Why aren't more people using Adam's Full Ceramic bearings?

[Mort]

You may want to check out ratvision and their testing of ceramic vs steel ball bearings.

Here ya go.

https://youtu.be/KRK0w8P-qy4

[fierocious1]

Bearings that have good lubrication and have smooth races and are undamaged roll as good as any other bearings. Ceramics will only have one advantage, resistances to damage from weather. I don't skate outside so no worries. But Ive been running cheap bearings for ever, no rolling difference that can be detected from one bearing to the next. Have ran same bearings to failure for years with no----- ZERO maintenance. Most bearings with factory oil will run for years, take tons of abuse, speed, sliding, jumping... etc. NO maintenance with plenty of performance, just as fast as any other bearing. A bearing that has drag, is not a bearing anymore, toss it and replace it. My bearings cost about $1.50/set of 16. Spend you time swapping and testing wheels, not bearings, the benefits are much greater. You can do very little to improve on the most precise piece of your skates.
Bragg about selecting the best wheels for your surface, bearings don't matter much, unless you pick out a bearing that cannot hold up to the abuse, like ceramics and the smaller 688s. Mort knows plenty about destroying bearings, he can kill 688s. His tests are about abuse and what they can take. He will kill'em, done it before.
Spend your money on more important things.

[ursle]

Originally Posted by fierocious1

Bearings that have good lubrication and have smooth races and are undamaged roll as good as any other bearings. Ceramics will only have one advantage, resistances to damage from weather.

Well, that's an opinion, another is "waters wet", meanwhile, ceramic is proven to cause less friction, run cooler and be much more efficient, and last forever.


I don't skate outside so no worries. But Ive been running cheap bearings for ever, no rolling difference that can be detected from one bearing to the next. Have ran same bearings to failure for years with no----- ZERO maintenance. Most bearings with factory oil will run for years, take tons of abuse, speed, sliding, jumping... etc. NO maintenance with plenty of performance, just as fast as any other bearing. A bearing that has drag, is not a bearing anymore, toss it and replace it. My bearings cost about $1.50/set of 16.

The fact that you don't maintain your equipment is telling, your ceiling is my basement floor in my 10 story house.


Spend you(r) time swapping and testing wheels, not bearings, the benefits are much greater. You can do very little to improve on the most precise piece of your skates.

Or discuss bearings, intelligently.


Bragg about selecting the best wheels for your surface, bearings don't matter much, unless you pick out a bearing that cannot hold up to the abuse, like ceramics and the smaller 688s. Mort knows plenty about destroying bearings, he can kill 688s. His tests are about abuse and what they can take. He will kill'em, done it before.
Spend your money on more important things.

So, we shouldn't buy the best available bearings because you say we shouldn't even though they are proven to be more efficient, yet, Mort can destroy bearings?

We shouldn't buy the most efficient bearings because Mort can destroy bearings, what are you smoking?

If your advice is to not clean and oil bearings, I think you should keep your advice to yourself.

In the meantime. bones ceramics and bones speed creme are the best combination available, pretty simple concept, roller skating is simple, leather boots, plates mounted centered in the rear offset to the outside of the foot front, pick your front axle placement and have fun, more fun with the best bearings and lube

[FlailingLlama]

Yeah, I did spend a lot (for me) on ceramic balls, and some single bones bearings for "research" but I felt compelled to investigate a topic that is mostly undocumented.

It's fun for me, and I feel like I'm contributing, even if it's in a very small way.

On my other thread (maybe I should make it a new topic so more people see it) I disassembled Bones Super Swiss 6 and Swiss Ceramic, and documented my observations. I also measured all the balls from the different bearings I had on hand to compare.

I found the design of the Swiss Ceramics matched the 10 cent bearings I had, but the surface finishes were visually better.

I was VERY impressed by the design of the Super Swiss 6 bearings. The inner and outer race channels were twice as wide, and much deeper than the 7 ball bearing races.

