what lube?

[Ash P]

apart from KY, what other lube do you guys use?
I've been using 3 in 1 but find after a couple of session thing slow down so i clean and re-lube
I've also heard that veg oil and dry chain lube work well, is there any truth to that?

[Carl Arnfield]

wheres chris k when you need advice on such matters

[andre]

MASers seem to have an unhealthy obsession with this:



that said, DON'T use it on your bearings. the usual suspects will do: bones speed cream, ron's rocket wash, pleasure tools lube, cool cherry cream ... oh wait: not that last.

[wobbler]

Durex do a lube that heats up as you rub it in. Recommended


That is what you meant, right?

[clyde]

i prefer riding dry

[Trevenen]

Just spit on 'em.

Seriously though grease is fine, I have a couple of tubs I can let you have a dollop, one of them even has copper powder in it, fancy eh?

Finer oils seem popular too, as they go faster from the start.. gun oil/sewing machine oil, or purpose made bearing lube like speed cream, which I do have and actually use in my bearings but I have some quality double sealed ones so only need to do it occasionally (like twice a year, seriously.)

WD40 is a running joke here because it's what every numpty thinks works on anything. All it does is dispel water (Water Dispersant = WD) not really lubricate much.. ends up being nasty.

I want to make this shirt:

[Bullet]

Gunslick.

[Hagwag]

I just use some Pedro's dry lube I stick on my mountain bike chain/spikey bits. Big pot is less than a fiver and it doesn't attract dirt/dust/capybaras like normal grease does. 2 maybe even 3 years on my Sendai's and they are still fast and not pitted/grunchy. May not be the fastest for downhill and stuff but does the job for normal skating.

Speed cream attracts muck I find and at £3 a tiny tube it's taking the piss. Think it's just mineral oil rebranded anyway.

[Ash P]

WD40 is a running joke here because it's what every numpty thinks works on anything. All it does is dispel water (Water Dispersant = WD) not really lubricate much.. ends up being nasty.

Yeah, I get the jokes, i'm up on WD and know all about the stuff

I just use some Pedro's dry lube I stick on my mountain bike chain/spikey bits. Big pot is less than a fiver and it doesn't attract dirt/dust/capybaras like normal grease does. 2 maybe even 3 years on my Sendai's and they are still fast and not pitted/grunchy. May not be the fastest for downhill and stuff but does the job for normal skating.

Speed cream attracts muck I find and at £3 a tiny tube it's taking the piss. Think it's just mineral oil rebranded anyway.

This is the main reason i asked, with my motorbiking history and the chain lubes not attracting dirt like other lubes, would this work better? I've also got some wicked stuff called ACF-50 which kicks WD-40 in the nuts and says "who's ya daddy now" might give that a try

[durkin]

There is a man who makes a specialist oil for model rail enthusiasts. He used to work on Spitfires (the planes that stopped us saying Seig Heil as a morning greeting), after the war. He markets his oil as Kendo One-Shot. It's pretty good stuff. I suspected it was whale oil, or it might even be sewing machine oil dressed up with a bit of heratige. But it's good stuff, though he sent it to me in two surgical syringes (the other was a copper based grease) with a bit of tape securing them. Old school, but I feel a bit sorry for the postman! Strongly recommended, but he's an old guy and needs to be treated with a bit of respect. I've just tried a search on kendo and couln't find the Man. So I'll post details when I find the invoice. Kendo brings ups thousands of sites!

[DIFFLOCK]

The ABEC 9s in my ywheels are sealed, no flicking the shields out, so I'll just be using speed lube now and again and jut wiping the crud off when it appears.

[Leanne]

The ABEC 9s in my ywheels are sealed, no flicking the shields out, so I'll just be using speed lube now and again and jut wiping the crud off when it appears.

Some of the metal shielded bearings have little metal clips holding the shields in place. I believe some people call them "jesus clips" because if you're not careful, when you try and remove them, they tend to ping off into the shag pile, leaving you crawling around and cursing as you look for them.

[DIFFLOCK]

A bit like the Jesus nut holding the rotor blades on to a helicopter The bearings on mine appear to have gaps in them around the circumference - some kind of crimping, but no circlips.

