Triflow vs. Speed cream

**RelyK** · 05-13-2009 05:48 PM

I just figured I would put out my actual findings. using s9 78mm nineballs, bones swiss and different lubes.

I started out by soaking them in mineral spirits. followed by an alcohol rinse( SVEDKA!!

) I then applied two drops of speed cream in two bearings, and then sprayed triflow in the other bearings w/o shields on. let dry for about 45 minutes under a fan, wiped with a rag installed both sets into two different wheels and then tested them on my axles

the triflow spun WAAAYYY longer and quiter... I was surprised, because I went into this thinking that it would be dominated by the speed cream and it came out noticeably faster, and when I say notibly Im talking a solid 45 seconds of spin over the speed cream... Ill keep testing other lubricants that are suggested but until then we will see.

**squishydonut** · 05-13-2009 06:07 PM

Interesting! Look forward to further results!

**stringtheory** · 05-13-2009 06:23 PM

You didn't dry them before lubricating?

**RelyK** · 05-13-2009 06:56 PM

yes I did, sorry... good catch

**Willl** · 05-13-2009 07:05 PM

I use triflow on my bikes and I love it for that, but I never thought of putting it in bearings. I guess I kind of look at it like using wd40 in wheels, in that it is OK at first, but will wear off quickly and be less protective to the bearings and cause them to wear faster too. But I could be wrong. I'll have to try this out for myself great idea!

**enemy combatant** · 05-13-2009 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by Willl

I use triflow on my bikes and I love it for that, but I never thought of putting it in bearings. I guess I kind of look at it like using wd40 in wheels, in that it is OK at first, but will wear off quickly and be less protective to the bearings and cause them to wear faster too. But I could be wrong. I'll have to try this out for myself great idea!

Lot's of us use Tri-flow as bearing lubricant. It's just machine oil with some teflon in it. WD-40 is mostly kerosene which is a solvent not a lubricant.

I like Tri-flow because I'm a lazy bastard and don't like to lube and clean my bearings. Tri-flow seems to leave a slight film of lube around even after it dries/runs out.

**RelyK** · 05-13-2009 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by enemy combatant

Lot's of us use Tri-flow as bearing lubricant. It's just machine oil with some teflon in it. WD-40 is mostly kerosene which is a solvent not a lubricant.

I like Tri-flow because I'm a lazy bastard and don't like to lube and clean my bearings. Tri-flow seems to leave a slight film of lube around even after it dries/runs out.

I know alot of people use triflow. but as far as comparing it to other forms of lubricant under similar tests and conditions, I didnt see anyone actually compare, so I thought as long as I had both triflow, and speed cream id do the work and see what was better...

**Willl** · 05-13-2009 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by enemy combatant

Lot's of us use Tri-flow as bearing lubricant. It's just machine oil with some teflon in it. WD-40 is mostly kerosene which

Yeah I know that wd40 is a solvent. Just a little fun fact: WD stands for water displacement, and the 40 represents that the final product was the 40th attempt of the formula.

When I saidthat I looked at it like wd40 I just meant that it seems like speed cream is maybe a little thicker and keeps the bearings from wearing more than triflow or wd40 which seem like a thin oil used for a quick fix or grease.

**enemy combatant** · 05-13-2009 08:21 PM

Speed cream and other gels are just machine oil with a small amount of thickener like lithium. Axle grease just has more thickener so that it doesn't leak out. I like using grease in the winter time because it helps keep water out of the bearing. Many double sealed bearings come packed with grease.

You can use most any petroleum or synthetic lubricant effectively for skate bearings.

Light machine oils like 3 in 1 or gun oil.
Motor oil (30 weight for the lawn mower works just fine.)
Mobil-1
ATF (automatic transmission fluid)
80-weight differential oil
Super skate ninja rock'n special speed gel (or whatever snake oil your local skate shop sells)
Tri-flow
White lithium grease (the cheap stuff in the tube from the bike shop and hardware store or the stuff that is $100 a quart can and rated for 500 degree operation for the Venus Lander)
etc. etc.

It's all good.

**wooden** · 05-13-2009 10:43 PM

Did you test them only for free spin or did you actually go out and ride and clock some speeds? Triflow may give more free spin time but free spin has little to nothing to do with actual riding speeds.

**RelyK** · 05-14-2009 03:00 AM

just free spin, I only tested two wheels against eachother, and followed suit. Im still working on my boarding skills and am a bit hesitant to clock over 40mph...

**MNposterChild** · 05-01-2010 10:10 AM

Yeah, I rock tri-flow as well...just cleaned a few sets of bearings..i f'n love cleaning bearings! neee speeeeeeeeed

So..let me ask a question that I'm sure yields an obvious answer. What happens when we use no lube? They certainly free-spin faster without it, obviously not good but maybe for a race when you'd rather win and throw bearings away after

My guess is bearing seizure, etc

Also, you said you dried the bearings after adding the lubricant. Should I do that too? Usually I just pop the shields right back on after I put the lube so that no additional airborne particles get trapped in the grease, but since I use tri-flow, should I be drying them a bit before putting shields back on?

**DELETED** · 05-01-2010 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by MNposterChild

Yeah, I rock tri-flow as well...just cleaned a few sets of bearings..i f'n love cleaning bearings! neee speeeeeeeeed

So..let me ask a question that I'm sure yields an obvious answer. What happens when we use no lube? They certainly free-spin faster without it, obviously not good but maybe for a race when you'd rather win and throw bearings away after

My guess is bearing seizure, etc

Also, you said you dried the bearings after adding the lubricant. Should I do that too? Usually I just pop the shields right back on after I put the lube so that no additional airborne particles get trapped in the grease, but since I use tri-flow, should I be drying them a bit before putting shields back on?

The metal-to-metal contact will eventually generate heat and bad things will happen. If you're just cruising around a bit it may not be as spectacular but if you're carrying some decent speed, that heat will build up and either seize up or maybe even damage your wheels. It will also wear your bearings much faster. Free spin means absolutely nothing because bearings are designed to be used with a load on them. Proper lubrication is really important, as are spacers and speed rings.

**Midway** · 05-01-2010 07:38 PM

Freespin means nothing. Lighter weight oils will allow for a much longer free-spin, but that also means that the oil will be flung out a lot easier. Heavier lubricants inhibit free spin, but tend to protect much better. See the White Lithium Grease thread for more. I ran my bearings all through winter in slush and snow and salty nastiness on WLG with no issues. WLG protects better than light oils and lubricates just as well. There is no difference in rolling speeds between WLG and Bones when you're actually on the board and pushing.
WLG also makes your bearings a helluva lot quieter.
But, if you want to impress a bunch of 11-year-olds with how long your wheels spin, by all means, use that thin stuff.