wheels their spin. Bearings come in various sizes, designs, and even materials like steel, ceramic, and other metals — and picking the right ones for your longboard is critical if you want to keep riding smoothly. Which ones are the best for longboard skaters?

You’ll want to choose a high-quality, highly durable set of bearings. And if you’re looking for a quality set of bearings for your skateboard, check out our top picks for the best longboard bearings right here.

Bones Reds Bearings With Spacers and Washers

A complete set of bearings, washers, spacers, and speed cream for speedy riding.

Some bearings may have an internal drag

Inspect on arrival to ensure they’re authentic

Low-cost longboard bearings that offer great sealing and smooth rolling.

 Yellow Jacket Pro Longboard Bearings

Designed for precision and racing speeds, these longboard bearings deliver ultra-fast lubricant and components.

Our reviews are driven by a combination of hands-on testing, expert input, “wisdom of the crowd” assessments from actual buyers, and our own expertise. We always aim to offer genuine, accurate guides to help you find the best picks.

Standard longboard bearings are the same as any other skateboard bearings. You could use them on any board of any length. You’ll need two bearings per individual wheel, and the bearings can be installed alone. Standard bearings are typically made out of steel or ceramic to achieve a smooth, speedy ride. If you’d like, you can add a bearing spacer — which fits between the bearings and your wheels — once your bearing is in place. 

Built-in bearings are more complex and feature more moving parts than standard bearings. In addition to a basic (or standard) bearing, these parts also have a built-in spacer and speed rings. This means you don’t have to add any extra parts of pieces to achieve the right speed and smoothness; they have everything you might need, built right in. Built-in bearings tend to have a faster rolling speed, and they also make it easier to swap out your bearings.

As a leader in the skateboard industry, Bones has been creating skateboard bearings since 1981. With a reputation for quality, performance, and durability, this brand’s bearings are built to ride fast and last you throughout many rides. A premium choice, products like Bones Reds Bearings offer a professional-level ride for any longboard owner. 

With a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee behind every product, Yellow Jacket makes some seriously trustworthy longboard bearings. Yellow Jacket bearings are designed to offer race-level performance at an affordable price any skater can afford. You’ll glide and reach higher speeds with products like the Yellow Jacket Pro Longboard Bearings. 

Zealous takes a more unique approach to create lasting longboard bearings. Featuring rubber seals and custom additions like a special nanoceramic lubricant, this brand’s bearings are more advanced and more specialized than your basic skateboard bearings. Products like Zealous Steel Bearings for Skateboards and Longboards help reduce friction so you get a seamlessly smooth ride every time.

The tolerance level of longboard bearings is measured on the ABEC rating scale. A high ABEC rating means you’ll get smooth, well-fitted results from a particular set of bearings. Lower ABEC ratings may mean your board doesn’t ride as smoothly or as quickly. The ABEC rating also tells you how your bearings will affect your speed, how well bearings can tolerate weight and more.

You’ll find bearings made out of a few different materials, and each material offers its benefits. Steel bearings are popular because they’re elastic and long-lasting; they can resist rust and corrosion too. Ceramic is also a popular choice because these bearings are strong and very smooth. Hybrid bearings made with silicon nitride and ceramic are also an option, and these are made with the toughest bearing material possible.

Some longboard bearings come pre-lubricated — and that can offer you a great advantage. Pre-lubricated bearings help improve your bearings’ performance, and it can help you notice a difference in your ride as soon as the bearings are in place. It can also ensure you get minimal friction right out of the package.

The Bones Reds Bearings With Spacers and Washers offers everything you need to get your longboard riding smoothly and at high speeds. It’s more than a set of basic bearings — it includes eight bearings along with four spacers and eight washers so you can achieve a perfect fit with your wheels and trucks. Each bearing is constructed with a single, non-contact and removable rubber shield so you can easily access and clean your bearings. That rubber shield also reduces friction while you roll. A high-speed nylon ball retainer offers great strength and increased speed too. Speed cream, or lubricant, is also included for regular maintenance. Designed to deliver speed and performance, these longboard bearings will last you for quite a long time. 

If you don’t want to spend a lot on new bearings, you’re going to want to take a closer look at Besiy Bearings. These affordably priced longboard bearings offer quality construction, smoothness, and speed — and you’ll get excellent value out of their performance. Constructed out of carbon steel, these bearings are sealed with double layers of rubber to hold in lubrication. You’ll get eight single-row bearings in each pack, all sized at the standard 608 size. The bearings measure 7 x 22 x 8 millimeters in size, and they can be used in longboards as well as skateboards, inline skates, and more. Once installed, these bearings will deliver smooth rolling and spin for an appropriately long time. Do keep in mind that the lubrication used on these bearings is pretty greasy; that grease can be tough to remove when you’re cleaning and applying new lubricant.

The Yellow Jacket Pro Longboard Bearings offer excellent quality and performance — but where they shine is speed. If you want to ride fast, these longboard bearings are hard to beat. These bearings, which are standard 608 size, are high-precision and high-speed bearings that can be used with longboards as well as skateboards and electric skateboards. They’re pre-lubricated with high-speed racing lube, Yellow Jacket’s unique Ultra-Fast Lube, which guarantees you’ll achieve high speeds and very minimal friction on every ride. Lubricant is even sealed inside the bearings with cool engraved colored seals that keep dirt, dust, rocks, and more away from your bearings. The longboard bearings themselves are made out of premium chrome steel, with a high-speed nylon bearing cage and a stainless steel roller cage. And they’re even backed by a hassle-free money-back guarantee.