If I ever buy a set of nice bearings, I'll contact Bones and ask for the Super Swiss 6. Maybe they could be nice and not send me the balls, because I already have ceramics for them

[Mort]

Originally Posted by*fierocious1*

Bearings that have good lubrication and have smooth races and are undamaged roll as good as any other bearings. Ceramics will only have one advantage, resistances to damage from weather.

Well, that's an opinion, another is "waters wet", meanwhile, ceramic is proven to cause less friction, run cooler and be much more efficient, and last forever.

Ceramics DON'T last forever. They have a tendency to fracture. Given time, everything fails. Depending on the skating environment one subjects them to, they could last decades, or mere months before a fracture occurs. Qube 8 ball bearings have a ceramic variant, Sidewinder on this forum busted one of the ceramic balls in those bearings. He doesn't skate abusively at all, yet still had a failure.


I don't skate outside so no worries. But Ive been running cheap bearings for ever, no rolling difference that can be detected from one bearing to the next. Have ran same bearings to failure for years with no----- ZERO maintenance. Most bearings with factory oil will run for years, take tons of abuse, speed, sliding, jumping... etc. NO maintenance with plenty of performance, just as fast as any other bearing. A bearing that has drag, is not a bearing anymore, toss it and replace it. My bearings cost about $1.50/set of 16.

The fact that you don't maintain your equipment is telling, your ceiling is my basement floor in my 10 story house.


It's not maintained, you're right, but he does it differently. As soon as someone would normally clean them, fierocious1 just throws them away and puts in new ones. He doesn't bother cleaning them. It's not that he doesn't maintain his equipment. He puts new equipment on where we would clean and relube. He has a stockpile of bearings.


Spend you(r) time swapping and testing wheels, not bearings, the benefits are much greater. You can do very little to improve on the most precise piece of your skates.

Or discuss bearings, intelligently.

Hes right though. Bearings are already the most precise part of our skates, and as long as they are smooth operating with oil at least to lube them, trying to increase their performance is chasing the wrong end of the problem for better performances.


Bragg about selecting the best wheels for your surface, bearings don't matter much, unless you pick out a bearing that cannot hold up to the abuse, like ceramics and the smaller 688s. Mort knows plenty about destroying bearings, he can kill 688s. His tests are about abuse and what they can take. He will kill'em, done it before.
Spend your money on more important things.

Originally Posted by ursle

So, we shouldn't buy the best available bearings because you say we shouldn't even though they are proven to be more efficient, yet, Mort can destroy bearings?

Define "best". As I see it a bearing that can self destruct because a ball can fracture is far from what I would call "best". Dependability is a very important factor. While some applications skaters put their equipment through would never damage bearings, some people have issues with durability because of how they use things.


We shouldn't buy the most efficient bearings because Mort can destroy bearings, what are you smoking?


Is efficiency worth safety? That's the primary factor. What good is a bearing that is efficient in a radial situation under small loads that dont have NVH issues, but cant hold up to higher stresses and impacts?

The primary thing that causes a bearing to actually fail is if the cage/retainer comes off the balls. The second issue is raceway failure. Now add in the effect that ceramics can shatter..


If your advice is to not clean and oil bearings, I think you should keep your advice to yourself.

[
His advice is to use them until they would need service and chuck them. Buying expensive bearings vs ones that are so damn cheap you would be wasting your time cleaning them will get you virtually no performance difference. A skater can save that money for wheels. In an indoor environment, even crap bearings will last for thousands of hours.


In the meantime. bones ceramics and bones speed creme are the best combination available, pretty simple concept, roller skating is simple, leather boots, plates mounted centered in the rear offset to the outside of the foot front, pick your front axle placement and have fun, more fun with the best bearings and lube.
[
That's an opinion, and not backed by any testing or facts. There is no data on their lube, "Skate Rated" means absolutely nothing. It has no standardization. It's pure marketing , and it has you hook line and sinker.

