Inline Skating in Portland, Oregon and |"Everthing you've always
wanted to know about bearings but were afraid to ask"| bearings
we use in our skates are made up of several parts and pieces:
The balls (generally made from steel). The cage (made from
different materials including nylon, plastic and steel, to keep
the balls spaced properly around the bearing). Ceramic Vs. Steel
Ball Bearings The first difference between steel and ceramic
bearings is that steel bearings have 7 and sometimes 8 balls.
Ceramics have a 9 ball setup. When a load is placed on the
bearing that load is dispersed throughout the surface area and
mass of the balls. When you have a 100lb load being distributed
on a bearing (in a 7 ball bearing) it is distributed over the
balls in the top of the arch, that's about 2- 2.5 balls, or
40-50 lbs per ball. In a 9 ball setup, there are always 3 balls
at the top of the arch, or a load of 33lbs is placed on each
ball. This will reduce the load on the bearing creating less
friction/rolling resistance