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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.mathworks.com!enews.sgi.com!ames!tulane.edu!cpk-news-feed4.bbnplanet.com!news.fsu.edu!garnet.acns.fsu.edu!adchen From: adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu (Tony Chen) Newsgroups: rec.sport.skating.inline,rec.skate,rec.sport.skating.misc,news.answers,rec.answers Subject: In-line Skating FAQ: Wheels, Bearings, and Hop-up kits Followup-To: rec.sport.skating.inline Date: 20 Sep 1996 14:27:02 GMT Organization: Florida State University Computer Science Department Lines: 744 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Distribution: world Expires: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 14:27:21 -0100 Message-ID: <sports/skating/inline-faq-12-843229641@garnet.acns.fsu.edu> References: <sports/skating/inline-faq-1-843229641@garnet.acns.fsu.edu> Reply-To: adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu (Tony Chen) NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.acns.fsu.edu Originator: adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.sport.skating.inline:24433 rec.sport.skating.misc:1233 news.answers:82411 rec.answers:24072 Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2 Archive-name: sports/skating/inline-faq/part12 _r.s.s.inline FAQ: Wheels, Bearings and Hop-up Kits_ _________________________________________________________________ [LINK] --> WHEELS, BEARINGS AND HOP-UP KITS Table of Contents * Inline Wheels * The Bearing Maintenance File * Hop Up Kits (axle upgrades) _________________________________________________________________ Inline Wheels Files (written May 17, 1992) (last changed June 11, 1995) _________________________________________________________________ Copyright notice _________________________________________________________________ Technical Info Most standard inline wheels are made mainly of polyurethane. Some wheels are designed for sliding and use use a mix of different durometers (like the RollerEdge wheels), or plastic rings (like the BrakeWheel). Wheels are classified on diameter, hardness, rebound, profile and core. Some are even classified by weight. However, most often you will see only the diameter and hardness printed on the wheels (e.g. 76mm 78A or 70mm 82A, etc.). The profile and core you can tell by visual inspection. Diameter The diameter of the wheel means simply how tall the wheel is. The usual diameters range from 43mm to 80mm. Most common sizes you'll come across for recreational skating are 72 and 76mm. Skaters wanting speed tend to use 80mm wheels, although 76mm's are used too, depending on the skates and racing course and distance. Vert/ramp skaters use short wheels with a high durometer to do rail slides. These range from 43 to 76mm, depending on the skating situation (vert, ramp, rails, etc.). Generally, racing skates will fit up to 80mm wheels, high-end skates up to 77mm (sometimes 80 now), and the rest of the models up to 72mm. Although these are the designated max-sizes, skates can often take slightly taller wheels than the official specifications. For instance, in the old Bauer XF/3's, with the front and heel wheel spacers moved in (for a shortened wheelbase), can use 76mm wheels for all four positions. Extension modification (i.e., scraping down) of skates are need for wheels much larger than the intended size. In general, taller wheels will let you cruise faster but take longer to spin up. Taller wheels also tend to be less manueverable than shorter wheels. Shorter wheels are cheaper, but in general don't last as long since they have less material to wear down overall, given the same durometer. However since many of the small wheels are for stunts, they all tend to be sold in higher durometers anyway (they slide better), so they won't necessarily wear out that quickly. 70mm 72mm 76mm 80mm Average speed____________________________________________Fast Quick Turns______________________________________Slower Turns Durometer (hardness) Durometer is a relative hardness measure frequently used for rubber and plastic products. There are several scales, with the "A" scale (hence the 78A, etc.) used for wheels. The number is the rating from 0-100, with 0 being no resistance and 100 being very hard plastic. Note: there is a Rockwell scale which is used for steel. Only one wheel uses it now, Pebbles by Kryptonics, with a rating of 50R Recreational wheels generally run from 74A to 82A. For outdoors, the softer the wheel, the better the shock absorption. The trade-off is that softer wheels wear out faster. Harder wheels, since they have less drag, are preferred on indoor surfaces which are usually very smooth (e.g. hockey). Some skaters vary their wheel durometer depending on the temperature outside. Cold weather will mean the ground is harder so soft wheels are more suitable. In really warm weather the road might start literally melting, in which case a high durometer setup would be more preferrable. 