So since you're so into Bones ceramics, how are the balls formed? We know they are Si3N4 balls, but there are significant difference between HIP and GPS and do you even know what grade they are?

[Mort]

Originally Posted by FlailingLlama

Yeah, I did spend a lot (for me) on ceramic balls, and some single bones bearings for "research" but I felt compelled to investigate a topic that is mostly undocumented.

It's fun for me, and I feel like I'm contributing, even if it's in a very small way.

On my other thread (maybe I should make it a new topic so more people see it) I disassembled Bones Super Swiss 6 and Swiss Ceramic, and documented my observations. I also measured all the balls from the different bearings I had on hand to compare.

I found the design of the Swiss Ceramics matched the 10 cent bearings I had, but the surface finishes were visually better.
With some use the raceways end up polished about the same. The thing is with the nicely honed raceways, rheylk stay cleaner longer at first. But the metal composition may be different as well, ya cant trust anything anymore sadly. Metal testers arent cheap.


I was VERY impressed by the design of the Super Swiss 6 bearings. The inner and outer race channels were twice as wide, and much deeper than the 7 ball bearing races.

Well they have to be to take the bigger balls, but remember that there is also 1 less ball to take the loads as the bearing rotates. Is taking 1 ball out worth gaining 20% surface contact on the remaining 6? I don't know. I have yet to see a load tester... There are no data reports of the load rating of the super swiss 6. ILQ 9-Pro are also a 608 6 ball bearing. I have 2 sets of them. Maybe I should invest in 100 HIP formed grade 5 balls and assemble them up with ceramics just to see if they'll break?



If I ever buy a set of nice bearings, I'll contact Bones and ask for the Super Swiss 6. Maybe they could be nice and not send me the balls, because I already have ceramics for them

Nah. You'll have to buy the whole bearing. They don't make the bearings. Bones is a supplier, not a manufacturer of bearings.

[fierocious1]

Trying to improve on the most precise piece of skate gear, go for it..
As for Mort, he does kill bearings.
If any bearing is working correctly, it will roll smoothly and will not show any performance difference that you can measure from any other bearing in good condition. If the bearing is damaged, the damage can be measured.
If you run crappy bearings, they will roll as good as any, but not have long life, especially with abuse.

Some people run their mouths without first hand testing, that is not me or Mort. Mort tests to destruction as I do. But my bearings work as good as any out there no matter what the cost of them is. I wear out wheels, very seldom use up bearings.
Oh I forgot to validate testing... not standing in one spot on a skate floor flailing my arms around like a windmill or doing the funky chicken... lol But making hundreds of laps, hard turns and hard loud T stops or slides. So go away little turtle child...

BTW, there is a reason to for bearings to be made for water resistance. Try conveyors in food factories. Low impact, steady speed and wet all the time. Run stainless or ceramic, simple material choices can make or break your maintenance/downtime rates. No matter how much you lube a steel bearing, it will have a short life in wet surroundings. Run stainless or ceramic, no problem, less downtime and zero maintenance.

608 and 688 bearings were not exclusively made for skate applications. Ive torn down a lot of equipment over the years that has them installed. They are cheap to replace.

number one variable on skates to get performance out of is wheels, own several sets for many floors. Pick a good plate(none are perfect, all are compromises) and then get the correct cushion setup for the way you skate and to conform to your comfort level. Get good fitting boots/shoes that don't hurt your feet. Ezeefit can be your friend. The next big variable is boot placement on the plate. Most quad skates do not have any adjustment, once mounted it must be correct or you could damage your boots if you try to move the boots later. Next larger than normal wheels such as outdoor or hebgebs, then you have to look a wheel clearances from your boots.

[FlailingLlama]

Originally Posted by Mort

Nah. You'll have to buy the whole bearing. They don't make the bearings. Bones is a supplier, not a manufacturer of bearings.

I didn't know how to quote what you typed in bold. I didn't do the math on that, but just from how shallow the channels are for the 7 balls, I'd say there is far more race surface area over covering the 6 balls.

