Does anyone use spacers between their bearings? My set didn't come with any just wondering if they're necessary.
this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2023
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Skateboarding
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They're not necessary for ordinary skateboarding. Longboarders use them because their carving puts lots of sideways stress on the wheels. They might prolong the life of your bearings if you skate fast and do many power slides.
The main issue with spacers is that the inside width of wheels isn't standard, so unless you have spacers that perfectly fit the inside of your wheels, they don't really do anything useful. They mainly introduce a surface of contact that will slow down the wheel and catch more dirt.
If you have expensive ceramic bearings, you might consider using spacers, but otherwise it doesn't really matter. I have never had a bearing blow out from sideways stress.
Historically, spacers are casualties of the weight optimization in the 1990s. Some people still swear by them, but it's mainly superstition. There's no reasonable explanation for using them.