74A 78A 82A 85A Average Wear_________________________________Longest Wear High Grip____________________________________Average Grip High Rebound______________________________Average Rebound Low Body Weight__________________________High Body Weight Smooth Ride_____________________________________Hard Ride Rebound A higher rebound will provide more response on each stroke. The only reference to a rebound scale in the inline industry now is the Bashore Rebound, used by Roller Edge. Otherwise, rebound is referred to as low, medium or high. The rebound labeling seems to have been phased out as not many people seem to compare wheels based on this feature. Profile The profile of a wheel is defined by the cross-section of the wheel where it meets the ground. All wheels are 24mm thick as an industry standard, but the variation in a wheel's "footprint" is what provides different functionality. The larger the footprint, the greater the traction and stability. Many made-for-hockey wheels tend to have a wide footprint for those sharp turns. Racing wheels on the other hand, tend to be more tapered near the edges. More recently, FR Progressors has developed an asymmetrically-profiled wheel, to help align on curbs or rails. Wide/fat Normal profile Narrow (race) Best Cornering___________________________________Less Stable Slow____________________________________________________Fast Hubs/Cores The hubs or cores (either term is okay) are very important to the overall performance of the wheel. The core is everything other than the wheel material. The core holds the bearings and connects to the wheel material. Some wheels are open core (spokes showing), closed core (spokes covered), or no cores (real small wheels don't really need cores.) If the bearing core is slightly too large (as it often is for shoddy wheels), it will not hold the bearings tightly enough. This can allow the wheel to become "cocked" so that it rubs against the frame. Only one wheel needs to be out of alignment to mess things up. Misalignment is a serious problem, not only because it causes drag, but because it heats up the wheel. This will soon cause it to seperate from the hub and expand, and eventually destroy the wheel. The first sign is that the wheels creak as you switch your weight on the skate. If you remove the wheel from the frame, you can see an arc clear of dirt and dust where the wheel was rubbing. If you notice this, put your hands on your wheels after a long fast skate and see if any of them are much warmer than the others. If so, they are probably rubbing. This can happen a lot easier on frames like the Mogema and the Darkstar that have very close tolerences and the side of the frame is close to the side of the wheel. I'm not sure if is as big as a problem (or a problem at all) for recreational skates like the Aeroblade. The creaking is bothersome in any event. Closed Core Tri Spoke Core Racing Core High Wheel Weight_________________________________Low Wheel Weight Longest Wear__________________________________________Average Wear Axle Kits Another important aspect of your wheels is the axles. There are several axle replacement/upgrade kits (such as the Hyper Hop-up Kit and the Blading Edge Kit) designed to let your wheels roll much faster than your stock axles will allow. These kits are usually made of aluminium or steel. What they consist of is two axle bolts per wheel, each screwing into the threaded spacer in the wheel (the part that is sandwiched between the bearings). This prevents overtightening, which is common with regular axle systems, and will allow your wheels/bearings to spin freely. When putting your wheels back, make sure the wheels are just snug enough so they don't move around. Anything more just increases the friction on your bearings. Maintenance Wheels of any durometer will wear out, given enough mileage. There's only so much polyurethane on your wheels, while there's thousands of miles of asphalt out there. Much less wearage occurs for indoor skating, however. In general, your wheels are due for maintenance when your skates are much slower and not rolling as smoothly as when new. The inside edges will wear more quickly, which you will eventually notice: For those of you without the benefit of a graphics-ready computer: | | | | inside | | outside inside \ | outside edge | | edge edge \ | edge \____/ \__/ new wheel worn wheel There are two things you can do to get the most from your wheels: rotate and flip. Rotating your wheels means to switch the positions of the wheels. Different positions (like the heel or toe wheels) receive varying amounts of wear. By rotating the wheels, you can even out the wear on each wheel. Flipping your wheels means to turn each wheel so that the worn edge now faces the outside. This lets you wear down the other edge of the wheels. There are several patterns for wheel rotation. The one you use isn't crucial, since there's no "magic" rotation formula that works for all situations. The main point is to maintain an even wear on your wheels. Often times you may find yourself swapping wheels at random until you get a good wearage distribution on your skates. Some common rotation patterns: The front wheel is "1" and the back wheel is either "4" or "5". For 3-wheel