I know, and WIB Bearings wont sell to anyone other than Skate One in USA. I already checked.

Oh well.

[FlailingLlama]

Originally Posted by fierocious1

number one variable on skates to get performance out of is wheels, own several sets for many floors. Pick a good plate(none are perfect, all are compromises) and then get the correct cushion setup for the way you skate and to conform to your comfort level. Get good fitting boots/shoes that don't hurt your feet. Ezeefit can be your friend. The next big variable is boot placement on the plate. Most quad skates do not have any adjustment, once mounted it must be correct or you could damage your boots if you try to move the boots later. Next larger than normal wheels such as outdoor or hebgebs, then you have to look a wheel clearances from your boots.

I'm nervous to go to such a large wheel, but I'm really leaning towards 98A Wicked Scotts.

I recently discovered one of my plates is mounted quite crooked... so that's cool.

Good tips.

Part (most) of my problem is my inexperience, and low skill level. I don't know what parts to pick, but at the same time, my current boots/plates/wheels work just fine, and I need to focus on learning techniques and improving the ones I do have.

The other problem is I have a lot of time on my hands, and I can't skate all the time, my knees can only take two hard practices per week. So I'm left with all this time to speculate, and dream!

[Mort]

Originally Posted by FlailingLlama

I'm nervous to go to such a large wheel, but I'm really leaning towards 98A Wicked Scotts. large wheel? Stock size wicked Scott's are 62x44(almost 63mm tall) but they can be cut to any size you want just about. I have a set narrowed to 38mm wide myself at 97A in fluorescent red

I recently discovered one of my plates is mounted quite crooked... so that's cool.

A skater will learn to skate anything they're on. You'd be surprised how off a skate can be compared to the other and a skater just becomes acclimated to it.

Good tips.

Part (most) of my problem is my inexperience, and low skill level. I don't know what parts to pick, but at the same time, my current boots/plates/wheels work just fine, and I need to focus on learning techniques and improving the ones I do have.

What skates are you on now? Boots/plates/wheels? Or is it a combo skate you bought?

The other problem is I have a lot of time on my hands, and I can't skate all the time, my knees can only take two hard practices per week. So I'm left with all this time to speculate, and dream!

If your knees are having problems, then your skate may need some modifications. Suspension usually helps alot, softening it will make may things easier. Possibly form as well, a more bent knee can increase the leverage your foot can exert and alleviate stress because the force on the knee changes.

Skating should be as smooth as possible, like water flowing around a rock without breaking the surface tension. I'll be 40 this year and can typically out skate anyone on the floor, even younger stronger skaters, due to form refinement. Smooth and well times strides produce excellent speed with minimal power.

Of course good gear helps this. If your boots are comfortable, get wheels first. Best modification BY FAR, bearings should always be last on the list. They also transfer to any new skate easily.

[FlailingLlama]

Originally Posted by Mort

If your knees are having problems, then your skate may need some modifications. Suspension usually helps alot, softening it will make may things easier. Possibly form as well, a more bent knee can increase the leverage your foot can exert and alleviate stress because the force on the knee changes.

Im slowly trying to introduce more knee bend, and focusing on flexing my glutes to help with the pressure. As I skate (in the three months since starting) my knees are hurting a little less. My form is probably off in many ways, I'm just watching other people at the rink, and youtube and facebook vids.

Skating should be as smooth as possible, like water flowing around a rock without breaking the surface tension. I'll be 40 this year and can typically out skate anyone on the floor, even younger stronger skaters, due to form refinement. Smooth and well times strides produce excellent speed with minimal power. Let me know if you are ever near Detroit, MI I'd like to see that in person, pick your brain about stuff.

Of course good gear helps this. If your boots are comfortable, get wheels first. Best modification BY FAR, bearings should always be last on the list. They also transfer to any new skate easily.

