Plastic Bearings...

You're hearing it here first! We're increasing our range of miniature plastic bearings to include even smaller sizes.

Chris can tell you a bit more about what they're used for:

"Bearings made from plastic/acetal resin (AC) with balls made from 316 stainless steel or glass are more corrosion resistant. They will however, corrode in the prescence of certain chemicals for which made-to-order polyethylene or polypropylene bearings with glass balls may be a better choice. These are generally termed as "plastic" bearings and like 316 stainless steel bearings, are not suitable for anything other than low loads and low speeds and should not be used in temperatures of greater than 90C. These types are also low precision so not suitable for instrument use.

The smaller bearings are not usually available in these synthetic materials, so we're really pleased to have been able to extend our range, with sizes now starting from just 3mm bore!

Plastic bearings are manufactured with plastic (acetal resin) rings & balls and 316 grade stainless (316 suffix) or glass balls (GL suffix) for use as corrosion resistant bearings or non magnetic bearings (we can supply to order plastic bearings with polyethylene rings and glass balls for more corrosive environments). All plastic bearings are only suitable for low loads and low speeds and should not be used in temperatures greater than 90C.

We normally stock these open but they may also be supplied as ZRS with one acetal shield and one rubber seal. Plastic bearings are not made to the same tolerances as steel bearings. Normal inner and outer ring tolerances on these bearings are +/- 0.05mm. Other sizes of plastic bearings are available but may be subject to minimum order quantities."

For details of our current range, please visit http://www.smbbearings.com/Framesets/Plastic_Frame.htm. As new bearings arrive, we'll update this page with further details.

2010's Tweed Run - Cycling for the Jolly Posh!

We present you with another example of why Britain is truly Great...

Announcing the 2nd Annual Tweed Run - 10th April 2010.The basic idea? Get dressed up all posh-like & cycle round London with lots of other people, taking in the sights & LOOKING POSH, stopping only so that one's butler can serve tea in the park. If you don't fancy taking part (or are just too common) you can don your shell-suit & just spectate (gawk at the wondrousness of your betters)...

Visit http://tweedrun.com/
for more details & updates.

Tally-HO & chocks away chaps!!!

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Roller Derby

We've found a fabulous & fascinating blog, dedicated to the world of Roller Derby, & thought that we had to share it with you!

If you visit http://roundupbout.blogspot.com/ you'll have instant access to all the latest news, views & events going on in the UK Roller Derby League scene, which certainly seems to be vibrant & active - even bagging nationwide TV coverage now. There are lots of events coming up this spring, probably surprisingly close to home for most of us in Blighty, so why not check one out!

F1 in Schools National Finals

Congratulations on making it to the World Championships Mach1 team!

A stellar performance at last weekend's F1 in Schools Competition National Finals, has assured the Mach 1 team from Lutterworth College, Leicester, a ticket to Singapore for this September's F1 in Schools World Championship finals.

Chris managed to bag this vid of the team collecting their awards...



Mach 1's Elliot tells us more about their success & what the future holds...

"Although missing out on first prize by a whisker we came second overall in the UK and we won the best engineered car in the UK as well. This means that Mach1 will still be going to Singapore to the World Championships in September. We will combine with a second place team from another country, which at the moment looks most likely to be either France or Portugal, to create a collaboration team. We are currently unsure as to who we will combine with but we will tell you as soon as we find out .

This means lots of changes will happen e.g. the team name will probably change to something both teams are happy with, the team size will grow from 4 to 6 strong and the team will have to communicate through the internet with various software such as Skype and there is a possibility of a language barrier issue but not so much for us because the rules state that all work has to be written in English. So forming a collaboration team could bring lots of inconveniences but again this brings lots of opportunity!