skates: 3->2, 2->1, 1->3 For 4-wheel skates: 42, 31 OR 4->3 3->2 2->1 1->4 For 5-wheel skates: 5->3, 4->2, 3->1, 2->5, 1->4 OR 5->3, 4->5, 3->2, 2->4 Whiled you're rotating and flipping your wheels, you might as well wipe off your skates, rails, wheels and bearings with a damp cloth. Some people wipe down their skates everytime they go out, even if they don't do any rotation, but I recommend you do it at least everytime you rotate your wheels. This keeps the amount of dirt on your skates and wheels to a minimum, which helps keeps grit out of your bearings. Rockering Your Skates Having skates non-rockered means the axles and wheels are all at the same height. This is the way the skates come when you buy then (usually). What many skates allow you to do is to change the height of some or all of the axles, to provide a different "blade" to skate on. Rockered skates then, have the middle two wheels lower relative to the front and heel wheels. This is accomplished by having oval spacers with an offset axle-hole; each spacer can have an up or down position. Racing skates are also adjustable, but only in the horizontal direction, allowing for a longer or shorter wheelbase. Although subject to some disagreement, many skaters find rockering provides much more maneuverability due to the curved "blade" of the wheels. Whether you rocker or not is really up to you. Many hockey players prefer to have their skates rockered for sharper turns on the court, while racers keep their blades flat for more stability at high speeds (rockers at high speed will produce speed wobble). Artisitic skaters may also prefer rockered, while extreme skaters may opt to keep them flat. Depending on your skates, there are various rockering configurations possible. If your skates can adjust the height of only the middle two wheels, you can have your skates flat or rockered: Flat : ==frame== 1 2 3 4 Rockered: ==frame== 1 4 2 3 If your skates can adjust the height of all four wheels then you have the positions of short even rocker: ==frame== (wheels closer to boot, for more control) 1 4 2 3 tall even rocker: ==frame== (taller, for sharper turns) 1 4 2 3 front-lift rocker: ==frame== (a little more stable than regular rocker) 1 2 3 4 front-lift, : ==frame== (tilts skates forward) rear-down, rocker 1 2 3 4 Wheels run from $3.00 to $10.00, depending on the 5 criteria referred to at the beginning of this section. There are many inline wheel manufacturers out there: Hyper, Kryptonics, FR Progressors, Senate, Labeda, UFO, Cyko, Cozmo, Grizzly Gear, Kuzak, RollerEdge, BrakerWheel, Ultimate, Bullzeye, Chaos, Core, Heavy, Kopp, Square, Sims and probably several others. _________________________________________________________________ The Bearing Maintenance File (written May 2, 1992) (last changed Jan 6, 1995) _________________________________________________________________ Copyright notice _________________________________________________________________ Contents: * General Info * Sealed or Shielded? * Bearing ratings * How to maintain your bearings + 1st method : If you don't mind taking off the seals. + 2nd method : If you don't want to pry off the seals. General Info Inline skates all use 608 bearings. The "608" means that the bearings are from the 600 series, with a 8mm inner diameter (the width of the hole, i.e., internal bore). The "6" appears to be for the 6mm difference between the inner and outer radii (from the outside edge to the edge of the hole). 608 bearings are also the standard size for skateboard bearings. Quad skates use either type 608 (8mm internal bore) or type 627 (7mm internal bore). The 608's for quads are the outdoor bearings. If your bearings have letters following the "608" (like "S", "Z", or even "ZZ" or "SS") it is the manufacturer's way of denoting sealed or perhaps double shielded bearings. An "RS" label means shielded but that the shields are removeable (i.e., serviceable bearings). To make sure what they mean you should probably check with the manufacturer, since it can vary from company to company. A little cross-reference on part numbers for bearings, the 7MM ones are for quality indoor skates, the 8MM ones are used for in-lines, other indoor skates and skateboards. Double Shielded: NTN Fafnir MRC ND SKF HCH YW 7MM 627-ZZ 37KDD 37FF 77037 R7-2Z 627Z 60027 8MM 608-ZZ 38KDD 38FF 77038 R8-2Z Double Sealed (neoprene rubber): NTN Fafnir MRC ND SKF 7MM 627-LL 37PP 37ZZ 99037 R7-2RS 8MM 608-LL 38PP 38ZZ 99038 R8-2RS Single shielded/sealed bearings usually delete one of the doubled prefix/suffix characters. (Thanks go to George for the above chart). Bearings for recreational use generally come grease filled. Some bearings like GMNs are sold either greased or oiled (but usually greased). Some of the bearing manufacturers are: Black Hole, Boca, Boss, Cyko, DF, Fafnir, FKD, Get Your Bearings, GMBH, GMN, Grizzly, Hyper, Kryptonics (Russian), M&A Smith Stealth, NHBB, NMB, Powell Swiss "Bones", RPM, Sonic, Terminator, Twincam and Yak. (The NMB's are common as a stock ABEC-1 bearing in production skates, but they also make ABEC-5's). There are many brands of bearings