For those unaware of what longboard Bearings are, bearings are what make the wheel spin as the longboard moves. A longboard is made up of 3 main parts: the deck, the trucks, and the wheels. The bearings function as the connector between the trucks of the longboard, which are fixed, and the wheels which spin.

While each individual bearing is tiny, they have a major impact on how well your wheels spin. With an average price less than $20 for the best longboard bearings, longboard bearings are a great investment for any longboarder.

See below for our choices for the top longboard bearings currently on the market. For detailed reviews of each longboard bearings, use the table of contents.

What is a bearing?

A bearing has tiny steel balls which run on a circular track inside of the bearing. One side of the bearing is then attached to the truck and the bearing side with the tiny steel balls is attached to the wheel. This allows the wheels to move while allowing the trucks to stay motionless.

Two bearings go inside each longboard wheel to allow it to speed. Because of this, usually bearings are sold in sets of 8.

Unlike some of the best longboard wheels(written about here), every longboard bearing is a standard size and can fit inside of any wheel. However there is a big difference between good longboard bearings and a bad bearing.

With good longboard bearings, you will hardly even know they are there. Your longboard wheels will move smoothly and consistently and you will not have to replace your bearings for years.

With bad bearings, the opposite is true. You may experience more friction than normal when pushing on your board and your wheels might not rotate at the same rate.

While often it is not essential to replace your bearings, doing so can greatly increase the quality and smoothness of your ride.

When thinking about picking out new bearings, also think about how easy it is to change the bearings on your board. In fact, it takes less than a half hour to replace all the bearings on your board. That’s no time at all when you consider how much it will improve your ride.

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It’s easy to choose the best longboard bearings on the market too. There are a number of ways to consider in bearings including speed, durability, materials, and most commonly the ABEC rating which we will explain below.

A main factor to consider is the material the bearing is made out of. While many bearings are made out of steel, the highest quality bearings are made out of ceramic. Ceramic bearings usually have a longer lifespan, produce lower friction, and are not affected by heat as much as steel.

Some bearings come with spacers included too. While not essential, spacers fit in between the bearings and the wheel. This additional component allows you to tighten down the axles more while still allowing the wheels to spin smoothly.

More bearings come pre-lubricated. Pre-lubrication means that the bearings will spin faster right out of the box. However, given the low price of skateboard oil, if a bearing does not come pre lubricated it can still be a great buy.

To aid in choosing the best longboard bearings, the ABEC rating is a measure of the tolerance of longboard bearings. A higher tolerance means a higher revolutions per minute(RPM) of the wheel.  The ABEC scale has five scores of ABEC 1,3,5,7, and 9 with an ABEC 9 bearing being the best.  However, some companies prefer not to use the ABEC ratings so it is not enough to just buy ABEC 9 Bearings and say those are the best longboard bearings.

Bones Red Bearings

The Bones Red Bearings have been the best selling longboard bearings in the US for years and for good reason. The Bones Red come pre-lubricated with Speed Cream racing lubricant and feature a rubber shield for less friction and easy cleaning.

The inner track of the longboard bearings is made out of high strength nylon to make your longboard wheels spin faster. The Bones Red Bearings also come with spacers for only $2 dollars more. With spacers, the Bones Red Bearings features as the top of our best longboard bearings list.

One advantage of all Bones Red bearings is that they come with a warranty. The warranty covers all damage to the bearings and offers free replacements.

Bones Ceramic Red bearings

The higher quality version of the Red Bones Bearings, the Bones Ceramic Red Bearings will cost a little more but the results make up for it. These bearings feature the same high strength nylon and rubber shield as the Red Bones Bearings but with several notable exceptions.

The ceramic balls used in these bearings are better than the very best steel bearings. This leads to the balls being lighter, harder, and stronger than the Red Bones Bearings with steel balls.

The Bones Ceramic Red Bearings are also waterproof and last longer which makes them an excellent buy for any skateboarder looking for high quality parts.

Bones Swiss Ceramics Bearings

Bones Bearings sweep this list of best longboard bearings for good reason. What makes the Swiss Ceramics Bearings great is the attention to detail Bones brings to one of their top products. The Swiss Ceramics Bearings are Skate Rated for better performance than any ABEC rated bearings.

The Swiss Ceramics Bearings are among the lightest of all of Bone’s bearings and resist dirt and moisture better than any of their other products.

These bearings also come with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. Some of the top longboarders in the world use these bearings and for good reasons. The reason these bearings are lower on the list is their slightly increased price compared to the Bones Ceramic Bearings.

Yellow Jacket Bearings

Bearing a trademark yellow ring, the Yellow Jacket Bearings claim that their bearings spin faster than brand new Red Bones. Reviews seem to back this up as multiple people have said that their longboard wheels do spin longer with the Yellow Jacket Bearings on. However, they are considerably louder than the Red Bones.

The tradeoff then is up to you. These bearings do reduce friction and will make your wheels spin longer but it comes at the cost of more noise. This is most likely due to less oil being placed in the bearings beforehand which is easily fixed with the addition of some speed cream lubricant.

The Yellow Jacket Bearings come with a seal to weatherproof them and are also rated ABEC 9 with regards to their manufacturing tolerances.

While these bearings do not come with a strict warranty, Yellow Jacket is so sure that you will like these bearings that they offer a money-back guarantee no questions asked.

SCSK8 ABEC 9 Bearings

Manufactured to highest tolerance on the Abec scale, what makes these bearings top the list is their price. For less than $5 dollars, you can replace those standard bearings on your longboard with bearings manufactured to the tightest tolerance.

These bearings come prelubricated with Speed lubricant to further reduce friction. The Abec 9 Bearings also come with a rubber seal to protect the bearings from moisture and dirt. The rubber seal is especially helpful for keeping out contaminants which can rapidly reduce the performance of the bearing.