We will keep you updated with the latest about the forming of the team then once we settle into a routine we will start sending out monthly newsletters. Obviously there is a cost with the travelling and accommodation of going to Singapore along with the general cost of running the team and maintaining its high quality in any area we work in. And same again we will concentrate on giving you the return on investment you expect. This will be helped by the fact we have appeared in both local and regional newspapers six times between the regional final and the national final and there will also be a live television broadcast at the Singapore grand prix which is where the World Championships are held. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support that has taken us to this stage and I hope these relationships can be sustained up to and beyond the World Championships."


And here's their journey to the finals, filmed as a very spiffy promo by the team...



Everyone here at SMB is immensely proud to have been involved with such a driven, dynamic & charming team & we're really excited to be with you every step of the way to Singapore in September.

Many congratulations once again!

SMB's new website is on the way!

A Happy New Year to you all!

To celebrate in style, we're proud to show you a sneak preview of our new website & online shop, coming soon. Our website will still have all the useful techie stuff that you need but will also give you the opportunity to shop online if you want to. For our trade customers, or those not quite so sure what their exact requirements are, we'll still be available by phone, fax & email to answer any queries that you may have.

If there's anything in particular that you'd like us to include in the site, we'd love to hear from you so don't be shy!

Wheel Skates... the next big thing?

How do you fancy these in your awkwardly wrapped & somewhat misshapen Christmas stocking then folks?! These are wheelskates, "a pair of large wheels that have the skater's feet suspended below the axles enabling a smoother, more fluid skating experience that crosses boundaries into skiing and cycling". The large wheel & pneumatic tyre of Wheel-skates allow you to:

• gain and maintain momentum with less effort,
• greater stability and more manoeuvrability
• skate over rougher terrain or ski down grassy slopes
  or commute like a bicycle free of seat & handle bars

With the snow we've got currently, it could make for an interesting commute to & from work. And as for the journey home from the Christmas party...!!

Outstanding Landboarding vid...

This vid kind of makes skateboarding look a little bit tame... Enjoy!



Don't try this at home folks, at least not without the appropriate safety gear & training. Take it from one who's done enough face-plants in the mud (& never really learnt to fall with style, Buzz Lightyear fashion!) to know that landboarding really is as hard as it looks... ;0)

Happy weekend everyone!

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F1 in Schools - 1 month to the UK finals...

With just under one month to go now until the UK National finals of the F1 in Schools competition, we're pleased to bring you the latest update from the lovely Mach1 team at Lutterworth College, Leicester, who we are proud to be sponsoring in this year's event.

They've attached a preview picture of the new car for us,

"The shape has been decided on but I may have to reshuffle some decals" Elliot of Mach1 team advises.

This car has a few new tricks up its sleeve, which we have promised not to reveal just yet, in case the competition is having a sneak preview too! We'll keep you up to date as we hear more from the development team at Mach1.

Cycling & festive cheer!

Real Cycling's blog post

http://realcycling.blogspot.com/2009/12/nice-lights-but-wheres-fairy.html

has this week filled us with festive cheer & we thought we'd share it with you!

Admittedly, Real Cycling's message was less festive cheer & more safety first (very importantly) but, if we're being honest we just like the twinkly lights!

Please send us more twinkly pictures & we will post them. Red Bikes has very kindly sent us the image below (you need to check out Red Bike's Christmas tree vs cat video, it's very funny - http://redbikes.blogspot.com/2009/12/lauras-christmas-tree-wont-last-long.html )

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Has anyone actually got a tree on their bike yet?!!

Coolest Cycle track... ever!

Berlin's Cycle show last weekend featured possibly the best bike track ever invented in the world... ever! Check this out:

Cyclists power little Playmobil figures round a track in a race against the clock & each other. It may be impractical & a tad on the large side, but I WANT ONE!

Happy Birthday Schaeffer!

We're really excited to be able to bring you Schaeffer Mclean's latest skate vid today. It is his sixth birthday on Monday, so we'd all like to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCHAEFFER!!!

