Bones Bearings

Bones Bearings has been in the business of making skateboard bearings since (at least) 1983. There entire focus has been to make the best skateboard bearings in the world.

Powell Peralta was the parent company of Bones Bearings (at least this is what we have been led to believe). George Powell was an aerospace engineer before he started Powell Skateboards. Aerospace engineers design satellites, jet airplanes and other high tech products. One would have to think that George brought his aerospace knowledge to his skateboard companies. The point being: brains were behind the design of bones bearings.

Today many skateboard companies pump out a line of their own bearings. Since skateboard deck companies are not necessarily in the bearings design business, you usually end of up mediocre bearings.

The most prized Bones bearings are Bones Swiss bearings. We believe Bones Swiss bearings have been made since the early 1980s. We don’t have an exact date as to when they were first being produced. Bones Swiss bearings boast high precision parts and the reputation that Swiss manufacturing has for small mechanisms. Switzerland is a country that is known for making small things really well. These items would be products such as: watches, artificial heart valves, weapons and of course bearings.

Anything made in Switzerland, even skateboard bearings, are going to be more expensive. Here is a classic example of: you get what you pay for. Of course Swiss bearings are going to cost more, but you are going to get the best bearings ever made.

And look at who rides Bones Swiss bearings today. Almost every top pro rides Bones Swiss.

The classic problem with skateboarding is that younger skaters can’t spend $60 on bearings. So Bones set out to make the China Bones Reds. Bones basically took their Swiss bearing design and set up a shop in China to make a lower priced version of the Swiss bearing. The result was an inexpensive bearing, which spun fast, absorbed high loads, and lasted a long time. You can find bones bearings for about $14.99 a set at shops like elskateshop.com.

Lately street skating has turned into a higher impact activity. The average skateboarder can now ollie 15 stairs which is a design load not considered by most bearings manufacturers. Bones set out to design a newer Swiss bearing to solve this problem. The result was the Bones Swiss Sixball. The Bones Sixball design uses six larger balls in the bearings instead of the normal 8 smaller balls. These bigger balls can with stand more impact, yet maintain the precision of Swiss manufactured bearings.

To maintain Bones Bearings properly, you can get their patented Bones Speed Cream. Following proper instructions found in your Bones Bearings package and a set of Speed Cream your Bones Bearings will last much longer. Most skateboarders throw in bearings and skate them until they are blown out. If you take our bearings and clean them properly once a week, they may last a whole year or more. Visit the Bones Bearings website for proper instructions on how to do this. These instructions probably work for all bearings, not just Bones Bearings.