Bones Bearings

Another amazing sponsor for 2 years rolling (see what I did there?) is Bones Bearings. The only way I can think to explain how amazing theses bearing are is to explaining the first 10 miles of Sk8 South Dakota verses Sk8 Nebraska.

Sk8 South Dakota: Day 1. We woke in our casino motel ready for the journey, or so we thought. Jarrod, Loose ifur Hooker, PBR, Dubbs and I, grabbed our camelbacks full of ice and water picked up all our junk in the motel room and set out to begin this journey. (Mind you I have spent 2 years trying to block out the memories of the pain of the first year so I may be a little off.) But we headed out to find the allusive North Dakota border, after locating it we piled out. We started immediately getting our skates on, checking out the road, and stretching. I can only speak for myself but, we had NO idea what I was about to get myself into. 

I honestly thought, “this won’t be too bad.” Then a short time after, when I meet the six mile hill that never ended, I changed my tune. It took what seemed like all afternoon in the 91 degree heat to conquer this dang hill (did I say I don’t remember details? because, they seem to be coming back to me quite well now). At the time I would not have known enough to realize it, but my bearings and wheels were complete and total junk. Let’s just say a year later I would really know the difference…

Sk8 Nebraska: Now skipping to straight to the skating in the good life state, that is, Nebraska. As I said I would not have known the difference until the years changed over. Day one, minute four, I thought, “Holy sh*t, this is a smooth ride.” That thought was followed by a shout, “I CANNOT BELIEVE WE ARE DOING THIS AGAIN!” But the rest of those 216 miles seemed to roll by quite quickly. We were even, sometimes rolling at 20 miles an hour on the straight away. 

The Bones Reds, which are the ones we used for Sk8 Nebraska, are super easy to clean and lube. We could have easily cleaned them every night in about ten minutes, if we hadn’t been sleeping in the van on our way to and from fundraising events. Even with less-than-perfect care, the bearings worked great. 

For Sk8 Iowa, Bones has generously donated Super Reds. I don’t know yet what exactly is “Super” about them, but I’m sure I’ll find out when we tackle the hills of Iowa.

I guess the point I am trying to get to is: that a clean, good pair of bearings can really make a world of difference in your skating especially if you are skating a whole state. So when you are thinking about getting a new set of bearing—which you should do from time to time—make Bones your first stop. Not only because they sponsor Sk8 the State for MS because they rock!

Sum Mo Payne

Atom Wheels: Pulses Get Put to the Test

I would like to thank and talk about one of the sponsors that helps make Sk8 the State for MS possible. Atom Wheels makes Pulses, which are an outdoor quad skate wheel. Every year since we started Sk8 the State in 2010, when we first skated across South Dakota, Atom wheels has generously donated multiple sets of wheels for each skater to help us with our journey to raise money for MS research and funding.

 Now, I have owned many pairs of outdoor wheels and I can honestly say that none of them even come close to the Pulses awesome-ness! Not only do they absorb the stress and shock that accompany outdoor skating, they also glide over small pebbles and sticks that would usually leave a skater bleeding on the street. I know this because I usually am the skater bleeding in the street. They are smooth and heavenly which makes outdoor skating pleasurable as it should be. 

 

Another amazing thing about the Pulses is how many miles you can push out of a set! South Dakota was 266 miles and Nebraska was 216, all on pulses. Of course, after so many miles the wheels will have wear and tear, the occasional chunk out or crack. This is bound to happen when you are cruising across a state at 15 miles per hour on well-worn roads. On the last two Sk8 the State's each state only destroyed between 2-4 of my wheels. This fact alone proves how awesome they are,  because out of eight wheels on your skates only chunking a couple of the wheels after well over two hundred miles is fantastic!

 

Thank you Atom wheels, not only for your generosity,but for making amazing and durable skating equipment. Thank you for sponsoring the Sk8 the State for MS girls.

 

Dubbs