Since we last told you about his exploits, Schaeffer has been very busy - his Mum Eve tells us more:

"We went to Milan at half term and some of the footage is in the vid. We aren't doing King of the Groms this year, we will probably wait until he's a bit older, but meanwhile we have been skating all over. He just did a little rippers competion at the Boardroom, Leicester, last Sunday and he did really well, and won 3 prizes!"

Well done Schaeffer, we're really proud of you. We hope that you enjoy wearing your new SMB skate gear, which is winging its way to you very soon...

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We just have to give a quick mention to this post:
Blackbird Blog: GIFT IDEA #4: GOT YOUR SKATE PUNK LITTLE BROTHER COVERED

Whether you want to buy anything or not, this is funny! I love the " brother who just turned fifteen - so bored and world-weary that you wonder if he's into anything at all. Invariably you'll find out that the grumpy, sarcastic little blank starer actually does enjoy a handful of things: skating, hanging out, listening to music, etc" bit!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Cycling in England is dangerous...

Well we all knew that really, but today it has been declared officially! ON THE BBC!! THEREFORE IT MUST BE TRUE!!! A long-term study made by researchers from the University of Surrey has revealed how dangerous UK roads are for cyclists, with a disproportionately high number of cyclists injured on the road, compared to car drivers and passengers, as reported by The Independent newspaper.





For those of us who can't move to Holland tomorrow (apparently much safer) or don't actually give a monkeys & cycle anyway, we thought we'd share a few of our favourite cycling blogs & sites...

• http://www.cycling-inform.com/ - bike maintenance, training help, viewer videos & much more.
• http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/ - the ever-informative magazine's website.
• http://www.atob.org.uk/ - for those who want/need a folding or electric bike
• http://www.fatcyclist.com/ - I am sure we need no introduction here!
• http://kimbofo.typepad.com/londoncyclingdiary/ - London, cycling, diary... you get the idea!
• http://minxcompendium.blogspot.com/ - Girls' Cycling -yeay!
• http://ernestonbike.blogspot.com/ - this guy's exploits are LEGEND...
• http://realcycling.blogspot.com/ - we love Real Cycling - they're brilliant at sarcasm and drinking it seems ;0)
• http://crapwalthamforest.blogspot.com/ - cycling news, views & opinion
• http://redbikes.blogspot.com/ - we love you Red Bikes, you cycle lots, you are funny & don't mind admitting that it's too cold to cycle & you'd rather play games indoors. In short, you're our hero!

For those of you who no longer feel safe cycling out of doors, may we introduce you to the exotic world of indoor trick cycling - here some very clever German ladies in leotards show you how it is done...

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Glen Pointon fishing the Wye

We've enjoyed watching Glen Pointon's exploits for a year now & he's just posted his first underwater fishing video, showing his release of a Grayling that he caught fishing the River Wye. What we love about Glen (other than his amazing blog, beautiful photos & dashing good looks!!) is that he catches all the subtleties of fishing, down to the fact that Grayling are a different colour on the Wye than they are on the River Dove.

See more of his posts at http://glenpointon.blogspot.com/

The other thing you have to love about Glen is that, doubtless through years of experience & tough times, he makes it all look smooth, effortless & verging on the elegant, unlike the poor gents pictured below who just make you think "WHY?!!!" ;0)

1st Birthday...

Doesn't time fly by - we're celebrating our blog's 1st birthday today!

A big

"THANK YOU!!!!"

to all our lovely contributors & loyal visitors - we've enjoyed your comments, guest posts, suggestions & helpful hints enormously.

We hope that you enjoy our blog - we will always welcome any thoughts, comments, ideas, posts, criticism etc so please keep in touch.

Skate Vid...

A little something to keep you entertained over the weekend... have a great one folks!

Think you can do better than this?



Fancy being an SMB team rider? Send us your vids & stats & we'll look at sponsorship options. We are proud supporters of our riders & indeed all those that we currently sponsor in cycling, skating & rc modelling. You don't have to be well known - if you're just enthusiastic & motivated then we'd love to hear from you!