Boots no longer hurt, I had a cobbler replace the hooks with eyelets, and I wear 1.5mm Ezeefit ankle thingies over my huge ankle bone. I wouldn't say my boots are comfortable, but no pain is all the comfort I've ever known. I'm asking Scott MANY questions about wheels, I'm sure he dreads opening his email! I'll be getting wheels from him soon.

large wheel? Stock size wicked Scott's are 62x44(almost 63mm tall) but they can be cut to any size you want just about. I have a set narrowed to 38mm wide myself at 97A in fluorescent red

Yeah, I've only skated on the 57x30 wheels my skates came with. I'm very clumsy and still sometimes trip on my skates.


A skater will learn to skate anything they're on. You'd be surprised how off a skate can be compared to the other and a skater just becomes acclimated to it.

I feel that. I was very surprised when I looked at my two boots next to eachother, and found one plate mounted a solid centimeter different than the right

What skates are you on now? Boots/plates/wheels? Or is it a combo skate you bought?

Sure Grip Fame skates, as they came except I put ceramic balls and nanolube in the bearings, and I made a jump bar for them. I was told that I could crack the nylon plates with my weight and my jumping, and I didn't have the money for a billet plate, so I improvised.

[Mort]

You'll notice an immense performance difference in a good set of wheels.

You may also want to get some better cushions. The stock ones arent thst good... But in the mean time you can help the situation. Simply take the truck off and grease the pivot pin/pivot cup. Then add a thin film of grease around the kingpin where the cushions touch it, spin the cushions on as you reassemble. Add a thin film to the truck yoke where the cushions touch and the cushions themselves. Reassemble, make sure the kingpin is clean if you got grease on the threaded area where the nut goes.

If you want even more action potential, you could use flat washers instead of those cupped ones. This helps the plate continue to lean and not build as much resistance as it normally would.

[fierocious1]

Originally Posted by FlailingLlama

I'm nervous to go to such a large wheel, but I'm really leaning towards 98A Wicked Scotts.

I recently discovered one of my plates is mounted quite crooked... so that's cool.

Good tips.

Part (most) of my problem is my inexperience, and low skill level. I don't know what parts to pick, but at the same time, my current boots/plates/wheels work just fine, and I need to focus on learning techniques and improving the ones I do have.

The other problem is I have a lot of time on my hands, and I can't skate all the time, my knees can only take two hard practices per week. So I'm left with all this time to speculate, and dream!

Idid a lot of testing to find out later that I wanted to build my own plates in the end. My skates are not for everyone but work very well for me. They can handle larger wheels for outdoors and 63s for indoor speed as well. Softer cushions, help as your talent level increases. Learn to be smooth. Being smooth forces you to skate well, also learn to balance without using your arms so much to do it. That forces you to move your body into the correct position over your skates as you stride.

[fierocious1]

Originally Posted by FlailingLlama

large wheel? Stock size wicked Scott's are 62x44(almost 63mm tall) but they can be cut to any size you want just about. I have a set narrowed to 38mm wide myself at 97A in fluorescent red

Yeah, I've only skated on the 57x30 wheels my skates came with. I'm very clumsy and still sometimes trip on my skates.


A skater will learn to skate anything they're on. You'd be surprised how off a skate can be compared to the other and a skater just becomes acclimated to it.

I feel that. I was very surprised when I looked at my two boots next to eachother, and found one plate mounted a solid centimeter different than the right

What skates are you on now? Boots/plates/wheels? Or is it a combo skate you bought?

Sure Grip Fame skates, as they came except I put ceramic balls and nanolube in the bearings, and I made a jump bar for them. I was told that I could crack the nylon plates with my weight and my jumping, and I didn't have the money for a billet plate, so I improvised.

About the jump bar, if your skates did not come with one, the thickness of material can affect geometry of your trucks if it is installed between the trucks and the plate. Unless you remove the same thickness of material that the jump bar displaces. If the jump bar is installed below the trucks, no problem. Some skates the geometry can be manipulated, some cannot.

Boot placement is high on the list as far as beeing beneficial to the skater.

