Jason Mitchell, Seismic Nationals 2007, Hybrid Slalom.  Photo by Greg Fadell Northern California Downhill Skateboarding Association
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Speedboarding (19049 Posts)
Topic Speedboarding
eXkate spacers/washers
On 11/4/2000 Hamm wrote in from (63.29.nnn.nnn)

craig,
talk to whoever sold you the exkates, they should have known & told you about the 12mm spacer. For a long time exkate just provided the 12mm spacers, but recently stopped for some stupid reason.

And finally Randal has discontinued the old single thick
washer and now provides 2 nice thin speed rings. Although another mm or 2 of axle would be nice when running Turbos or Cherrys, its a better fit than it was.

Dave

 
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Randal r1's
On 11/4/2000 Herbn wrote in from (216.107.nnn.nnn)

Just went to a more casual hill, 40mph absolute max, excepting full aero-gear, a cop drove by as i was walking up(board in D.L.finger tow)just drove right by,see if that happens if you're wearing a alien speed suit,anyway,maybe it was the headwind but my R2/aluminator set up was just kind of unexciting,am i doomed to a 40mph+ adrenalin junkies' life,or will the carving cruise become interesting again,tune in for more info;later.

 
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cherries / spacers
On 11/4/2000 shnitzel wrote in from (24.65.nnn.nnn)

had the same problem. recieved my bombs a few days before the Barrett race and sure enough i'm shimming up spacers with washers between the bearings to make up the slack. They should supply the spacers with the wheels (what's 25 cents?) or at least make consumers aware they need different spacers before they get the wheels home all antsy to try them and...........

 
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the spacers, the bombs and the randalII
On 11/4/2000 clayton wrote in from (130.212.nnn.nnn)

i had the spacer problem too, this is how i solved it: 1. call excate and tell them to send the proper spacers, they will and they work fine. 2. throw away that thick speedwasher that comes with the randalII. 3. replace it a with nice little speedwasher from Indys or so. this will enable the nut to be tightened all the way to the nylon even if used with the c-bombs.
i don't put any washer on the nut side of the axle since the nut acts like a washer itself.
wouldn't it be cool and helpful if excate would at least mention that their turbo wheels and cherrybombs require different spacers, instead of letting their customers find out by themselves. it took me two weeks to get my spacers from excate, in the mean time i used a regular spacer and two speedwashers between my bearings, which worked ok as a temporary solution.

cheers, clayton

 
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Spacers/Washers
On 11/4/2000 Chris Chaput wrote in from (63.168.nnn.nnn)

The Exkate wheels use spacers that are a little wider than most, they're 25 cents a piece (a buck a board). I don't use R-II's on speedboards, Cherry Bombs and Turbos fit just fine on the Downhill Trucks. Eric is featured in Gravity Games stories on MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/news/473190.asp and http://www.msnbc.com/news/476250.asp I beat him in the 2-man quarterfinal up in Seattle but I think it had more to do with aerodynamics than with spacers but you never know ;)

 
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spacers
On 11/3/2000 craig wrote in from (196.34.nnn.nnn)

Ok...that's what i used to think!

Then I got a set of RII's and a set of exkate turbos. The exkate turbos take a spacer that is wider than in any other wheel i've used, and i could not find such a spacer anywhere.

On top of that I remember that putting speed washers on either side of my bearings left too little space to tighten the lock nut down to the nylon???????

Then Eric Lee convinced(sort of) me that spacers and washers are just a waste of time. I wasn't too sure, but that was a much more convenient way of doing things, so that is how i've been running lately.

So how does everyone deal with the lack of space on the axel, and the spacer size????

Craig

 
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Spacers & Washers
On 11/3/2000 Chris Chaput wrote in from (63.168.nnn.nnn)

I use spacers in the wheels and speed washers on both sides of each wheel. On trucks with bearings in them (for floating axles) I put speed washers on that rest against the bearing on each side of the hanger. I then tighten up the locknuts so that there is no slop. This may prevent the wheels from spinning for a long time by hand, but having the wheels spin true and without slop or vibration while riding the board is what ultimately scrubs less speed.

For those not familiar with speed washers, they are tiny, thin, low profile washers that are used to put a small amount of metal between the part of the bearing that hugs the axle and a locknut or hanger. Larger washers, locknuts and hangers can rub the sides of your bearings and create friction.

 
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When Kludy speaks
On 11/3/2000 Herbn wrote in from (216.107.nnn.nnn)

I listen,sounds like his advice might be right on,the hot bearing sounds kind of freaky,but realistic.