The world's most expensive bicycles...

We're not the sort here to revel in other people's misfortune, but we did have to have a little chuckle at this...

Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco's, is taking legal action after mistakenly paying almost £1 million for six bicycles which should have cost less than £1,000, sources said.

Tesco is seeking restitution of the overpaid monies following the error by its finance team, who in August should have paid £984 for six Muddy Fox Suspension Bikes but paid £984,000 instead. Oops! Still, best not to laugh too long or hard as it can happen to the best (or stupidest) of us ;0).

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Mach1 Team - F1 in Schools Regional Champions...

Our hearty congratulations to Mach1 Team from Lutterworth College, who at yesterday's regional finals qualified for the National F1 in Schools Championship final being held at Birmingham's NEC, during the Autosport International Show, in January 2010.


Mach1 celebrated a trio of trophies, taking overall victory in the Formula 1 class, as well as taking awards for the Fastest F1 car(1.289 seconds) and Best Engineered car.

Pictured below are Johnny, Elliot, our very own Chris in the middle, Alex & Ricky. Chris joined the talented quartet for race-day at the NEC, to offer whatever technical assistance & general encouragement he could (& to get to play with lots of cars...).

The cars, designed by students aged between 9-19 race along a 20 metre track, shown below, at speeds in excess of 60Kph...

Teams are judged on car speed, as well as supporting evidence of their design, verbal presentation and marketing display stand in ‘‘the pits”. The Mach1 team's pit was very impressive & made great use of all the materials they had gleaned from their sponsors, including SMB Bearings.

The victorious Mach1 can't rest easy though, as preparation must begin in earnest for the national finals, now only 8 weeks away.

We'll be working hard for the team too & are looking for ways to improve our bearing performance as much as possible to achieve an ultra free-running, high speed finish. We've already treated previous bearings with Diamond Nanolube & are now looking again at this option, compared to results achieved by coating bearings with a Molybdenum disulfide suspension. Both substances act as thousands of tiny particles, suspended in a carrier oil, coat the surfaces of the bearing & float between the metal parts of the bearing to keep surfaces apart (it will still work even if the carrier oil is gone):

• preventing metal to metal contact
• prolonging bearing life
• reducing friction
• preventing galling, gouging & scoring
• preventing heat build-up

We're not sure ourselves yet whether there will be any advantage between the two different methods for this application, but we'll do our best to find out very soon.

We'll also be investigating the benefits provided by ceramic hybrid bearings (ceramic balls, metal cage, rings & shields). The speed increase for hybrid bearings is, on paper at least, approximately 30 percent with adequate lubrication. Hybrid bearings can also operate better with limited lubrication as the lower friction material generates less heat but running speed should be reduced.

A word or two of caution - ceramic hybrids have become something of a fashion "fad" in recent times, with many Chinese hybrids flooding the market. These bearings are often of a poor quality & do not deliver on a theoretical promise to reduce friction & increase speed. For Mach1, we'll be trying to deliver on the theoretical promise by sourcing Japanese ceramic balls for their bearings... watch this space ;0).

Fishing photos...

We've found a wonderful site for fishing & wildlife fans who also love their photography, called Inshore Nearshore - just visit http://inshorenearshore.blogspot.com/. I hope they won't mind us showing you a couple of prime examples of their beautiful work...

In weird fishing news this month, a Japanese 10 tonne fishing trawler was sunk by giant jellyfish...

On 2nd November, the crew of the fishing boat was thrown into the sea when the vessel capsized, but the three men were rescued by another trawler. The trawler, the Diasan Shinsho-maru, capsized off Chiba`as its three-man crew was trying to haul in a net containing dozens of huge Nomura's jellyfish. Each of the jellyfish can weigh up to 200 kg and waters around Japan have been inundated with the creatures this year. Experts believe weather and water conditions in the breeding grounds, off the coast of China, have been ideal for the jellyfish in recent months.

