Why bearing spacers are important
from UrbanLinesNet on 9 Feb 2013
Far too many people misunderstand what contributes to a good skate setup. They will pay through the nose for ABEC 9 bearings (which will reduce friction by less than 1% over cheap unrated bearings) but then don’t use bearing spacers.
Bearing spacers are the small (typically aluminium or steel) tubes that go inside the wheels between the bearings. Without these, tightening the wheel bolts puts lateral forces on the bearings, causing a huge increase in friction and wear damage. With the spacers in, these forces are removed and only radial forces are applied, which the bearings are designed to take.
In this video you will see the very clear difference between the skate with the bearing spacers and that without. Seriously, make sure you have them. They are cheap and improve your setup immeasurably. That and having the right bolts (6mm vs 8mm) for your frames.
