How to assemble skate bearings?

Skateboard bearings allow the wheels of the board to roll and rotate smoothly.

Every wheel on the skateboard requires two bearings each, so eight bearings attach the wheel and the board.

Installation and replacement of these bearings is an effortless task and should be done regularly to maintain smoothness.

This gives an extra boost to the wheel and makes skating more fun.

A detailed guide on installing or replacing the bearings of the skateboard is provided below.

By following these steps, you can easily install the bearings if the old ones are broken in a matter of a few minutes only.

So without further ado, let’s find out How to Install Skateboard Bearings.

Also, have a look at how to clean skateboard wheel bearings.

As skateboard bearings are made with steel or ceramic, there is a high chance that they might rust.

The interaction of water with the wheels is one of the main reasons for the damage.

They might also crack up or seize with excess use.

The old bearings of the skateboard can be replaced, or new ones can be installed in five easy steps.

It is simple once you know the tricks.

If you know the installation process of the skateboard bearings, removing the old ones will be super easy for you.

The replacement or removal of old bearings is the same procedure but backward.

The illustration of these three easy steps is done below:

A total of eight bearings are present on each skateboard.

All of these shall be removed or replaced by following these easy steps.

First of all, the new skateboard bearing shall be placed at the right spot on the skating board.

Usually, the side with the colored shield is placed on the outer edge.

The fit is tight, leaving some parts of the bearing out of the wheel.

This is pressed gently from the metal rim in the downward position, so no space is left in between.

The colored shield and the center of the bearing are not touched.

All eight bearings should be fixed one by one.

Make sure that spacers are put on every wheel during this process.

As you add spacers between the bearings and the skateboard, washers can also be used.

They can help in the fast and efficient spinning of the wheels and reduce friction.

These tiny metal rings fit on the sides and play a significant role in performance.

The usage of washers is an optional step and depends entirely on the personal preference of the skateboarders.

There were a pair of washers, one on the axle and the other on the wheel at the end of the installation.

When the bearings are set at their specific locations, the placement of the wheels should be done very carefully.

The side of the wheels can be set according to what you like, graphics either on the inner or outer side.

A set of nylon lock nuts comes with a board; if not, a set is readily available in any hardware store.

These locks reduce the risk of water damage, thus keeping the bearings and the board dry.

Tightening each nut is an essential step of the installation process as it pushes the bearings down, hence fixing them nicely in their positions is necessary.

A tool might be included in the box with the skateboard; if not, a socket wrench can be used as a replacement.

Screw the nuts until they stop moving and fit snugly into the designated area.

The last step is an essential trick, and once you get hold of it, you can change the whole skating game.

After the nuts have been fixed and the wheels are placed at their positions, the nuts shall slightly be jiggled in a back-and-forth motion.

A clacking sound can be heard from the wheels while you play around with the wheels.

This helps the wheels rotate smoother and faster, hence maintaining balance.

Please read about ABEC 7 vs Bones Reds Bearings.

Which way do bearings go on a skateboard?

The colored side of the bearings is usually kept on the outside during the installation process.

A space will be left between the bearing and the wheel as it has an extremely tight fit.

Should bearings be press fit?

The bearings should be slightly pressed downward from the middle part of the metallic rim.

This makes the bearings fit tightly, but pushing too hard can lead to cracking and failure of the internal clearance area.

What is the tolerance for a bearing?

All the bearings have a specific tolerance level that helps measure the performance.

The bearings with high-speed rotation fall in the P4 and P5 tolerance classes.

Why is bearing clearance important?

The bearing clearance plays a vital role in distributing the load, vibration, and weight equally.

It also helps to determine whether the wheels will move smoothly or faster.

How do you put bearings on a skateboard wheel?

Installation of the bearings on a skateboard wheel is an effortless and straightforward process that only takes a few minutes.

Five easy steps can be followed for the installation process.

Bearings are a dominant part of the skateboard that helps the smooth and faster movement of the wheels.

Like all other equipment, the bearings also need maintenance and replacement with time.

A simple wrench and a few minutes are required for following the five-step easy installation given in the article above.

WARNING! Do not push the bearings in the wheels with your fingers! This can bend the shields/seals and cause poor bearing performance and possibly failure.

Properly installing bearings into the skateboard is one of the most important tasks of the skateboard build. Without the bearings seated properly in the wheels and the axle nuts tightened down, the board cannot roll freely and quickly. It can also lead to pre-mature bearing failure and/or serious rider injury. Here is our step by step guide to professionally install your new skateboard bearings.

Seriously dudes, before getting started, please read all the install instructions. It will help you make sure you understand what you are doing and help avoid mistakes. Mistakes here could destroy your bearings.

