by Mel @troubleon8wheels
We want you to know that we stock high quality products that we love, so here is the start of our supplier series.
Better Bearings supply bearings with cute colourful shields so you can truly match your skates. The Lickety Split bearings now come with an oil slick finish too... but you shouldn't just choose a technical product based on how pretty it is right?
Do you even know what an ABEC rating is?
It is a precision measure of how fast the bearing can rotate in machinery, so unless you are rolling at 70 miles per hour, the ABEC rating is not the most important thing. Having skated on ABEC-5 rated bearings for years, I can testify to that. Using basic bearings when I played roller derby did not stop me from training hard and getting 30+ laps in 5 minutes. What is important are the materials that make up the bearings. Read more about the ABEC myth here.
Better Bearings have tested their products and refined it for years, before settling on the components they use today. They continue to supply a team of skaters with bearings, from park skaters, to roller derby skaters and everyone in between, (including yours truly!)
Other features that are great about Better Bearings:
They have a single-sided easy-to-remove shield. This may not sound like a big deal, but when you are cleaning your bearings, you will be pleased that you only have to remove 16 shields and not 32! Plus one shield reduces the chances of a shield damaging the bearings on heavy impact.
They come pre-lubed. The lube takes a bit of time to warm up and disperse, so pop them in your wheels and go skate.
The packaging is designed for roller skaters, and Better Bearings come in packs of 16. I used to buy one pack of skateboard bearings and only to get home and realise I didn't have enough bearings.
Their bearings are twice inspected, once in the factory, and once when the owner of Better Bearings personally hand packages and inspects every bearing before it is shipped.
The packaging is made from recycled card, and is also recyclable, although I like to store my old set of bearings as a back up set.
Their cleaning products are environmentally safe.
As well as supplying the vital component that helps us roll and glide, we were impressed that Better Bearings are a company with a conscience.
From Better Bearings:
"In 2018 Better Bearings started on their BCorp journey and one of our goals for 2021 is to become a BCorp Certified company.
Certified B Companies are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. This is a community of leaders, driving of a global movement of people using businesses as a force for good.
In May 2019 Better Bearings launched their Better Parks Initiative which we hope will help skaters all over the world clean up their skate parks and make our parks a safe and enjoyable place to skate. To find out more about this initiative click here.
In June 2019 Better Bearings joined the Buy One Give One #B1G1 movement and announced with every product sold they will help someone somewhere have a better life. #betterbearingsbetterworld
The United Nations released 17 Sustainable Development Goals which are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The Goals interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, it ís important that we achieve each Goal and target by 2030." Click here to find out about the progress Better Bearings have made towards this goal.
Finally, Better Bearings launched a Better Parks Initiative - trying to clean up and improve local skate parks. Everyone is invited to make their world a better place and organise their own local clean up. #betterbearingsbetterparks
It takes a lot of dedication to clean up your local skate park, and then educating users who may not be used to this environment and keeping it clean is important too.
Better Bearings have created this guide to support organisation of the clean up effort.
Who else would you like to see featured in our supplier series?