Bearings are at the heart of roller-skating, and it does makes sense that many people ‘follow the white rabbit”, when trying to answer the question of which bearing provides the best rolling experience.

A bearing consists of two stainless steel races, an inner and outer race, between which rest a number of evenly spaced stainless-steel or ceramic ball bearings, kept in their place by a steel or polymer bearing cage. The bearing is designed to minimize rolling friction and influence a skaters acceleration and deceleration rates.

The quality of manufacture is very important to provide a durable product with as little rolling resistance as possible, all whilst under the load of the skater and their movements.

The most visible design difference between skate bearings are:

1. The size of the bearing.
2. The size of the axle.
3. The number of balls.
4. The type of bearing cage.
5. The sort of bearing shields used to protect the bearing from dirt buildup.

The most common sizes for skate bearings are the 608, 627, 688micro and Bonts 167micro. The three numbers relate to the bearings dimensions. The last number is the size of axle accomodated by the bearing. There are a few different adapters available to enable certain combinations, however, it is typically recommended to choose the right bearing size for your axle and wheel, and then choose the number of ball-bearings dependent upon your application.

Most Slalom/Freestyle frames and wheels use the type 608 bearings as they have axles 8mm in diameter.

608 bearings come in 6-ball, 7-ball and 8-ball types. Which one to use depends on the type of forces you will exert on your skates. In practice you are unlikely to notice the differences without constant use and comparison. There is also no point in taking the gospel word of other more experienced skaters unless they use skates for the same purpose  that you do. There are for instance many skating forums devoted to speed skating that will argue which bearings are best, yet if they are not loading the skates in the same way as you in your slalom practice, their info may not lead to any significant difference in your roll other than to lighten your pocket.

One feature I always look for in a bearing is removable polymer bearing cages. This makes it easy to disassemble your bearing for a thorough clean. This can maximize your investment, helping to reduce how often you need to replace bearings.

For further info, please check out user reviews on specific bearing types experimented with, and also our page on how to clean your bearings. We would also love to hear about your experiences to better serve the knowledge of the group.