out on the market now, although you should know that some are just bearings from the same factory, just labeled differently. Some brands are NMB, Powell Swiss (commonly called Bones bearings), GMN, Fafnirs, Black-Hole, YAKs, Twin-cam, M&A Smith Stealth, (Super) Sonic, Terminator, Hyper (Boss & RPM), FKD, NHBB, GMBH, DF, Grizzly. Sealed or Shielded? There are basically two types of bearings: shielded vs sealed. Very likely you will have shielded bearings, which all stock skates come with (as far as I know). Shields make it hard for dirt and grime to get in, but they certainly aren't dust or watertight. For superior protection against the elemnts, you need sealed bearings. There are three kinds of shielded bearings: 1) two shields (metal), 2) one metal shield & one pop-out cap for maintanence, 3) two pop-out caps. If you have types 2 or 3, you'll have an easier time re-lubing your bearings (see below) Sealed bearings have a teflon or rubber lip seal that actually touches the race and come packed with a fairly heavy grease. These are quite impervious to dust or water. Rollerblade sells sealed bearings under the name Max Trainers. You may find other brands as well. The advantage is that they should last a long time without any maintenance at all. The trade-off is that these bearings generally cost more and you also encounter a much higher rolling resistance. Slower bearings are not necessarily bad, since many people like the added resistance for a better workout. Bearing Ratings Bearings are rated on the ABEC ("Annular Bearing Engineering Council", _annular_ means circular) scale. The higher the ABEC number, the greater the manufactured bearing precision. There are no required materials to meet the ABEC specifications. The bearings simply have to be made to a certain precision. You may find cheaper skates with bearings not even rated on the ABEC scale (primarily on "toy" in-lines and real low-end/kids skates). These will often be labeled as semi-precision bearings. In non-skating applications (like in industrial machinery) using higher ABEC-rated bearings lets machines meet particular mechanical tolerance or vibration levels, so they can operate at a high speed. This is not because there is less rolling resistance, but rather because the precision is better. Whether ABEC-5 bearings will let you skate faster than ABEC-1 bearings is still largely debatable. The higher precision may not make a significant difference when you're at 10-20mph. Compare that with typical machinery that may run at 10,000 rpm (~80 mph), where the smallest change in precision can make a difference. Also, the higher precision will eventually deteriorate down to ABEC-3 or 1 due to dust, dirt and regular wear and tear. Cutting down wind-resistance and improving your technique is probably much more effective at increasing your skating speed. However, all this is not to say that there is no reason to buy ABEC-3 or ABEC-5 bearings. Most ABEC-3 and 5 rated bearings are serviceable, while ABEC-1's typically are not. So although you may not be buying more speed, you will be getting more convenience in maintanence. When to Clean and Re-lubricate Your Bearings Exposure to dirt and water are the main reason that your bearings slow down. Bad bearings will be ones which don't let your wheels spin for a respectable amount of time (the definition of "respectable" depends on on your type of bearings). If you hear or feel the vibrations of metal rubbing on metal, chances are your bearings are in need of some maintenance. If some of the balls or bearing surfaces have become roughened, there's basically nothing you can do. They won't get any better, but they may last a long time anyway. You can always replace your bearings a few at a time. Take care of your bearings by cleaning and preping them as needed. Assuming normal usage, they should last through several sets of wheels, depending on how much skating you do. Replacing Your Bearings You probably want to replace some of your bearings if (1) any of them them have somehow stopped spinning well, despite all the cleaning you do or (2) you want to change to different types of bearings (racing or sealed or whatever). How to Take Care of Your Bearings 1st Method: Taking the shields off 1. Remove your wheels from the skates, and push the bearings out with a spare bushing (the plastic/metal part that goes between the bearings) or one of the several types of bearing tools available on the market. 