[Steve Nicholls]

Speed Cream - because I like Bones and will fall for their hype quite happily

[GrahamS]

Teflon Dry Lube.
bought it for my bike and think I kwill give it a try tonight.
only problem is that it is white and creamy

[LankyT]

Well....... you've(cleverly) spolied my KY joke in advance so i dont know what to post now...........

[Fen]

In 1978 when I was 12 I rode through puddles on my skateboard and my wheels seized up. My stepdad squirted the bearings with WD40 and like magic it worked again. So I have used it ever since. However, as pointed out by Duck on another thread and on this thread I am a numpty as the WD stands for water dispersal so it isn't a lubricant. Also the physical reality of WD40 will not satisfy the demands of my mind.

So how do you lube yours?

[mjlally]

Durex do a lube that heats up as you rub it in. Recommended


That is what you meant, right?

just rub your genitals with toothpaste and use ordinary lube. Or chilli oil, that will warm things up for you...

[mjlally]

I like the idea of a specialist oil like speed cream but what I've been using is 3 and 1 oil out of the little tin rather than the spray can.

[Fen]

But the wd40 seems to work as long as you only give a slight spray. Maybe I am not skating as fast as I think I am?

[Brian S]

But the wd40 seems to work as long as you only give a slight spray. Maybe I am not skating as fast as I think I am?

WD40 great for freeing stuff up, but it flushes out the main lubrication along with any other crap, so extra wear if only using WD40 probably resulting in way shorter bearing life, but they will be whizzy for a while!

people say sewing machine oil (very cheap) is what most bearing lube suppliers use in their products, but who knows really, bearings, bravado & bollocks all the way!

[sam]

I laugh at bearings

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Hell2Pay77/media/SS-trucks.jpg.html

Doh!!...mas still rubbish for pics

[GoR64]

Doh!!...mas still rubbish for pics

Try the IMG link in photobucket

[misterbleepy]

I use white lithium grease - it doesn't leak out past the bearing shields/seals and get gummed up with dirt like oil does.
Comes in a toothpaste tube from bike shops for a couple of quid.

[Fen]

I will give the sewing machine oil a try cos we've got some in the house.

[airwave]

WD40, it does evaporate, but while there is some there it works a treat.
We operate skateboard bearings at a tiny tiny fraction of their rated speed and load.
I used WD40 as the main lube on motorbike chains for years and over 100,000 miles.
Not attracting grit to chains was it's main plus point, and it gives enough lube to the chain to avoid heat build up.

If you have a skateboard bearing clean, with the load we put on them, they'll last long enough.
But feel free to use anything you want in there, just get the races / balls clean and keep them that way.

[GoR64]

Speed cream's great, or PTFE, but for the budget conscious I use sewing machine oil, which is a fraction of the cost and very quick.

[Bleary]

I use Wahl clipper oil. Works fine

[Brian S]

I use Wahl clipper oil. Works fine

I think that's the same stuff as sewing machine oil as well



I got a cheap skate branded lube off Ebay think it was around £1 - 2 & appears to be just the same as Powell's speed cream in look, smell & consistency, Marketing eh!

[irishlostboy]

We operate skateboard bearings at a tiny tiny fraction of their rated speed and load.

true, but I think we put more side load and impact load on them than the original 608z industrial bearing was designed for. I don't think lube helps in that regard, and I think we are all old enough here to know everything we are told about skateboard branded stuff is lies and more lies.
I have used everything in bearings through the early 90s as a poor teenager. I found a clear grease that worked best of the lot. wheel didn't spin when you spun it with your fingers, but the roll was super smooth and long with no rattle when you rode it. No idea what it was though. currently use the bones crap cos my bearings are currently bones crap and as a grown up I just don't care about anything anymore really outside of the argument-fodder it provides.
Has anyone the faintest idea why all the kids are running bearings with no shields on them these days? like I need more excuses to hate them and their stinking youth.

[airwave]

Has anyone the faintest idea why all the kids are running bearings with no shields on them these days? like I need more excuses to hate them and their stinking youth.

Noise,
the groms like the noise it makes.

[airwave]

but I think we put more side load and impact load on them than the original 608z industrial bearing was designed for

The NPB catalogue rates 608 bearings at 508lbs load (dynamic) so if you land on one truck only, max load should be less than 2032lbs or you'll risk bearing damage (except you won't, as there is a safety factor in there)
Max load on the deck, 4064lbs, (about 1.8 tonnes) just for bearing issues.