 
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TESTING - STANDING OVER BEARINGS
On 11/3/2000 KLUDY wrote in from (64.12.nnn.nnn)

I got a chance before the snows come to bomb the fast part of Laguna Mountain today, and let me tell you the bearings was a big deal.To know that my bearings had just the right amount of oil in them.I test alot and one bearing had very little oil on it and was very HOT when I stopped .I have not ran them dry YET I guess making it to the bottom at 60 mph plus is worth putting oil in my bearings.I feel its not the bearing it is the oils you use in them. Standing on a peace of wood going that fast I look for the amount of oil and what kind of oil to use.The plastic capped bearings are not good for cleaning.

 
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SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL
On 11/3/2000 JONNYX wrote in from (213.123.nnn.nnn)

Spacers and washers are essential not only for a smooth ride but also to keep your bearings in good condition. I personaly use them all the time whatever flavour of skating pie I am tucking into. tighten them right up and loosen off just enough to let the wheel roll free without sideways movement. enjoy

 
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spacers and stuff
On 11/3/2000 craig wrote in from (196.34.nnn.nnn)

Does anyone have an opinion on the use of washers/spacers. I used to use both because it seemed like a good idea to tighten the nut onto a washer on an inner bearing rim thingy,on a spacer etc.

(Mikez...if you're floating around the internet, i just got in and youre welcome to call as late as about 11:45.)

 
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Nursery Rhymes
On 11/3/2000 Herbn wrote in from (216.107.nnn.nnn)

And all the kings horses and all the kings men,couldn't put Humpty's bennett baseplates together again.

 
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bearing goo, heat
On 11/2/2000 roger wrote in from (198.206.nnn.nnn)

The gel/grease/goo in bearings is much slower in cold temperatures, but will get much faster after they have warmed up. It takes about 10 minutes of riding to warm up my inlines. Ironically it is heat that is a pretty good sign of how effective a bearing is - good bearings do not get as hot because they have less friction, an ideal bearing without friction would not convert any energy to heat.

 
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Bearings for speed
On 11/2/2000 Chris Chaput wrote in from (63.168.nnn.nnn)

It seems to me that when you first get a set of bearings and there is a thick lubricant in them, they don't spin for a long time because the weight of the wheel isn't enough to overcome the friction caused by the goo. As soon as you ride the damn thing, the lube thins out and spins out and will spin longer but still not as long as an old bearing with practically no lube in it. I personally think that this "spin test" is worthless and doesn't tell you a damn thing about how well the bearing will perform when your ridin down a hill. I have bearings right now that spin forever but snap, crackle and pop when I stand on the deck and turn. I also think that wheels left too loose on the axle scrubs more speed than tightening them down to where they don't spin as well, but also don't offer any resistance while rolling.

Some of you may remember the story about the Princess and the Pea. Her sense of touch was so acute that she could feel a pea placed underneath forty matresses. I'm no princess. I couldn't tell you the difference between a swiss and an ABEC-1 in a blind test, and neither can anyone else but the Princess. One more thing. The Emperor is wearing no clothes.

 
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standing room only
On 11/2/2000 Pre-School Rider wrote in from (209.198.nnn.nnn)

Kludy,I realized that my post was in the wrong venue,but the rotary speeds of the wheels were noteworthy.I have almost completely gotten away from luging,as it's getting too dang expensive.I can't say I've run really fast(in the upper forties)standing this summer,mostly due to my working on cross-training for the snow(I teach snowboarding at Stratton),but I've got myself up to 55 m.p.h.,standing(+or- a few m.p.h.),as clocked by my wife's car.I think I've gone faster in the past,but I can't claim.

 
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SPEED RUNS
On 11/2/2000 KLUDY wrote in from (152.163.nnn.nnn)

SORRY , I was thinking stand-up speeds . I DONT LAY DOWN

 
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Oops;addendum
On 11/1/2000 Pre-School Rider wrote in from (209.198.nnn.nnn)

I didn't mention that Old-School Dan was on a Steel + Glass six-wheeled luge of our design.They feature ultra low center-of-mass profiles,and look very much like the Rogers Brothers' sleds.We came to that design shape two years before I saw their sleds,but good ideas often seem to appear concurrently.

 
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How Fast?
On 11/1/2000 Pre-School Rider wrote in from (209.198.nnn.nnn)

This dosen't Really belong in this topic area,but Kludy asked...I've done 82 M.P.H. on a WOOD luge on Route 103 outside of Ludlow,Vt.,about twelve years ago.More recently,a good friend of mine (Old-School,his nickname,no kidding) did Route 9 towards Willmington,the only place in the state that there's 2 runaway ramps(within 2 mile of each other!) on one hill,rated at 11% grade for 4 miles.He hit 85+ before losing his chase car,and melted a wheel doing it.Both of these runs were done with skateboard wheels + bearings.I used 80mm Road Weapons,Old School used 72mm Kryptos.Neither of us burned a bearing.