I am currently waiting on my foot to heal from plantar fasciitis. Very painful. Hate it every day that I cannot skate yet. But soon. Finally found the combination of foot wear and cushioning that has helped. Usually my skate session is a solid 3 hours long, minimal breaks and as fast as the rink will let me skate. 58 yrs old. Good wheels usually last about 1 1/2 years before retread(Shamans), Scotts last forever no matter who skates them.

[FlailingLlama]

Originally Posted by Mort

You'll notice an immense performance difference in a good set of wheels.

You may also want to get some better cushions. The stock ones arent thst good... But in the mean time you can help the situation. Simply take the truck off and grease the pivot pin/pivot cup. Then add a thin film of grease around the kingpin where the cushions touch it, spin the cushions on as you reassemble. Add a thin film to the truck yoke where the cushions touch and the cushions themselves. Reassemble, make sure the kingpin is clean if you got grease on the threaded area where the nut goes.

If you want even more action potential, you could use flat washers instead of those cupped ones. This helps the plate continue to lean and not build as much resistance as it normally would.

I forgot I put stiffer cushions in. Red ones from Sure Grip. I greased the trucks like you said, I must have read something before. I will try the washer swap, if it makes a more linear feel. I get a kind of whip feeling, but I'm trying to be smooth through it.

Originally Posted by fierocious1

Idid a lot of testing to find out later that I wanted to build my own plates in the end. My skates are not for everyone but work very well for me. They can handle larger wheels for outdoors and 63s for indoor speed as well. Softer cushions, help as your talent level increases. Learn to be smooth. Being smooth forces you to skate well, also learn to balance without using your arms so much to do it. That forces you to move your body into the correct position over your skates as you stride.

I might want to build my own plates just for the fun/gratification of it. I'll look into your posts and read up.

Originally Posted by fierocious1

About the jump bar, if your skates did not come with one, the thickness of material can affect geometry of your trucks if it is installed between the trucks and the plate. Unless you remove the same thickness of material that the jump bar displaces. If the jump bar is installed below the trucks, no problem. Some skates the geometry can be manipulated, some cannot.

Boot placement is high on the list as far as beeing beneficial to the skater.

I am currently waiting on my foot to heal from plantar fasciitis. Very painful. Hate it every day that I cannot skate yet. But soon. Finally found the combination of foot wear and cushioning that has helped. Usually my skate session is a solid 3 hours long, minimal breaks and as fast as the rink will let me skate. 58 yrs old. Good wheels usually last about 1 1/2 years before retread(Shamans), Scotts last forever no matter who skates them.

They didn't come with a bar, I added it at the very bottom of the skates. It doesn't change the geometry, but Im sure it acts like a "swaybar" or "anti-dive" bar in a vehicle, it puts a slight pressure on the opposite truck when one truck moves. Sort of a bit "drifty" in the corners, I'm thinking about removing it and taking my chances with plate cracking. I'm guessing the fiberglass reinforced nylon is much stronger than people think it is.

That's what I'm reading about Scotts. What's even more appealing to me is the grip I'm reading they have, despite higher durometers.

Have you had a chance to compare exact sizes and durometers, between Scott's hot pour stuff, and other manufacturers compounds?

[Mort]

Red is the firmest, you would do better with softer cushions/bushings .

I would suggest removing the jump bar as they tend to have negative effects. I had a sunlite plate with one. It got discarded quickly.

[FlailingLlama]

Originally Posted by Mort

Red is the firmest, you would do better with softer cushions/bushings .

I would suggest removing the jump bar as they tend to have negative effects. I had a sunlite plate with one. It got discarded quickly.

No more jump bar.

What about truck shimmy? Or wobble? I remember I wanted to try and get rid of it, and the stiffer cushions helped. I like to balance on only the front or rear trucks, and they really wobble if Im going faster than a slow roll.

[Mort]

Originally Posted by FlailingLlama

No more jump bar.

