when i skate on the road outside my house it is a very bumby ride (like a free foot vibration massage) and i go really slow my bearings arre bad and they are abec 3 is it my bearings or my wheels
WD-40 was designed to displace water (wdwater displacement). It is an extremely light oil that can mix with water. It will work on skate bearings, if you want to use it every couple times you go out. Some racers use it and give every bearing a shot of it every time they skate. Almost anything will work in skate bearings but the general rule is the lighter it is, the more often you have to use it. Any of the spray materials are extremly light. A light machine oil will work well and you can get it in most hardware stores or hobby shops. It is really convenient if you get it in a needle oiler which is a narrow bottle with a long thin metal tip that is designed for getting the oil in small spots. You only want about 1/2 drop of oil in a bearing. For longer life, you can go with a gel or very light grease. About 3 pin head spots of grease or gell are about all you need if they are placed centered on a race.
abec does not matter. you can buy abec 3's, oil them up, use speed cream, clean them regularly and re oil them and keep them out of dirt and they will turn into abec 7's. more commonly though people buy abec 7s, don't take care of them and they turn into abec 1's. abec does not equal speed. pay no attention to abec. wheels could be the problem. i skate alot of vert so i use big wheels like 60-65 mm. the bigger the wheel the faster they go and the longer they hold their speed. most people skate 49 mm to 57 mm. even 57mm is kinda big. change wheels before you change bearings unless your bearings are destroyed and you can tell.
for bumpy surfaces bigger softer wheels are good. anything between 56mm-65mm for shorter boards. and for softness, 92-97 is good. meaning 92 is the softess. what kind of tricks are you doing? all these depend on your skating style, beginners should go with a bigger softer wheel. as for bearings, new ones are always better and abec should not matter as much, but a higher abec means faster spin. go with powell reds, no abec rating but a great lasting bearing at an affordable price. make sure you ask about a spacer if you get a bigger wheel, u may not need them but i always prefer 1-2 thin ones.
