Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why should we buy from you and not one of the big brands?
A: We live and breathe bearings and we take the time to check every individual bearing before it is packed, to ensure our quality is second to none. No other company does this level of individual testing, but this is how we ensure you only get the very best quality. Bearings are our main focus and not just an add on to a set of wheels or skates. We are sure in time that Racera will become one of the big names in skate bearings as we have invested heavily in research and development to ensure our entire range stands beside the best brands in the industry. Lastly, we care about our customers and ensuring they get the best performance for their hard earned money. Our bearings are manufactured in a state of the art facility that makes many of the well known international brands. We just cut out the middle men and sell direct to you.
Q: What is meant by steel, hybrid ceramic and full ceramic?
A: Steel means that the balls and races – rings the balls run between are made from chromium steel.
Hybrid means that the balls are made from one of two ceramic products and the races – rings the balls run between are made from chromium steel or stainless steel. So, these are a mix of both ceramic and steel/stainless steel. 99% of all bearings that are called ceramic are actually hybrid ceramic bearings and some of them are up to AUD$600 for a set. Ours are $150 a set for standard sizes and $170 a set for mini hybrid ceramics and Mountain Lion stainless steel models.
Full Ceramic means that both the balls and the races are made from ceramic materials. These bearings are very rare in skating and are half the weight of standard bearings but are also a little more delicate and brittle, so extra care needs to be taken when putting them in and taking them out. They run 100% free from lubrication and need frequent washing in water but perform amazingly well and spin up super fast for increased power out of the corners.
Q: Why are your bearings much cheaper than other brands? Does this mean they are lower quality?
A: Don’t be fooled by our lower prices. Most bearings are sold through distribution channels, where there can be one or two different importers and wholesalers before they arrive at the retailer. Each of these companies puts a margin on the product before it comes to you, meaning up to three margins can be added. We deal directly with the factory who make our bearings to our specifications and there are no importers or wholesalers to increase that price. In time we will have our bearings at retailers and the prices will likely go up but for the time being, we are building our brand and saving you those extra dollars. Get yourself a set or two and save while you can.
Q: How does the quality of your bearings compare with the big names?
A: We personally skate our own bearings and we own 50+ sets of the ‘big-name’ bearings in steel and hybrid ceramics. We spent months working with our factory to get our tolerances tighter than many of the big names and then testing all of those to ensure that they were exactly what we wanted. This creates less radial slop and ensures our performance edge. Our bearings are as good as any we have personally skated and better than most we have skated. After every skate session our wheels are cleaned, and bearings checked for roll, free spin, dirt and noise. We think you will be suitably impressed by our entire range, as we certainly are.
Q: What is the difference between the 6 ball and 7 ball hybrid ceramics?
A: 6 ball bearings have less balls than a traditional 7 ball skate bearing and are about 0.21 grams lighter per bearing than their 7 ball brothers, which equates to slightly greater roll and them spinning up quicker. This traditionally comes at the expense of less stability but we have tightened all of our tolerances to ensure that the 6 ball bearings are not only fast but stable as well. 7 ball bearings are what most skate bearings have in them. We offer both options for those who prefer to stick with traditional styles of bearings and have optimised the 7 ball Jaguars to ensure that they roll as well as their 6 ball brothers. The choice then becomes simple for you. 6 balls with black races or 7 balls with gold races. The price for both models is exactly the same.
Q: Do you guys actually skate?
A: Yes, we skate two or three times every week using our products in every set of wheels we roll now. We speed skate and shuffle skate mainly and have quad and inline skates.
Q: I’m a skateboarder or roller derby player. What bearings are best for me?
A: Racera Tigers, Racera Jaguars or Racera Panthers are the best choices.
Q: I’m an aggressive inline skater or outdoor quad or inline skater. What bearings are best for me?
A: Racera Tigers are your best option. If you skate in the rain or through puddles, we recommend the Racera Mountain Lion stainless steel bearings.
Q: I’m a speed skater using inlines or quads. What bearings are best for me?
A: Racera Panthers or Jaguars are your best choice. If you are competing, you may wish to step up to the Racera Snow Leopards or Racera Cheetahs.
Q: Do I need to lubricate my bearings when I get them?
A: All Racera Steel and Hybrid Ceramic Skate Bearings come with a special high-performance lubricant from the factory. In time, their performance will diminish as dirt and dust gets into the bearings at which point, they should be cleaned and re lubricated for optimal performance. NOTE: Racera Snow Leopard and Cheetah bearings do not have lubricant added and do not require any for their lifetime.
Q: Do I need to lubricate hybrid ceramic bearings?
A: Hybrid ceramic bearings (Panthers, Jaguars, Mountain Lions and Bobcats) should be maintained exactly the same as steel bearings. Full ceramic bearings (Snow Leopards and Cheetahs) do not require and should never be lubricated under any circumstances.
Q: How should I clean and maintain full ceramic bearings (Snow Leopards and Cheetahs)?
A: These should be kept in the wheels and washed in running water as the bearing is spun on the fingers. They should then by dried completely with oil free, clean compressed air. This is recommended after every use to maintain the best performance.
Q: How should I clean and maintain my steel (Tiger) and Hybrid Ceramic (Panther, Jaguar and Mountain Lion) bearings?
A: Tigers, Panthers, Jaguars and Mountain Lions should have the shields removed side by using a small blunt tool like you use to remove a SIM card by pressing gently on the centre of the shield from the open side. Clean the bearings using whatever solution you prefer to use and dry them using oil free clean compressed air. Add one drop of lubricant to the ball side and spin each bearing in your fingers to spread the lubricant around to each ball. Reinstall the shields by pressing them gently into place with your fingers.
Q: How should I clean and maintain my Hybrid Ceramic Mini (Bobcat) bearings?
A: Bobcats have steel non removable shields. If the shields are removed, they will be damaged and unable to be reinstalled. Clean the bearings using whatever solution you prefer to use and dry them using oil free clean compressed air. Add one drop of lubricant to Bobcats and spin each bearing in your fingers to spread the lubricant around to each ball.
Q: Are Racera bearings ABEC rated or Swiss bearings?
A: Let’s cover the word Swiss being used today in skate bearings. Swiss implies that bearings are manufactured in Switzerland. This isn’t the case unfortunately and Swiss is a general term thrown around in marketing circles to make it appear that you are buying a better-quality bearing. A Swiss bearing could be manufactured and assembled in China or any other country. It could have the balls made in Switzerland and then be sent to China for assembly or it could be manufactured and assembled in Switzerland. It really is an unknown unless they tell you it is manufactured and assembled in Switzerland. We don’t mislead our customers with this type of marketing.
Let’s talk about ABEC ratings. ABEC is an older American standard for rating the dimensions of a bearing primarily. Standard bearings are 22mm outer diameter and 7mm deep and can have either a 7 or 8mm centre hole. ABEC measures how close all these dimensions are in addition to a couple of loose running measurements like axial runout and inner and outer ring runout. What it doesn’t talk about, or measure are the more useful things that we need to know like performance, load ratings, average size of the balls and their tolerances, how hard the materials are and what they are made of, what lubrication is used, how well the final polishing is done, how much vibration they have, now noisy the are etc. We believe in the skate industry that ABEC is more of a clever marketing term than anything that represents a criterion to make a wise purchasing decision, so we don’t use the ABEC rating for any of our bearings. They are all manufactured to very tight tolerances, and you will not be disappointed in any of them.
Q: Do you mount skates?
A: No, we don’t mount skates for customers but can recommend a suitable professional to do this.
