What's in grip tape?
Today's grip tapes come with many choices, such as basic materials, colors, printed graphics, stencil cut-outs, and coatings. The following describes the materials used to make grip tape and the differences between brands.
Lubricants
A variety of lubricants are available for skateboard bearings, but only a few are adequate. The right oil improves bearing operation and extends its useful life.
Because bearings have tiny parts and contact surfaces, only thin lubricants should be used. WD-40 should be avoided. WD-40, and similar products are not produced to act strictly as lubricants and may cause more harm than good.
WD-40
WD-40 and similar products are more solvents and cleaners than lubricants. They are thin to enable them to get into tiny crevices and contain penetrants to loosen up rusty parts.
However, WD-40 should not be used for rusty bearings, because even moderately rusted bearings are already damaged beyond repair.
All About Bearings
Bearings probably have the most lore of inaccurate and false information than any other piece of skateboard equipment. As skaters, we are surrounded by ABEC rated, Swiss, and ceramic bearings and it's astounding how little we truly know about them. What are the best bearings? If you have an answer, how accurate are you? Here we lay to rest all the fallacies and incorrect jargon spread about the skate world for decades.