Do not attempt to install bearings into wheels without a truck. The truck is going to act as your bearing press. Also, we strongly recommend bearing spacers and speed rings. These make sure the bearings are properly aligned and seated perfectly. If you don't have any, Amazon offers our Dragon Spacers and Speed Rings at a great price.

Getting the old bearings can be very easy (soft durometer longboard wheels are cake) or very hard (hard durometer shortboard wheels can be a pain). However, if you use the truck hanger as a leveraging point, getting the bearings out is much easier. Wiggle the bearing back and forth while on the axle to pry the little buggers out of there. Don't give up!

Have patience and keep at it. Do not press down on the shields. Focus on prying out the bearing with the axle inside the inner race.

Alright, the fun part! If you are installing on new trucks, take one of the two speed rings (small washers) off of the truck axle. If you do not have speed rings on the truck axle, place the following on the truck axle, in this order.

Once you have all the parts aligned on the axle, take the wheel in the palm of your hand with the graphic side facing outwards. Push it into the bearing on the axle, towards the kingpin of the truck.

The goal here is to get that first bearing pressed into the wheel. It doesn't have to be perfect, just get it mostly seated inside of the wheel. We will tighten everything down later to perfectly align the seating.

Seating the bearings is the most important part of the process if you want to go fast. Bearing spacers seriously help with this.

With the first bearing (mostly) seated, flip the wheel over and align the other bearing into the back of the wheel. Press down to seat the second bearing. Both bearings should now be on the skateboard truck axle.

Take the other speed ring and put it on the axle. Finger tighten on the axle nut. Using a ½” socket, tighten the axle nut. Some little clicks might be heard while doing this. This is the sound of the bearing seating into the wheel. It's good.

Once tight, take a bit less than a quarter turn off the axle nut. This should now allow the wheel to spin freely. Make sure the wheel does not have play along the axle as this means it is too loose.

Do this three more times on the other wheels.

Before going out on the street, slowly ride around the garage or house (if mom lets you) to make sure everything is installed correctly. The last place you want to find a problem is when bombing a hill or blasting a trick, so be sure to double check your handy work.

Wheels should spin freely and quietly if the install was successful. Don't worry too much if your wheels don't spin for a long time. There is no load on the bearing, so this is not an accurate depiction of how fast the bearings are.

There you have it! Get out and shred.

Arbor Summit 70mm 78a Red Wheels

You look like a sharp whipper snapper. Learn to assemble your trucks, bearings, and wheels faster than the other guy. Daylight is burning! Build it up and go skate!

You will need:-1 Skate Tool-2 Trucks-4 Wheels-8 Bearings-4 Axle Nuts -8 Speed Washers#1

Trucks come with a hanger, baseplate, kingpin, bushings, speed washers and axle nuts (nylon locknuts). Unscrew the nuts on the end of the axles (the ends of the hanger) and put them aside. Remove the outside speed washers. Place them next to the nuts. There should be 1 speed washer on each axle.

Caliber 10" 50 Degree Black Out Trucks

#2 Grab 4 of your 8 bearings. Each truck gets a total of 4 bearings (2 on each axle). In this step, slide one speed washer onto each axle. Examine both sides of your bearings. If the bearing has only one shield, place the bearings with shielded sides facing in (toward the hanger), and exposed sides facing out.

If the bearing is double shielded, it can be set on the axle either direction.

#3 Next, slide 1 spacer on each axle.

#4Repeat step two with the other 4 bearings. Facing the outside of the bearing (or shield) facing in (toward hanger), and the exposed side facing out (same as in step 2). At this point each axle has one speed washer, bearing facing in, spacer, and another bearing facing inward.

#5 Now, grab your wheels. Hold a wheel in each hand with the outsides facing one another. Press the wheel hubs (middle of the wheel) onto the outside bearings and push inward at the same time. You will feel them lock in to place or hear a click.

#6 Slip the wheels off the axles and examine the bearings in the hub. They need to be sitting flush and snug. If they are not, slide them back onto the axle and try the previous step again. Make sure to push evenly on each side.

#7Now, there should be one bearing in each wheel. The axle should have a speed washer, bearing and spacer still sitting on it.Similar to before, place the wheels in both hands, this time with the inside of the wheel (the part that faces the trucks) towards the hanger. Put the wheel hub onto the axle (it will fit easily over the spacer) and push evenly on each side. The same click or lock in feeling should happen again.

#8Without removing the wheels, check to make sure the bearings are sitting flush to the wheel hub. If they are not, try the previous step again. Don't forget to push with equal force on each side. #9Next, place one speed washer on each axle, on the outside of each wheel.

Then, hand thread one axle lock nut on each axle. Tighten them down until there is no slop, but not so tight that the wheels stop rolling.