2. Now there's three types of situations you'll be in: a) If you have shielded bearings with pop-out caps (Powell Swiss or Black Hole brands), simply pry/pop out the plastic cap on each bearing. b) If you have other serviceable bearings like Twin-cams or YAKs you need to pop out the snap rings (C-rings) before you take off the shields (use a small screwdriver to snap out the snap rings). Shown below are a close-up of the C-ring and shield when you take them out. Notice that the C-ring has a diagonal edge at either end. There's really only one end that you can pry the ring out with (i.e., the end with the pointed edge towards the inside). In the picture, it would be the end at the top of the image. (Click on either image to see an enlarged version). c-ring image shield image c) For non-serviceable bearings like NMBs, GMNs (Germans), or sealed bearings, _FIRST_ make this decision: do you want to take the shields off? Some people tell you to never pry off a shield/seal, some say it's okay. It's really up to you. In general, if you think you will be doing a lot of maintainence on your bearings, you are much better off taking the shields off. Whatever you do, the new lubrication always helps. NOTE: if you have sealed bearings you might not want to pop the covers since you could ruin the seal integrity a little, which is what you're paying extra for in the first place. Still, I have some people say they put their bearings back together with no harm, so it is possible. For more nitty-gritty on maintaining sealed bearings, look at http://www.svi.org/~nates/bearing.html. If you decide _no_ then skip down to the section marked 2nd Method. If you decide _yes_ then carefully puncture or pry off the shield (or seal) on one side. Use a very small screwdriver, and pry along the edge of the shield until you can get under it and pop it off. If this is difficult, you can always push the screwdriver into the shield (or tap it through (lightly!) with a hammer or heavier tool). You don't need a whole lot of force since the shields aren't all that thick or hard. When removing the covers of entire sets of bearings at once, be careful to only take off one cover per bearing. Otherwise you'll be left with a shieldless/sealless bearing (which won't last long against outdoor conditions). Once you have the cover off, you should be able to see the ball bearings inside, held in place by a retainer (click on the image for a close-up). [LINK] You won't need the old metal covers anymore so you can throw them away (assuming you're using non-serviceable bearings). They're no good anymore anyway since they're probably bent and warped from the removal. In Bones bearings the cap is ALSO the brace, so you won't see a brace, but just 7 bearings rolling around. Bones users should obviously keep the plastic cap when reassembling their bearings. NOTE: You don't want to take the ball bearings out since they aren't meant to be removed and replaced. Besides, you'll scuff the bearings and they won't roll well anymore. 3. Soak the bearings (c-rings and shields too if you've got serviceable bearings) in Simple Green or some other biodegradeable detergent. DON'T dilute with water! Use it straight from the bottle. The detergents are very cheap and you don't need a whole lot anyway (just enough to cover the bearings). If you want to speed things up a little, put your cleaning container in a larger container. Fill the area around the cleaning container with warm or hot water but not enough to spill over into the cleaning container. The choice of cleaner/solvent isn't crucial so long as you can get all the dirt and old grease cleaned out. However, I'd highly suggest using one of the biodegradeable cleaners. They're cheaper, safer, easy to dispose of (just let it go down the sink) and good for other cleanup tasks as well. If you do insist on using solvents, avoid low-flash point solvents like gasoline, xylene, lacquer thinner, etc. which are dangerously flammable. Also wear latex/chem lab gloves if possible when handling these chemicals. Solvents are no fun to ingest or absorb through your skin. An alternative is to use a pair of tongs or tweezers to handle your bearings. _Soaking the bearings_ How long you soak depends on how dirty and dried out your bearings have gotten. Previously maintained bearings won't need to soak very long. Bearings that have gone dry and have lots of grit in them may need to soak overnight, or even several days. If necessary use a brush or swirl your bearings around in your container to make sure everything breaks loose. Small coffee cans, peanut jars, or even those little black film canisters, all make decent containers. Dave Woodall (woodall@adrs1.dseg.ti.com) has his own way of swirling. He uses a battery operated drink mixer and spins his bearings to cleanliness. He says it works really fast, so if you like, try it out 8-) You don't really need large amounts of cleaner or solvent. Just enough to immerse your bearings. You also don't need to refill with clean solvent with each bearing unless the solvent you were using has gotten really dirty. The essential thing is that the dirt and grease is broken up. Step 4 will remove most of the gunk. WD-40 is generally not recommended as a cleaner since it leaves a sticky, dust attracting film on the bearings. Note, however, that some people swear by WD-40. It has become somewhat of a heavily-debated topic, so experiment with it if you'd like. Ultrasonic cleaners are ideal for cleaning bearings. If you have access to one, you can clean your bearings en mass and avoid getting your hands dirty. 