I'm buggered if I can find it, but IIRC decent spec 608z bearings are rated for continuous operation at 17,500 rpm (under load) and again IIRC good ones are rated at 22,500rpm
which with a 60mm Krtyptonic wheel on would equal, 198 kph or 124 mph on the run of the mill decent bearing, with no temperature issues. typically you are allowed 10% short duration excursions over that.

[irishlostboy]

Wow! that is good info. What is it that buckles and kills bearings if they are so well spec'd?

[HarryR]

Wow! that is good info. What is it that buckles and kills bearings if they are so well spec'd?

Side loads I reckon.

I've noticed that my left back wheel tends to suffer with dodgy bearings first. That's the wheel that hits the coping hardest when doing frontside grinds.

[Brian S]

Yes, sideways loads are the killer for bearings, that's why loose wheels, wheels without spacers etc are more vulnerable, all the bearing specs listed above are assuming they are being used in the regular application manner of just spinning around with top/bottom loads & cranked down only, as in most machine applications

Some bearings are allegedly designed with sideways loads in mind (Bronson's) but that could just be marketing hype

[TonyB]

I use skate lube to lubricate my skateboard bearings. It's not expensive why would you use anything else.

[parker_knoll]

I use skate lube to lubricate my skateboard bearings. It's not expensive why would you use anything else.

because it is expensive, given that analog products are available much cheaper

[parker_knoll]

I found a clear grease that worked best of the lot. wheel didn't spin when you spun it with your fingers, but the roll was super smooth and long with no rattle when you rode it.

Absolutely, the wheel doesn't need to spin. If you use a light lubricant like mineral oil (sewing machine oil and clipper oil are just this) they will usually freespin a lot, and if you use a glunky one like bearing grease they won't. Mineral oil will also leak out faster and offers less rust protection. With grease you need to not use too much or it will start to offer some resistance (e.g. slow you down).

[Jason B]

Sewing machine oil on my bearings, cause its cheap, readily available and works well.

[TonyB]

I use skate lube to lubricate my skateboard bearings. It's not expensive why would you use anything else.

because it is expensive, given that analog products are available much cheaper

Is saving a few pounds really worth it? Don't be daft it's not like your making a significant saving on a bottle of lube that could potentially last years. You'll save the cost of a pint......maybe.

[Brian S]

I use skate lube to lubricate my skateboard bearings. It's not expensive why would you use anything else.

because it is expensive, given that analog products are available much cheaper

Is saving a few pounds really worth it? Don't be daft it's not like your making a significant saving on a bottle of lube that could potentially last years. You'll save the cost of a pint......maybe.

Have you seen the cost of a pint in London!!

[HarryR]

[You'll save the cost of a pint.......

What, a whole £1.80?

That's a lot of money in Yorkshire

[GoR64]

I buy generic branded aspirin too, but this thread's still giving me a headache

[sam]

Hopefully this will make things clearer

[nevertooold]

Hopefully this will make things clearer

Well finally someone with a clear and definitive answer to all those lube queries

[Mike9000]

Hopefully this will make things clearer

Well finally someone with a clear and definitive answer to all those lube queries

Pretty much sums it up

[HarryR]

Hmmm, is that really the optimal solution though?

If the final part of the equation was expressed as r1 over r1+r2 that might offer less rolling resistance at the expense of slightly less longevity?

Just saying, didn't want to leave that unmentioned as some might prefer that choice.

[nevertooold]

Hmmm, is that really the optimal solution though?

If the final part of the equation was expressed as r1 over r1+r2 that might offer less rolling resistance at the expense of slightly less longevity?

Just saying, didn't want to leave that unmentioned as some might prefer that choice.

Hmmm the resistance v longevity conundrum Harry that might require a new specific formulae

[Trevenen]

This isn't the bearing thread we need... but it is the bearing thread we deserve.

[Bleary]

Hmmm the resistance v longevity conundrum Harry that might require a new specific formulae

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—
It gives a lovely light!

Just sayin', like

[wayne-ur]

Not been here in ages.
New people talking same old same old.
Hi Paul,
Lovin your work Sam.

Carry on

Off to the bearing thread now.