I have a Scrub Lion Country...seems like a kinda cheep setup
Not expecting much of a future out of it and it has already served it's purpose and got me in motion. That said i dont treat any of my equipment like crap and would like to get the most out of it. All my riding is by the ocean and pitting on the trucks is fine but i must spray down the bearings w/ CRC to keep the wheels turning. I dont think this is proper w/ encased bearings and wonder if i'm hurting them?? but seems to be necessesary to have any chance of the wheel turning. Is this the same w/ the MBS and Flexi boards as well? What about ceramic bearings? anyone use them? Or do i plan on replacing w/ reg sealed ones at that pt??

I don't think you are hurting them. Seems like pretty common practice to me when riding near salt water. I personally dont leave the beach without rinsing my board/buggy off to get most of the sand and salt off. One of the problems to pay attention to is spots where different metals might be used on the boards. They can corrode and form a bond if not cleaned propperly.

Are you worried about removing the grease packed into the bearings with your CRC? Not sure about ceramic bearings but my guess is they are not necessary. What is the cost difference?

Yes worried about hurting the packed grease, thinking i might be thinning it out and shorting the life. I blow off my stuff and wash down after riding.. still things are binding up. Came across the ceramic bearings on CL. billed as all weather bearings for skateboards. 300$ retail....way out of my league was just wondering if anyone has used them. I am thinking that ceramics on the beach might be a no no anyway and could be an expensive mistake.

On my buggy, I use a lithium grease to spray around all the bearings on the wheels before I go out to the beach to ride. Seems to guard the bearings from any sand and water.(the sand will gather there, but not invade my bearings) It has worked for me so far. I have had the same bearings for three years now. I know it is not an ATB, but hey worth a shot for you as well.

I also would not waste the money on ceramic bearings, even with proper cleaning it could get expensive. You should be able to get sealed bearings for about 25or 30 bucks or so for a complete set of 8.

Ceramic bearings are overkill. Fine sand will grind it. When they fail, they fail quickly and violently. They don't fair well to shock if you do any jumping or plan to.

Marine grease shouldn't dilute noticeably.

Bearings come with removable or non-removable side plates. The removable ones can be cleaned and regreased. The non-removeable ones can't.

The non-removeable side plates are better sealed. The trade-off is that fine silt will eventually get through and eventually your only option will be to replace them.

Basically boils down to service or spend.

ATB,
Sam

consistent wash and lube. IF they get wet you are are ready into the failure cycle.

you could disassemble everytime and repack, but time and effort.

set of 10 @ $15 . dispoable is the kindest .... solvents, lube and YOU don't bother.

i repack a few for backup sets that are still decent tolerances. salt, sand and water are going to win EVERYTIME. 2-300 hours is reasonable with rinse and lube. repack with marine grease at about 100 hours will double the life span.


the easiest EFFECTIVE action ...RINSE WITH FRESH EVERYTIME THEY GET WET and lube to free spin. i like the water displacement action of WD-40. silicone i don't like the exposure plus good stuff is $$ .

if they don't get WET (esp. when NEW ) do nothing. IF YOU RINSE THEN YOU MUST LUBE to free spin.

Thanks...all sounds right. Got a local shop w/ 18$ sealed sets and 200+ hrs would be great. I thought that maybe this was a lesser quality board and might be just happening to me. Got to take care of your stuff, so than it takes care of you......me repacking a bearing aint happening unless it's a boat trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jByU-lq_e3I&feature=plcp

New bearings every yr. and a re-pack at 6 mos. CRC has washed out most of the tiny bit of grease that was original. It is looong gone by now. The Black rubber coated seals don't really seal that well.

I rescind my earlier statement. After the vid i will be happy to do at least 1ce a year and replace when necessesary. I always thought sealed ball bearings were truely just that....sealed.