Zealous Bearings for Skateboards and Longboards (Steel)

I've bought a few sets of these, and they are way better than bones reds. I can ride these in water, dirt, etc and they don't make noise for ballpark of 6 months. The magic therein is the Archoil AR8300 grease that is used inside of them. The same riding around my home in 1 day, and Bones Reds are already making all sorts of noise. Also, the fact that you don't need speed rings or spacers is awesome. Honestly, you can buy the Archoil grease and use it on your bones, but you still need the rings and spacers... who has time for all that? and why? when the zealous bearings are so cheap?? The only reason I would consider going with ceramics, is if I intended on extensive, high-speed downhill at speeds of 50+, which I don't. Now, the Archoil AR8300 (grease) is higher viscosity than Bones Speed Cream (oil), which may require a little more effort for cruising around town. Another thing to note that seems obvious to me now, which wasn't before, is that you should be sure not to set your bearings onto their flat side after a run. If you do this, the grease inside the bearing, which is likely in a more fluid state due to heat created by riding, will leak right out of the bearing. I just yesterday finished a run with a brand new set, and I set my board on it's side while waiting for the train. I later noticed that the grease on both bearings on that side of the board have seeped out, quite visibly, and the bearings are now already making some noise and are not as smooth (1st day)! Now, this is probably true of all bearings, however if you never planned on opening/maintaining your Zealous bearings, this could be a problem.For advanced folks already familiar with taking apart bearings for cleaning: I have removed the Archoil grease from one of my sets and I use either Speed Cream or Singer sewing machine oil for a lower viscosity and better cruising effectiveness. DISCLAIMER: this could damage your bearings if done incorrectly and Zealous does NOT recommend you try to open/clean your Zealous bearings.1. CAREFULLY open up the outer seal of your bearing using a box cutter or thin edge by gently prying the seal from the inner edge. Note: the nylon bearing cage is on the outer side, so don't dig too deep with the box cutter or you'll cut/scar the cage.2. After you've completely removed the outer seal, use a paper clip and gently insert it through the bearing, between the outer edge of the bearing cage and the outer race, and gently push the opposite/inner seal out and away from the bearing. Try not to scratch the seal.3. Wash the seals with degreaser and water (I use dish soap), and dry with a microfiber towel. I set them out on a paper plate with a couple layers of paper towels underneath to allow for additional drying before continuing.4. To clean the bearings, I use the Bones Bearings Cleaing Unit. Be sure to have removed ALL the seals from the bearings. Place the open bearings onto the threaded shaft of the lid and secure with the wingnut. Obviously you don't need to use the included spacers from the cleaning unit, as the bearings have built-in spacers.5. Fill the bottle to the bottom line only (it's like 3/4" from the bottom or so) with Acetone. NOTE: Rubbing alcohol and Citrus degreasers will NOT work (I've tried). The AR8300 contains silicates; the alcohol and degreasers will indeed remove the grease, but you'll find chunks of silicate throughout your bearings, and this is bad.6. Secure the lid of the bottle, with the bearings applied to the lid's threaded shaft. Shake vigorously for 3-10 minutes. The more you shake the less time it will take. Open the bottle over a sink, and carefully inspect the bearings to ensure that no grease or silicate remains. The bearings should each spin quite freely if all of the grease agents have been dissolved properly. If not, resecure the lid to the bottle and continue to shake.NOTE: this next part tends to make people VERY nervous7. Once you are confident all the grease particles have been removed from the bearing it's time to remove the residual Acetone from the bearings. For this, you'll need to have Compressed Air and a Blow Dryer AT-HAND. While still on the threaded shaft of the lid, run your bearings under cool water for about 20 seconds, thoroughly rinsing away the Acetone from each bearing. Then QUICKLY remove the bearings from the lid shaft, blow the water out of each individually with compressed air (over the sink) and place onto another paper plate with underlying paper towels as fore-mentioned. Now hit the bearings with the blow dryer to ensure you get the rest of the moisture out with heat. Be careful not to overheat the bearings to the point that you cannot hold them in your hand. Flip over the bearings and hit again with the blow dryer from the other side. It is important to note that you want this step to be as QUICK AS POSSIBLE, as water will cause the bearings to rust in MINUTES; this is why it makes people very nervous.8. Once you are finished drying the bearings, IMMEDIATELY apply your lubricant of choice: AR8300, Singer sewing machine oil, white lithium grease, Bones Speed Cream, etc. DO NOT use WD-40, or any other petroleum-based lubricant, as this will cause damage to the nylon bearing cage. Use a small amount of grease per bearing ball, or a few drops of oil per bearing, depending on which lubricant you use, and spin the bearings to distribute the lubricant. Most people will tell you that a little goes a long way, which is mostly true. However, if you open up a brand new Zealous bearing, you'll notice there's a fairly generous level of grease inside, but definitely not completely filled/packed. If you go with AR8300 you should consider mirroring the amount Zealous provides with their bearings if you want them 'as new.'9. After applying your lubricant, it's time to put the seals back on. Check each seal to ensure they are not bent; if they are, simply massage them back to normal with your fingers, gently bending them straight again. A bent seal can rub against the bearings or cage, causing unwanted friction. To put the seal back on the bearing, gently press the seal against the sides of the bearing with your fingers in circular motions around the outer edge of the bearings until the seals naturally pop back into place.DISCLAIMER AGAIN: It's very easy to damage your bearings at any of these stages, so if you have any doubt, just buy another set as Zealous has intended these bearings to be dirt cheap and maintenance free. I could not find a guide online on cleaning these bearings (I ruined a set figuring this all out), so figured this would be as good a place as any.