One of the largest jellyfish in the world, the species can grow up to 2 meters in diameter. The last time Japan was invaded on a similar scale, in the summer of 2005, the jellyfish damaged nets, rendered fish inedible with their toxic stings and even caused injuries to fishermen.

These aren't like the jellyfish I remember as a kid, you used to be able to poke those with a stick & escape unscathed (except for the telling-off you got from your Mum of course)!!

Another skating great...

Kid stuck in a skatebowl...





... you sort of feel sorry for them, but it is funny & our Dr Evil side won out ;0)

Good news in SMB-land this week, our skate shirts, caps, jackets & decals are being printed (hooray!!) & this is a taste of what they'll look like...

Mach1 Team F1 in Schools Update...

With only days to go now until the regional finals of the F1 in Schools Competition, at Birmingham's NEC on 19.11.09, the Mach1 team have announced the launch of their new website & you can take a sneaky peak here...
http://www.mach1f1.co.uk/Index/Index.htm

Good luck to everyone taking part, but most especially to our very own Mach1 team! We look forward to meeting you on the day & hope that everything goes well for you in the run-up to the big event.

If anyone else fancies going along to supprot the teams & have a great day out, you can register for a pass at http://www.ichf.co.uk/d+t/.

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Spectating is a dangerous sport...

Free-running wheel bearings aren't necessarily such a good idea, especially when combined with gravity & forward momentum!

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Yikebikes

What do you reckon to this then?! It looks pretty alien, but then I guess the modern bicycle did when it first put in an appearance...



Unlike a bike though, without battery power the Yikebike is about as useful as a chocolate teapot on a very sunny day... It needs recharging every 5 miles or you are left with just your own two feet for company! It will be certainly be interesting to see whether this product develops & gets over it's initial flaws.

Happy weekend everyone!

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Photo of the week...

...not relevant to anything but we just LOVE it!!

Do you ever think some people just have too much time on their hands?! ;0)

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Catching up with Tony Hawk

Birdhouse East Coast Tour - watch more skate, snow, surf, and moto videos

RC Model boats - a beginners size guide...

We found a rather spiffy website, called http://www.rcsailboatguide.com/ & thought that our RC hobby-nuts might be interested in this article:

"Almost without exception the uninitiated spectator who has been watching a model out sailing and then sees it being brought ashore will express great surprise at how big it is. That little model you see out on the pond can be eight feet long and weigh up to eighty pounds. Unless you sail in a swimming pool, the rule of thumb is: the larger the model, the easier to sail. And one of the most important considerations in selecting a model is its size, all other things being equal. If you cannot see the boat well enough to distinguish wind changes on the sails and reaction to the controls, you will be unable to operate it among a fleet of models sailing offshore.

The distance to which we can sail our model yacht is limited not by range of the radio transmitter and receiver in the control system but by the capability of the human eye. Beyond a certain point we cannot see the boat well enough to set the sails properly. Visibility is crucial for setting sail trim and course – and also for avoiding collisions.

From a practical standpoint, the minimum overall length is 36 inches if you plan to sail with other larger models. The large “J” boats and “A” Class boats measuring eight feet in length represent the upper limit. Thirty nine to sixty inches constitute the most common hull lengths.

In selecting your model size consider: where you will store the model when not in use; how you will transport it to the water’s edge; what is involved in your launching it (depth of water required, weight of model, bulk of model, etc.). At the time of purchase you will need to consider the cost of having the model kit delivered to you. Generally, models up to 50 or 60 inches can be packed to ship by mail or United Parcel. Models which cannot be packed within UPS size and weight limitations must either be picked up personally at the shop or be shipped by truck. The same considerations must be given to the spars for your model. A tall one-piece mast may be very expensive to have shipped. If you overlook the shipping costs, you may find the shipping more costly than the model itself, unfortunate but sometimes true.
Sailing model weights range from five pounds to over 80 pounds. Fifty inch models will range from ten to 30 pounds, which is within the launching ability of most adults. The larger boats require a cart or two persons for launching.