What about truck shimmy? Or wobble? I remember I wanted to try and get rid of it, and the stiffer cushions helped. I like to balance on only the front or rear trucks, and they really wobble if Im going faster than a slow roll.

To get rid of that wobble you need practice, and better gear does help.

You could soup up that skate with delrin pivot cups and the adjustable avanti trucks too. They drop right in.

I prefer that setup with undersized washers and greased action while using a double purple sg super cushion setup.

Honestly I dont mess with traditional kingpins much tho. I'm into Arius plates. Way better for what I like and want from a plate.

Your stock setup is a rubber bushed pivot and it has a good bit of wiggle. So getting the adjustable trucks would really help there. When I get back home I'll see what you can do about cushion options outside of the stock ones or SG supers. Super cushions are 15/16ths OD, so you might need a 1 inch OD cushion to help that. Possibly a proline cushion may work. Ill look into it for ya, I got spare parts.

[fierocious1]

Originally Posted by FlailingLlama

I forgot I put stiffer cushions in. Red ones from Sure Grip. I greased the trucks like you said, I must have read something before. I will try the washer swap, if it makes a more linear feel. I get a kind of whip feeling, but I'm trying to be smooth through it.



I might want to build my own plates just for the fun/gratification of it. I'll look into your posts and read up.



They didn't come with a bar, I added it at the very bottom of the skates. It doesn't change the geometry, but Im sure it acts like a "swaybar" or "anti-dive" bar in a vehicle, it puts a slight pressure on the opposite truck when one truck moves. Sort of a bit "drifty" in the corners, I'm thinking about removing it and taking my chances with plate cracking. I'm guessing the fiberglass reinforced nylon is much stronger than people think it is.

That's what I'm reading about Scotts. What's even more appealing to me is the grip I'm reading they have, despite higher durometers.

Have you had a chance to compare exact sizes and durometers, between Scott's hot pour stuff, and other manufacturers compounds?

I tested Scotts a long time ago. Great wheels and same grip and roll as my best selected wheels

[Mort]

Originally Posted by FlailingLlama

. I'm guessing the fiberglass reinforced nylon is much stronger than people think it is.

what I like to do for a higher performance modificstion to a cheap skate is unmount the plate, sand and prep the sole of the boot and the back of the plate. Then get the correct bolt lengths and Tee nuts to reattach. Before recounting the parts I put shoegoo on the length of the plate and where the plate attaches to the boot. If you do it right, the bond is pretty strong but can still be pryd off should you need to remove the plate. I dont do it to think that glue will hold the plates I do it do greatly reduce plate deflection.

The Tee nuts will have a larger footprint inside the boots too and be significantly better than the stock hardware.

That's what I'm reading about Scotts. What's even more appealing to me is the grip I'm reading they have, despite higher durometers.

The reason they grip better at a given duro than most other wheels is their shear resistance. This is also why they're so wear resistant. Essentially the urethane doesnt tear away as easy as other wheels out there. Also their rebound depreciation is less since they're so durable, so they keep a lively feel for much longer. Granted quad wheels dont suffer the same depreciation as inline wheels do. Heck with an inline wheel there is noticeably different performance from just 100 hours of use if you put on brand new wheels again. This is in part where a lot of the bearing misconceptions cone from too, many inline skaters have a habit of getting new wheels AND bearings at the same time, then they chum that increase in speed up to the bearings being better, when in reality they are comparing worn out slow wheels vs brand new lively ones

Have you had a chance to compare exact sizes and durometers, between Scott's hot pour stuff, and other manufacturers compounds?

Somewhat. I've had 97A RBT'S and they are not as fast as 95A Royal Assassins. They are also heavier, they also dont last near as long. And of course the assassins far out grip the RBT'S.

The only down side? Micro bearings. They are not as robust as 608/627, and less available. I would say it's harder to get good ones, but that's all skate bearings anymore. So much Chinese crap. Not that a good bearing cant come from China, I've had a wonderful set of 688s that were made in China, but many bearings are lacking quality control.