by: Michael Byrne. (Michael was a medallist at Inline Worlds and is one of Australia's top male skaters. There is no one more serious about equipment than him.)

There are a lot of ways to clean a bearing, from the ‘shake them in a bottle of ….’ treatment, to ‘boiling in a pot of water on the stovetop’ - I kid you not, I’ve known it to be done.  When it comes down to it, particularly for the pro skater, how you clean your bearings is very much a personal preference.  At the end of the day, you’re going to skate in them again (or maybe for the first time, if you’re a precleaning fan) - so if you’re relying on your bearings to get you over the finish line first, you want the peace of mind that comes from loving the result when you clean your bearings your way.  

Wish list

A wish list of gear for the cleanest bearing? For me, it’d definitely include some Mach1 Citrus Bearing Cleaner solution, a sonic-type cleaner, some newspaper, an air compressor, and Mach1 Speed Oil.  Why? I’ve tried a lot of different solutions for cleaning bearings, and the one that stood out most and continually impressed me with its results was Mach1 Citrus.  Mach1 is a clear, sweet-smelling citrus solution, however, when I tried to get hold of some more all that was available was a strong-smelling bluish-colored Mach1 cleaner that wasn’t as effective.

Cleaning in solution

A lot of time can be spent shaking, teasing and agitating the dirt out of your bearings.  It can be painstaking to repeat clean individual bearings waiting for just the right result when the bearing is dried and spun.  What gets that result? I’ve found sonic cleaners stack up best in terms of thoroughness, efficiency, and saving the skin on your hands.  I’ve used a Braun denture cleaner for some time with great results.  A reservoir is filled with cleaning solution (in absence of Mach1 Citrus I’ve used White Spirits), and a mesh-bottomed basket placed into it.  When switched on (with a lid on), a magnet in the base unit spins, and causes another magnet in the basket to spin.  The basket magnet is inside a propeller-like disk, which agitates the solution, flushing the bearings.  Turn it on, wait 5 minutes, take out the clean bearings.

Cleaning ‘machines’

Sonic-type cleaners are great.  They work great with 608s, mini-bearings, and ceramic bearings alike.  Are they the ultimate? Maybe not, there’s always a better way, and if you just must have the ultimate clean, a bit of ingenuity might find a way.  A friend’s father built a cleaner using the windscreen washer reservoir, pump and nozzle removed from a car at the wreckers.  A clever mount on the reservoir meant you could remove the screw cap, clip a single bearing onto a spindle, and close the cap again.  When switched on, cleaning solution in the reservoir (filtered at the base) was pumped to the spray nozzle - which had been directed back inside the reservoir and angled so the stream of solution went into the bearing and spun it -fast.  After just a few seconds, the pump could be switched off and the bearing removed.  It cleaned bearings only one at a time, but quickly, and the results were fantastic.

Unloading

So, you’ve taken the bearings out of your cleaner.  When you set the bearings down, at any stage in your cleaning, you don’t want them to pick up new contaminants - so try not to use cloths, rags, or towels.  A few sheets of newspaper are absorbent, provide a level surface to work on, and most importantly show you what comes out of the bearing.  Tap your bearings face down on the newspaper a couple of times to shake out solution.

Drying… with more

Once cleaned in solution, a stream of air directed into the bearing, making it spin, is perhaps the best way I’ve seen to dry race bearings - blowing out excess solution and most importantly - any remaining grit along with it.  Air compressors are fantastic for this, but not always cheap or practical.  They do save time and effort, and give great results.  If you do use a compressor, don’t use too high a pressure on the bearing, particularly those with removable retainers - you can blow the balls right out of the bearing.  Once ‘blown’ they’re clean, dry and free-spinning, and ready for your favorite race oil.  Skeptical about the blow dry? Try just wiping your mouth, and then blowing at an angle into a spinning bearing so as to keep it spinning for a few seconds.  It’ll still blow the solution out, and see how smooth the bearing spins afterwards.

Lubricating

When they’re all dry, get your oil in.  Some people may like greases or ‘speed creams’, but for racing, be wary of anything that can leave a solid residue in your bearings.  Examine the condition of a lube once you’ve used the bearing a few times, or once it seems to ‘run dry’ - some lubes that were great on application are now a mess that clogs up the bearing.  How much oil? Personal preference there too.  Maybe minimal for strictly racing, a little more for a training set that will go awhile before it’s next clean.  A little less for just indoor skating, a little more for outdoor - the conditions go on, and it really depends on the oil, and what you want out of it.  Test oils at practice - you’ll find what lets your bearings spin fast, survives a lot of skating, tolerates the heat, etc.  - and know how much to use.  I like Mach1 Synthetic Speed Oil.  It’s Durable and fast, and if I’ve prepared a set of bearings strictly for a big race, I’ll give them a drop each of Mach1, then a light spray of WD40 or similar anti-rust/lube/degreaser product and spin it in - it thins the oil a little and the bearings fly.

World-class bearings

What bearings would I take into battle for the biggest races on the calendar? They’d be Baby Bont Ceramics - run in for a few kilometers, then cleaned in citrus solution in a sonic-type cleaner.  They’d be compressor-spun, oiled with Mach1 and over sprayed with WD40.