Made for longboards as well as skateboards, Trixes 608 RS Skateboard Bearings are a great versatile choice. And when you install these bearings on your longboard, you’ll get a high level of precision, a high tolerance level, and all-weather performance. With an ABEC rating of 9, these are some of the highest-rated bearings — and that means they’ll perform wonderfully when it comes to precision and efficiency. You’ll get 16 bearings per package, and each bearing is sized at 608RS with an overall measurement of 8 x 22 x 7 millimeters. Built for skating in any weather, these longboard bearings are waterproof, dust-proof, and dirt-proof so you can keep riding under all kinds of conditions. And each bearing arrives pre-lubricated with silicone grease so you can easily achieve high speeds.

The Bones Reds Skateboard Bearings 8-Pack includes exactly what you need to take your longboard to the next level. You’ll not only get a set of eight bearings designed for skateboards and longboards but also precision-cut spacers and a stoked tool. The bearings are standard size 608, with an overall measurement of 22 x 7 x 8 millimeters. The spacers are Dragon Spacers, which are designed to achieve extremely tight tolerances of +/- 0.02 millimeters with a 0.405-inch width that’s perfect for 8-millimeter axles. And the stoked tool is a great extra for easy installation — it features a 9/16 inch socket, a 1/2 inch socket, and a 3/8 inch socket so you can tackle the kingpin, axles, and hardware.

The Rollerbones Bearings are a well-rounded choice for longboards. This set of 16 bearings, each measuring 8 millimeters in size, are specifically designed for use with skateboards. They’re skate-rated, with tolerance, materials, and lubricant that are all combined to offer high performance and long-lasting durability. Though these bearings feature an affordable price, they can match the quality level offered by more expensive products. Each bearing is nestled inside a removable high-speed nylon ball case and pre-lubricated with Bones Speed Cream, a low viscosity lubricant that’ll deliver smooth rolling at any speed — and it can enable you to skate faster. You’ll enjoy low to no rolling resistance and smooth results each time you step on your longboard, and they’ll meet your expectations well over many skates.

Well-protected and well-sealed, the Wellgo Skateboard Bearings can resist and avoid problems caused by dust, dirt, and debris. Each pack includes 10 bearings, and the bearings are sized at 608-2RS, or 8 x 22 x 7 millimeters in size. Made out of carbon steel for strength, these longboard bearings can resist deformity even under a lot of weight. They’re built with rubber shields on both sides to keep the lubricant inside and contaminants out, and each bearing is coated with rust protection oil to prevent corrosion. However, do keep in mind that you’ll want to keep your bearings away from water and moisture to prevent rust from forming. These bearings aren’t ABEC rated, but they do work well in heavy-duty applications and are built to last.

The Heady Shake Pro Skateboard Bearings offer something a bit unique — they have just as much style as they do skating benefits. Designed to fit both longboards and traditional skateboards with their 608RS size, these bearings come in an eight pack with four spacers included. Built for speed and smoothness, these longboard bearings feature an unmatched precision design, with quiet rotation, high spinning speed, and lasting durability. They’re even pre-lubricated with a unique lubricant to enhance your speed and the smoothness of your ride. Sleek in their style and covered in a high-quality titanium coating for extra corrosion resistance, these bearings are even reinforced and hold an ABEC-9 rating for excellent tolerance. Even more importantly, they come with a 100 percent money-back satisfaction guarantee.

Zealous Steel Bearings for Skateboards and Longboards are designed to reduce potential friction so you get a smooth skate at high speeds every time you step onto your longboard. Suitable for use with both skateboards and longboards, these bearings are made out of steel for long-term durability. They feature precision 8-millimeter axle holes and 0.5-millimeter built-in speedrings as well as green rubber seals that keep out dirt and debris while you ride. Inside, the bearings are pre-lubricated with a unique lubricant: Archoil Nanoceramic Grease. This lubricant can fill in any imperfections present in the bearings, which reduces friction and heat while bonding with the metal of the bearings. This makes these longboard bearings some of the lowest friction options available, and it prevents corrosion too.

Oldboy Premium Ceramic Skateboard Bearings are standard-sized bearings — but they certainly don’t deliver standard performance. These longboard bearings go above and beyond, delivering excellent results when it comes to speed, smoothness, and durability. You’ll get a complete set of eight bearings, each 608RS or 8 x 22 x 7 millimeters in size, that are made out of ceramic. Each bearing is heavily pre-lubricated to prevent drag, but they do take some time to break in to reach their full smoothness. The bearing balls themselves are designed to be indestructible, with no need to worry about rust, corrosion, or damage caused by dirt and debris. A hard polymer shield keeps your bearings well-protected too, and it also helps make maintenance easier as you clean and reapply lubricant after putting these bearings to work.

Yes, longboards and regular skateboards can use the same bearings. 

To clean your longboard bearings, you’ll need to remove them from your wheels. Use a rag to wipe down each bearing, then let them soak in an alcohol-based cleaning solution. Rinse the bearings and their associated parts and dry them. Then, you’re ready to apply lubricant. Apply a few drops of lubricant and rub the substance all around each bearing with your fingers.

Longboard bearings with a high ABEC rating tend to offer the most speed. The higher the ABEC rating is for a set of bearings, the smoother and more durable they are — and that can result in increased speed for you. Look for a seven or nine ABEC rating to find the fastest options.

When it comes to the best of the bunch, it’s hard to top the Bones Reds Bearings With Spacers and Washers, which are quality longboard bearings that include all the components you need to ride smoothly. If you’re looking for solid quality at a lower price, the Besiy Bearings offer great value for your money. Let us know in the comments which longboard bearings you’ve found to be the best for your board.

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