The
first tool is a bearing puller. Instead of using the axle on your
trucks to yank out the bearings, which can strip the thread on the
axle and make it a pain to get the screws back on, you slip this
little device under the bearing and pry it out. This picture doesn't
really show it well, but the end of the tool is curved, so that
when you are pulling the bearing out, you don't need to use brute
strength to pull it straight out, but instead you sort of pry it
out, which is a lot easier.
The
second tool is the bearing press, which does the opposite of the
tool above. They also claim it can take bearings out, but I found
it to not be particularly good at doing that. What's nice about
these two tools is how quickly you can take bearings out and put
them in using both of them. The process of cleaning bearings used
to take up to an hour, but now it's half that for me using these
tools.
The
last part of the package I got from IS is their Speed Spray. I've
always used WD-40 to keep my bearings going, but this stuff is,
without a doubt, better, and longer lasting. To test it, I found
some old bearings that were rusted enough that I couldn't get them
to spin. I gave them a liberal spray from the bottle, waited as
the liquid bubbled on them and grime on the bearing bled out onto
the paper towel, and then tried again. This time they spun for quite
a while, and I was pretty impressed. I'm still skating these rusty
bearings, and I give them a spray every couple of weeks to keep
them going. Other old bearings I have have also found a new life
using the spray.
In
all, I Skate has made some quality products, I especially think
they would be useful to skateshops, where lots of decks are being
assembled each day and efficiency is a plus.
On
a totally unrelated note, my friend Jim gave me a great tip awhile
back on skateboarding in the rain. The idea is to get an old deck
that you wouldn't normally skate, and put a couple of coats of Weather
Seal on it. The board will be a little heavier, but you'll be able
to actually watch the water bead off of it when you skate. Thanks
Jim.