 
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Loaded and unloaded
On 11/1/2000 GBJ wrote in from (205.177.nnn.nnn)

...actually, it's an interesting question. I've noticed that most new bearings do not spin freely for long periods, when unloaded. Despite this fact, I'd presume that this failing is not a reflection of their potential for satisfactory (at least) performance, when loaded. I have some older bearings (Powell Swiss) that will now spin very freely unloaded and still perform wonderfully under load. I don't think I can recall owning a set of bearings that would spin freely unloaded that wouldn't run well loaded. I can say this though, when a bearing that would formerly spin freely unloaded begins to fail to continue to do so, it usually coincides with a failure to perform under load.

 
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LOADED?
On 11/1/2000 JON wrote in from (213.123.nnn.nnn)

AS I WAS SAYING EARLIER, WHAT ABOUT THE LOADED/UNLOADED QUESTION? GBJ?KURT? PLEASE DONT BE ANGRY WITH ME OR I MIGHT CRY.

 
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HOW FAST CAN WE GO !
On 11/1/2000 KLUDY wrote in from (64.12.nnn.nnn)

The bearing companys has a warning on them do not exceed 35mph all bearings has that on there stuff . You know you have a fast bearing when the company says 50 mph. Just a thought from the KLUDYMAN . P.S. What is the fastest speed out there in just bombing hills, 50 MPH , 60 MPH , 70, NO NEVER MINE. How fast have you really been !

 
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MY VICIOUS AND UNPREDICTABLE TEMPER
On 11/1/2000 JON wrote in from (213.123.nnn.nnn)

HEY GBJ, JUST COS I CANT FIND THE CAPS LOCK BUTTON DOESNT MEAN I AM ACTUALLY SHOUTING!!!!!

 
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Apology
On 11/1/2000 GBJ wrote in from (205.177.nnn.nnn)

Sorry, JON, I combined two potentially related subjects into one post. No need to get bent out of shape. The figures you asked Kurt for the source of are the ABEC rating definitions figured out against wheel diameters, so forgive me if I combined your question to Kurt with your question posted earlier. Touchy, aren't we?

 
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LOOK B4 U LEAP
On 11/1/2000 JON wrote in from (213.123.nnn.nnn)

MR GBJ, IF YOU READ MY ORIGINAL POSTING ON THE MATTER AND MY SECOND POSTING, HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU SEE THE TERM "ABEC"? READ IT AGAIN, IS IT THERE YET? THE SUBJECT WAS LOADED/UNLOADED WAS IT NOT?

 
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Abec
On 11/1/2000 Herbn wrote in from (216.107.nnn.nnn)

it's all we've got.I don't need my bearings to last 10 years,my first set of reflex 5s(2 years old) are still in service,the only bearings i retired are a set of swiss that were a project,resusitated after being rusted solid and abandoned in my shop ,i took them apart entirely and reassembled them clean,they seemed ok,but after a while they slowed,and made rumbling sounds.Ceramics are good for a mph maybe 2 top speed(that's a big lead in a mile long race) and definitely faster in turns,thats kind of unmeasurable.ABEC is a sound reading,a very accurate measurement of sound output for the bearing,probabely at a high rpm so it does not have to direct a relationship to skateboarding.Who cares about sound?well its a indirect measurement of how well things are polished,how close the tolerances are ect, and a bearing can probabely be slow and quiet or loud and fast but there's nothing else on a bearing to tell you how good it is,that's it.I can tell if a bearing is gonna be fast or slow just by spinning it in my fingers,although a thickly greased bearing will feel sluggish,"search your feelings luke" there may be a under lying smoothness or a disguised roughness,even through grease you'll be able to tell if the balls are rolling or sliding around the races. I used to have GMN's and even some Sims gold,i heard GMN is no more and leftover bearings are really old,and may have deteriorated from poor storage.I think a company called BBRZ is also german,they have fancy weird plastic bearing seperators,they seemed to spin very fast but also seemed to have a lot of play,these died extremely quickly when i sold them to a local kid.If i order something new interesting but questionable, i usually sell the first one to a local tough guy ,at a reduced price, on the condition that they have to tell me if it's good or not.By the way,i rode a 2.5 mile hill into Port Jervis from Highpoint N.J.,Rt23 actually.It looked alot like the race footage in "Big Stick" i did slightly over mid thirties,in "civilian wear"and boy was it boring ,if aeroclothing adds 5 mph it would still be boring,a series of short steep forty mph straights connected by hairpins are much more fun,the other side of that hill looks much more challenging,but has more traffic.Anybody know where there's some real scary looking downhill footage?

 
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