I am using Caliber II trucks on a Loaded Vanguard + Enertion Powerwheels and Bones Swiss super 6 bearings. While riding the board on smooth pavement there is (better say was) some significant rattling noise noticeable. I got rid most of the noise by substituting the plastic spacers with metal spacers. The plastic spacers were a bit too short, thus no real contact with the inner rings of the bearings, leading to some decent wobble on the axle. So, 6 of 8 Bones bearings are fine, the other two are just rubbish. The bearings are basically brand new. After substituting the two bad Bones against some old bearings from a fake (Target) Penny board, which I found on the street, the noise is almost gone. There is still some rattling in the front truck and I assume that the remaining two Bones causing the issue here.
So, does anybody here experienced similar issues with Bones bearings and is there a general fix to this rattling noise? It just does not sound nice given the fact that the whole board was pretty damn expensive!
The bearing spacers piss me off because they flow around on the inside of the wheel and is a pain to get the wheel back on so i just throw them away. Probably not the best idea but i have been riding like that for 2 years fine no radioing.
I had a similar experience with the (ridicules overpriced) bones bearings.
The same issue as mentioned and at the beginning I changed only the broken ones. While changing I opend the cages of all other bearings and cleaned them.
I used original bones oil for lubication, but some more bearings died quick and I replaced all of them.
The cleaning is a lot of work and you can get good new bearings for cheap.
So I don’t think that Bones are worth the money.
Not sure what the deal is with yours, but Bones in general does not make shit bearings. they make amazing bearings. I’ll bet if you contacted them and showed them what’s up they might even replace them for free.
On smooth pavement it’s quite easy (obvious) to find the source of noise. I have another Penny clone from which I can source bearings but anyway thanks for the tip @longhairedboy!
Btw. I have contacted Bones Swiss a couple of days ago but so far no reaction …
I got some amphetamine abec 7 bearing a couple of week ago and they are doing the same thing. I’m gonna swap the drive wheel bearing out with some generic abec 7 bearings I have laying here and see if that resolves the issue.
Swap the plastic spacers against metal spacers and you will feel a difference like day and night! The rattling noise might be a problem with clone wheels and their shitty tolerances. Your spacers are simply too short. I assume using brand wheels you might not have this issue. Give them another chance
If you crank your bearings down without spacers, it could cause the plastic hub of your wheel to distort slightly. This can result in uneven pressure. The extra friction can damage your bearings. I had this happen and my drive wheel bearings burned up.
You could buy some 3/16 Si3N4 ceramic balls and put them in your bearings. It’s about 26.00 for 50 balls and your bearings will roll forever and super quiet!
