Fountain Valley Skating Center
9105 Recreation Circle Fountain Valley CA 92708
714-847-0022 * info@fountainvalleyskatingcenter.com

Guide To Buying Skate Bearings

Fountain Valley Skating Center's pro shop offers the best quality skate gear at affordable prices. Our highly-trained staff is available for consultation to provide the best product for your specific needs.

YOUR PART NUMBER

Skate wheels turn freely because of an anti-friction device called a bearing that is inserted between each wheel and axle. The type of bearing used in roller sports equipment is known as a "miniature deep groove ball bearing". Here are the part numbers of the bearings used most often in skates, skateboards, and scooters:

Inline Skates
The most common bearing used for inline skates is the 608 bearing with an 8 millimeter hole, 22 millimeter diameter, and 7 millimeter width. Some of the newer fitness and speed skates come with 688 and 698 micro bearings. The purpose of using micro bearings is to make the skates weigh less and thus make them faster and more comfortable.

Quad Roller Skates
Artistic and recreational quad skate wheels usually use a 627 bearing with a 7 millimeter hole. Some speed quads also use 627 bearings, but some of them use 608 bearings with an 8 millimeter hole.

Skateboards and Scooters
Skateboards and scooters normally use a standard 608 bearing. This is the same bearing that is most often used for inline skates.

BEARING OPTIONS

When you shop for bearings, you will find out that knowing the above part number (608, 627, 688, 698) is not enough. Many different options are available. Those options will be discussed in more detail in future articles, but here are a few of the decisions you will need to make:

• Bearing Material: Steel or Ceramic
• Bearing Size: Standard or Micro
• Bearing Tolerance: Is ABEC Important?
• Bearing Covers: Sealed or Unsealed
• Lubrication: Grease or Oil

ABOUT BEARING PART NUMBERS

Bearing part numbers are codes that can tell you a lot about the bearing itself. For example, the last one (or sometimes two) digits of a part number will tell you the inside diameter or hole size of a bearing. A 627 bearing has a 7 millimeter hole size and a 608 bearing has an 8 millimeter hole size. Special coding is used for hole sizes above 9 millimeters.

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