4. Now rinse out your bearings with hot, soapy water to make sure you clear out all the solvent. You now have some clean bearings. If they're truly clean they ought to spin real fast. 5. Use a hair dryer to make sure that all traces of water are gone. 6. Now lubricate with your favorite lubricant. Lubricant choice always seem to be somewhat preferential. Lots of people find one lube that works for them and they just stick with it. It's hard to try out multiple lubricants and get a thoroughly accurate comparison throughout all types of skating conditions. 1) people don't always have the extra money to do so, 2) to change lubes you need to clean and relube (unless you have an extra set of bearings) and 3) there's still no real good way to measure how well a lube helps speed up or slow down your skating. A no-load "finger-flick" spin test doesn't really cut it since it doesn't entirely translate into the equivalent rolling resistance with your weight on it. Ideally, you'd have an indoor incline and/or flat surface, multiple sets of identical bearings for each lube, and you'd see which one gave you the most glide. Of course, this still doesn't take into account how fast the lube dries or bleeds from the bearings, or how easily it collects or repels dust/grime/water, and on and on. In the end, it doesn't make a huge difference unless you're into serious racing. Your main choice will be choosing between oil, cream/grease, telfon based lubes, (bicycle) wax/paraffin, and whatever else is out there. Most people end up using grease or oil. Oiled bearings have slightly less resistance, but need to be maintained more often (as often as once a week). It is very helpful to have a little hypodermic style oiler with a long needle to let you put the oil right where you want it. Grease works well because after a while most of it gets shoved out of contact with the balls and only a little bit smears onto the workings. However, newly greased bearings, will take a while to expel any extra grease and move the rest out of the way. For oils, although you can use stuff like sewing machine oil, or 5W-20 motor oil, household oils (3-in-one, etc) may gum up after a while. In any case, most mail-order shops sell their own brand of lubricant, as do many of the bearing manufacturers (e.g., Bones and BlackHole). Although it's not proven these "special" formulas are all that better, it's usually only a few bucks for a nice little bottle of lube that should last you for a long time. Some brands also come in a very handy hypodermic-style dispenser which is perfect for putting a drop exactly where you want it. NOTE: Use only a few drops of oil per bearing! Overlubing will not only waste your lube, but you'll also make the bearings more sticky and more prone to attracting dust and grime, which is exactly what you don't want. Spin the bearing to spread the oil around inside. Let the bearings sit for an hour, and wipe them off. 7. Put one bearing back into the wheel, with the open face towards the inside of the wheel. Insert the bushing and then put on the second bearing (with the open face towards the inside again). It is pretty hard for contaminants to get into the bearings from the inside. 2nd Method: Keeping the shields on First do Step 1 (from 1st Method). If your bearings are permanently sealed (or you don't want to remove the seals) you can still soak in solvent (see step 3) for several hours or as long as you feel necessary. Enough solvent should soak through to remove some of the grease. Then you can lubricate the seams and/or press some in with your fingers. Enough oil should seep through to lubricate your bearings (see step 6). _-Tony Chen (adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu)_ _________________________________________________________________ Hop-up Kits Hop-up kits are simply upgrade kits that include frame spacers, bearing spacers, and axels. They're made of aluminium or brass or some other metal. Some incorporate threaded spacers too. The advantage in using hop-up kits is that you can crank down real hard on your bolts without compressing the spacers. The stock plastic spacers on most skates will compress or even crack if you do this a lot. (more to come in this section) If you want, look at the hop-up kit reviews in section 3.4. _________________________________________________________________ *This image is Copyrighted ⌐ 1994-1996 by Anthony D. Chen. Permission is granted to use this logo in World Wide Web HTML files so long as this copyright notice is included as either an HTML comment alongside the invokation (IMG SRC or HREF or otherwise) of the logo, or in the visible text. The image may not be sold for profit, nor incorporated in commercial documents or merchandise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. _________________________________________________________________ _General Info_ _Techniques_ _Marketplace_ _Where to Skate_ Index FAQs Glossary Wheels/Bearings Clubs/Orgs Rollerhockey Quotable rssi Posts Stopping Grinding Vert/Jumps Slaloms Figure Skating Racing Buying Guide Used Skates Guide Companies/Shops Skate Reviews Other Reviews Western California Central Northeast Southeast Abroad _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Copyright ⌐ 1991-1996 Anthony D. Chen (adchen@skatefaq.com)