While a child’s toy boat can be launched from the edge of the pond, the size of the R/C models requires a launching area with water deep enough to allow for the depth of the model keel. The typical 50/800 Marblehead draws 15 to 18 inches. You may need to wade out into the water to launch and recover your model. At facilities for full-size boats, there is usually big-boat activity which wipes out model activity – model boats sail best undisturbed by powerboat wakes and water skiers! The Parks and Recreation Department in your town may be willing to follow the lead of the Town of Needham, Massachusetts, in providing model-boat facilities, particularly at ponds where other public access is restricted. Consider too the possible need to launch a small boat to recover a disabled R/C model.

The sails on the modern model racing yacht are left attached to the spars rather than furled or stowed as they would be on a big boat. In the normal home it may be hard to find space to stow away a ten-foot mast with sails attached."

Well, it just goes to show - size is everything, in the world of RC boating anyway ;0)

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We can offer a range of KS440 stainless steel bearings for RC sailboats - they offer good corrosion resistance to damp environments & whilst not totally resistant to corrosion in a marine setting, they offer the advantage of being a harder material & taking higher loads & speeds than most marine-grade bearings.

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F1 in Schools Update

This season we are sponsoring 'Mach 1' F1 in Schools team, based at Lutterworth College, who have just sent us this exciting new update & we're really pleased to share it with you:


"Here are some photos of the final car on ProDesktop with all of our sponsors names on. If you look at the wheels you can see where your bearings are situated. Your logo is in a prime position for all of the photos and videos taken of the car because the cars go so fast the only place you can take a photo is when it is at the start and the crowd will be in front of the car so the main focus point is the front aerofoils (where your logo is situated).

I also have a big smb thing planned for the stand which is hard to explain but i will send you photos when i make it.
Thanks
Ps. The car is being cut out as we speak"

Thanks guys - how cool is that?! We can't wait to see the finished article & look forward very much to finding out what the intriguing "big thing" for the stand is... ;0)

For those of you who haven't heard about the F1 in Schools competition before, here's what it's all about:

Spanning age ranges of 9 to 19, F1 in Schools teams must raise sponsorship and manage budgets to fund research, travel and accommodation. The challenge inspires students to use IT to learn about physics, aerodynamics, design, manufacture, branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media skills and financial strategy, and apply them in a practical, imaginative, competitive and exciting way. The race is then on, literally! Completed cars race side-by-side along 20-metre straights. Teams are judged on car speed, as well as supporting evidence of their design, verbal presentation and marketing display stand in ‘‘the pits”. Teams compete regionally, nationally and internationally for the Bernie Ecclestone F1 in Schools World Championship trophy.

For more details on the school & team, you can visit their website at http://www.lc.leics.sch.uk/

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Skating, surfing, snowboarding - Playmobil style...

A slightly long, but excellent homage to those most excellent Playmobil dudes.




I just used to lose their heads/limbs/torsos under the sofa & then get them stuck in the vacuum cleaner during botched rescue missions myself...


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London Cycle Show

For all fans of shiny new gadgets, this weekend's London Cyle show was an absolute must.

Exhibitors included:
Endura
Greyville
Spoke Shirts
Sealskinz
Polaris Apparel
Nemesis
surf sales
U.S.E
Ana Nichoola
2 Pure
Cyclodelic
2XU
ibikelondon
& many more, so if you've missed it this year make sure to pencil it into your diary for October 2010!

Fab bloggers http://londoncyclechic.blogspot.com were there & have posted a great review of the show & the available retail delights for all to see, so don't miss it.

Cycle Chic fans may also have seen the work of this very clever lady recently, Kara Ginther Leather: http://www.karaginther.com/ - if you have a few pennies to spare on your two-wheeled pride & joy, these may well be for you - aren't they gorgeous?!