Welcome to Jenkem Labs—our newest video segment where we investigate skateboarding’s biggest mysteries and do other fucked up shit, too.
Our ADD brains are constantly pondering the dumb and not so dumb skate-related questions that we believe need to be answered — like if a weighted vest can help you ollie higher, what’s the science behind renegading beers, and just how many ways are there to focus a board — so we created this show to find the answers.
For our first experiment, Dr. Noot and his lab assistant CK set out to determine once and for all which bearings are the fastest. We looked at seven of the most common brands and found out the quickest, the best value, and the biggest ripoff. Watch the vid (or zoom in on the first photo below) to find out our groundbreaking results!
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August 6, 2018 2:36 pm
A long time ago, this genius told me that abec ratings were irrelevant because it only applies if the bearing is going 60 or 70 miles per hour. Not sure if that’s true, but this guy had a big blotto head, wore glasses, and could solve those math problems with all the slashes and letters in them.
August 6, 2018 4:11 pm
So what’s the cost/performance ratios of each?
August 7, 2018 12:03 pm
Kurisu asking the real hard hitting-questions!
Cost per foot (CPF) = Cost / Distance
Swiss = $11.75/foot
Super Reds = $6.28/foot
Bronson = $6.16/foot
Black Panthers (AB7) = $5.00/foot
Reds = $4.29/foot
Andalé (AB5) = $4.13/foot
Minilogo = $2.31/foot
Don’t check my math
August 6, 2018 6:10 pm
Yeah, ABEC ratings are bullcrap in relation to skateboarding. Any difference you would notice only applies when a certain speed is reached, and no one on a skateboard is reaching it; not even guys who skate mega ramp. It is all a marketing scheme, and if you ever worked in a skateshop you know ABEC rating matters most to kids, who don’t know any better and think if the number is higher it must be better and they will go faster. But the truth is kids don’t skate fast anyway.
The best bearings were German or NMB, and those faded from skateboarding in the ’90s.
August 6, 2018 9:49 pm
Can you do a redo and add weight to the skateboard? like 50-100lbs or something? Dry bearings spin better with no oil/lube but under weight will be slower…. right? prove me wrong science guy.
August 22, 2018 3:58 pm
Oh damn. This guy has a point! Suprised the eggheads at Jenkem Labs didn’t consider this.
August 6, 2018 11:25 pm
Hard luck tho