The Space Between: Bearing Spacers to the Rescue!
Confession: Until my latest set up, I had never used a bearing spacer. Coming up in the early 90s, with tiny wheels which had no room for spacers, I never had a need for them. Even when I got back into skating in 2012, I was rolling wheels around 50mm, with a narrow contact patch. As my riding style has evolved, I’ve gotten bigger wheels (60mm with 25-30mm contact patch), necessitating the bearing spacer.
Funny thing is, I didn’t realize the need for a spacer, until a comment on one of our videos. It was the video with Al “The Grindfather” Coker demonstrating how to set up a period-correct skateboard - https://youtu.be/D42VnoxTXgY. The commenter wondered why he didn’t include bearing spacers and that got me thinking that I should look into them.
What are bearing spacers and why are they important? From Skate Warehouse:
Bearing spacers are small metal cylinders that fit into a skateboard wheel between the bearings. Their purpose is to reduce the weight distributed to each bearing, which can make your turns smoother and more stable and also extend the life of your bearings. Bearing spacers are totally optional; longboarders and casual skaters likely won't put enough pressure on their boards to ever need them, though they are definitely a good investment if you want to slide, do a lot of tricks, and generally skate hard. Bearing spacers are typically inexpensive, and can be made from steel, aluminum, or other types of metal.
Unlike bearings, bearing spacers are not one-size-fits-all. Bearing spacer size is measured by two things: axle diameter (not to be confused with axle width!) and overall spacer width. For example, 8mm x 10mm is a very common bearing spacer size. The first number (8mm) refers to the diameter of the axle, and the second number (10mm) refers to the overall width of the bearing. Most truck axles are 8mm in diameter, so determining axle size is pretty straightforward--you may even see the first number dropped from some bearing spacer measurements. Determining the overall spacer width you need is not an exact science, but generally large longboard wheels will take 10mm, and skateboard wheels will take 8mm. When you purchase new bearings, the set may come standard with bearing spacers, but they can also be purchased separately.
To install bearing spacers, begin by sliding in your first bearing. Then flip the wheel over and press the bearing spacer in. It should be held firmly in the wheel core; if the bearing spacer moves or rattles around at all, that's a sure sign that your spacers are too small. Once the spacer has been pressed into place in the center of the wheel, slide the other skateboard bearing into place.
From a review at Bones Bearings:
“Many people forgo spacers as an unnecessary item (like truck washers)...I used to myself. But all of these components are designed to work in harmony with your bearings to help them spin efficiently while minimizing drag caused by the inner race rolling around the axle instead of staying stationary so the bearing can spin. Truck washers lock against the outer edge of the inner race. Bearing spacers connect the two inner races to one another. And the inner truck washer also locks into the edge of the inner race. This locks all pieces together with the inner race to ensure that when you roll, you are spinning your bearings around the inner race, not spinning your inner race around your axle. To me, it's folly to buy ultra-high-quality bearings like Bones Swiss and then not use spacers. Use them! They allow you to snug up your assembly for less board rattle and, I believe, help reduce the likelihood of ripping out the inner core of your wheels if you slide a lot. The only set of wheels I ever ripped the inner core out of did not have spacers. Never again!”
So, if you’re into power slides, wider wheels, or other forms of hard riding, I’d recommending adding spacers to your current set up. They are relatively inexpensive and can be found in most sets of bearings such as the Bones Reds - https://amzn.to/2Xibmqy (affiliate link - we may earn a commission from items purchased through this link). As for a geezer like me, who slides more on ice, and is busting out thanks to this quarantine, spacers are quite helpful to keep my bearings in place and rolling, even when I’m bailing.
- Nate