Bones Speed Cream

**sirofspades** · 08-02-2007 07:39 PM

Hey, I own a set of Powell Bones Swiss, and I was just wondering: Is it worth it to buy Speed Cream? Will another type of bearing lube work? Is there a better way to clean them than the way directed(Lacquer Thinner, Isopropyl Alchohol)?

**thebassman** · 08-02-2007 07:41 PM

mineral spirits or tri-flow and alcohal. speed cream and rockin ron's rocket propellent are both good

**Slim** · 08-02-2007 07:49 PM

There is no point in asking "is it worth it" questions on things that cost like $5. Just buy it: it's great lube and one bottle will last for many, many, many cleanings and relubes. Best cleaning method i've found is the rocket bearing washer. it works so well i can just use alcohol and not have to mess with a solvent type cleaner first. get the highest percentage alcohol you can find so it has the lowest water content. 91%, 99%...that sort of thing.

**sirofspades** · 08-02-2007 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Slim

There is no point in asking "is it worth it" questions on things that cost like $5. Just buy it: it's great lube and one bottle will last for many, many, many cleanings and relubes. Best cleaning method i've found is the rocket bearing washer. it works so well i can just use alcohol and not have to mess with a solvent type cleaner first. get the highest percentage alcohol you can find so it has the lowest water content. 91%, 99%...that sort of thing.

Hmmm... The thing is, I live in Hawaii, and so it's pretty damn pricey to have stuff shipped. One of the local skate shops has a bottle of bearing lube. Will any type of bearing lube work?

**JBH** · 08-02-2007 10:02 PM

Any lightweight oil will work about* as well as any other, so yes, the stuff the shop has will likely be fine.

*Meaning, you won't be doing one-foot-high airs with Fred's Generic Oil and 10-foot-high airs with Speed Cream, and meaning even on bearings with labyrinth seals, much of the lube will eventually spin out regardless of what kind it is. So heed the underlying message of Slim's post, which is to buy _something_ and actually clean and relube your bearings often enough for it to do some good, i.e. don't ride them for weeks after they start sounding crunchy.

**Slag** · 08-02-2007 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by sirofspades

Hmmm... The thing is, I live in Hawaii, and so it's pretty damn pricey to have stuff shipped. One of the local skate shops has a bottle of bearing lube. Will any type of bearing lube work?

tri-flow is some good stuff. its mainly used for bikes, so you should be able to find it relatively easily at a sporting goods store. thats what i would recommend if you cant get ahold of speed cream

**Jraice** · 08-02-2007 10:40 PM

tri-flow is great I now use rocket propellant though...

And I would recommend high concentration rubbing alcohol for general cleaning... You shouldnt wait long enough to need anything stronger, I use it primarily to get dirt out of the bearing...

I use 70 percent cause I have it but you can find 90 percent which will work better...

The bones bearing cleaner (dont like the rockets one) is also very nice and is the cleanest I have ever gotten my bearings, as well as my work area (having it all in a container helps)... It cleans just fine and gets all 8 bearings. Rockets system claims to work better because it agitates more but it does 2 at a time. If you only fill the bones about half way or more it adgitates just fine with 5 minutes of shaking...

Then let them dry a bit, use a hair dryer to insure they are dry (hot air!) and then let them cool to room temp before putting 1-2 drops of lube in, putting the shields back and riding them... May take about an hour to break in again (distribute lube and get excess out) but then they should be almost like new.

**VulgarDisplayCFH** · 08-02-2007 10:44 PM

Make sure to fully clean your bearings before you put any lubricant in.

**Jraice** · 08-02-2007 10:47 PM

The bones kit does a fine job I started with it full but then poured about half of it out... Just shake it real well and then I hold it sideways and slowly tilt it upstraight so all the dirt settles.. Then shake the rod as you remove it and they are sparkiling clean, just a bit of rust on the outside of the bearing's metail components, but the balls were like polished silver! Got a few comments from some guys I met tonight and skated with saying how fast my bearings were... They are REALLY fast...

**sirofspades** · 08-03-2007 10:43 PM

Originally Posted by Jraice

The bones kit does a fine job I started with it full but then poured about half of it out... Just shake it real well and then I hold it sideways and slowly tilt it upstraight so all the dirt settles.. Then shake the rod as you remove it and they are sparkiling clean, just a bit of rust on the outside of the bearing's metail components, but the balls were like polished silver! Got a few comments from some guys I met tonight and skated with saying how fast my bearings were... They are REALLY fast...

Huh... what's "the rod"?

**woohoobaloogapoo** · 08-03-2007 10:53 PM

That was amazingly suggestive even if you didn't mean it (I hope.)
See here--

Originally Posted by Jraice

...Then shake the rod as you remove it and they are sparkiling clean...
...but the balls were like polished silver! Got a few comments from some guys I met tonight...

As for speed cream, it's really good; but if you live in Hawaii and it's expensive, you could go for something a tad cheaper or locally made and not lack quality (or at least too much.)

**HerBDerb** · 08-03-2007 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by Jraice

...Then shake the rod as you remove it and they are sparkiling clean...
...but the balls were like polished silver! Got a few comments from some guys I met tonight...

HAHAHAhaHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
EPIC!