These are not that fast out of the box. They need to be broken in, and then once they are broken in they are pretty fast. They are not as quick as some other bearings I have (Swiss 6, Swiss, Quantum Atoms), but none of those are sealed as well. The Zealous stay clean, even after the board getting sent into the duff around the skatepark. I have never cleaned them and they are good to go. My other bearings need to be cleaned on a regular basis in the same conditions. If you are the type of skater that wants ultimate performance and are willing to maintain your bearings then you should get something else. If you are the type that just want's to set-and-forget, then pick these up. They are a great bearing for the money.I put them in my kid's boards because I don't feel like cleaning their bearings on a regular.

Used these to replace worn out bearings in my kid's rolling backpack:https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0891NSY67/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1&th=1

These are great - smooth, fast but not insanely fast ( supposedly they get faster with time) and very cool looking. No need for spacers or speed rings either. Price fluctuates - I wait ‘till they are 15 bucks and change at most.

Very smooth rolling bearings. They took almost a full week to break in, riding between 1-2 miles every day. After that, they have been silent and smooth, rolling quickly over all terrains. The built in spacers are amazing as well! I never want to go back to regular spacers and speed rings.

On to my second set of these guys, since my old board recently got yanked from me when I set it down for a few minutes. I can tell you from firsthand experience, the whole extended “break in” period has been extremely apparent, especially after switching from my year-old set back to fresh new ones. They are buttery smooth and have some light resistance when you first load them up, but they lighten up and zoom after that ceramic grease has been worked around for a few weeks.As someone who is relatively abusive to bearings, as pictured above, these are certainly for me. If you want something you can jam through puddles or have your younger brother blow the tail out of your board on dirt, with the peaceful knowledge that they can be replaced for less than anything on the Bones line up, these are for you too.I put a whole lot of continuous strenuous pressure on my bearings in the side to side motion on my carvy/slidey cruisers that I’ve had them on, and keeping my bearings straight while doing so extends the life of the balls exponentially, but buying these is whole lot less of a hassle than dealing with spacers. Plus, it’s just cheaper.Though this may just be anecdotal, a few months before losing my old set I rolled down a hill noticeably faster with 60mm 81a wheels than my buddy on 80mm 76a’s with bones reds. If that doesn’t tell you anything about these things’ speed once they’ve broken in, I don’t know what will.

I didn’t notice much of a difference in comparison to my old bearings at first. But, now several miles later, they seem great. I notice a big change on the very slightest downhill gradient, where I can pick up a lot of speed. Also, I used to have to kick more often when the road is flat (with my old bearings).