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Ceramic Bearings- Worth the cost?

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JSpinoza
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:40 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 Nov 2006 Posts: 15 Location: Weeki Wachee, Florida
I have a 46 inch long board with 90 mm wheels. I'm considering buying some ceramic bearings, hoping to cut down on friction and significantly increase speed, acceleration, and coasting distance.

I'm under the impression that the ceramic bearings also don't need to be replaced as often as steel ones. If this is true, I'd gladly spend more money on one set of ceramics rather than a few sets of steel.

Can someone who has actually tried them tell me whether or not they feel ceramic bearings are fast enough and durable enough to be worth spending 80+ dollars on?
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del*13
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:46 pm Reply with quote
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Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 12164 Location: Witch Hazel Farm
Balckhart told me they make even slow wheels fast.
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staart
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:05 pm Reply with quote
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I'm ridding Rockin Ron's ceramics for over a year now and they are still the fastes bearings i have.
Cleaned and lubed them a few weeks backs and they good as new.
Worth the money IMHO.

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thugfrm87
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:29 pm Reply with quote
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Joined: 22 Apr 2005 Posts: 2653 Location: Canada
I haven't tried ceramics but want to. I have found out that smaller wheels are faster depending on the size of the hill. They seem to get up to speed faster. Just my 2 cents.
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slob-air
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:46 pm Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 27 Oct 2001 Posts: 63453 Location: S&B HQ
Ceramics rule, but not all ceramics are the same.

Ron's and Bones Swiss rule it. But neither deal with water well—high rust factor on the races as the depth they've been polished to is very deep—.o3 microns in the case of Rockets.

Most other ceramics are crap as they are made out of inferior material. Lot's of ceramic plated garbage out there too.

Check the search function, there's a ton of ceramic bearing threads.

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slavadov
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:33 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 02 Nov 2008 Posts: 3192 Location: Michigan
are we talking about downhill speed? the advantage you're gonna get with ceramics isn't gonna be noticable for downhill...the real advantage for top-end bearings comes from skating transition, street, slalom, or any other skating where gravity isn't a big factor.

the guys out in BC and colorado who regularly break 70mph on their downhill boards are using reds and other "low end" bearings, and they say that those aren't much different than the swiss ceramic mumbo-jumbo.
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skateight
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:36 pm Reply with quote
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Rockin Ron's ceramics, accept no substitute.
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slob-air
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:25 pm Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 27 Oct 2001 Posts: 63453 Location: S&B HQ
slavadov wrote:
are we talking about downhill speed? the advantage you're gonna get with ceramics isn't gonna be noticable for downhill...the real advantage for top-end bearings comes from skating transition, street, slalom, or any other skating where gravity isn't a big factor.

the guys out in BC and colorado who regularly break 70mph on their downhill boards are using reds and other "low end" bearings, and they say that those aren't much different than the swiss ceramic mumbo-jumbo.


I know a lot of the guys who race in BC. Not many junk bearings in use there—lot of ceramic loaded stainless steel.

You aren't going to see K-Rimes running reds. I believe he's running custom ceramic loaded Builtins. Lot of guys running 10mm as well—Skukums and the like. Lots of aftermarket ceramic swapping there too.

Ceramic bearings don't heat up as much as steel, are harder than steel and roll better than steel, ergo, they will out perform steel balls every single time.

I run ceramics on my speedboards and I can totally tell the difference—so can those behind me watching my ass pull away from them.

I suggest the guys that are allegedly telling you that just don't want to reveal their secrets.

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slavadov
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:28 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 02 Nov 2008 Posts: 3192 Location: Michigan
slob-air wrote:
slavadov wrote:
are we talking about downhill speed? the advantage you're gonna get with ceramics isn't gonna be noticable for downhill...the real advantage for top-end bearings comes from skating transition, street, slalom, or any other skating where gravity isn't a big factor.

the guys out in BC and colorado who regularly break 70mph on their downhill boards are using reds and other "low end" bearings, and they say that those aren't much different than the swiss ceramic mumbo-jumbo.


I know a lot of the guys who race in BC. Not many junk bearings in use there—lot of ceramic loaded stainless steel.

You aren't going to see K-Rimes running reds. I believe he's running custom ceramic loaded Builtins. Lot of guys running 10mm as well—Skukums and the like. Lots of aftermarket ceramic swapping there too.

Ceramic bearings don't heat up as much as steel, are harder than steel and roll better than steel, ergo, they will out perform steel balls every single time.

I run ceramics on my speedboards and I can totally tell the difference—so can those behind me watching my ass pull away from them.

I suggest the guys that are allegedly telling you that just don't want to reveal their secrets.

oh...hmm...the guys telling me this are the same guys who are all "dh is a poor kids sport" and going on and on because they have to eat ramen so they can save money to cross the country and race.

on that note, i have ridden the big fancy ceramic bearings on other guys' setups, while they rode the properly maintained reds/lunatics/rons on mine and they've said that my setups are much faster.

buuuuuut, i've never actually run a set of ceramics on any of my boards, cuz i've always been told they don't make a difference.

[/longwindedrant]
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slob-air
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:24 pm Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 27 Oct 2001 Posts: 63453 Location: S&B HQ
There is. It's obvious when you ride them (the real ceramics that is). I suspect some of the racers want to dissuade others from using ceramics because they are expensive and racers go through bearings faster than other forms of skating.

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