If you decide to get into full “unresponsive” play, you can upgrade the Classic with a full-sized C-bearing, and replace the black O-rings with silicone response pads. One of the YYE regulars, stuartw, is an absolute beast with the Classic. The upgraded Classic will take you as far as you want to go with unresponsive play, if that’s something you end up being interested in. 
Well, right now I have the O-rings in and can barely get it to respond to me as is. I have to spin it so fast that it hurts my hand on the return.
Maybe I’m throwing it wrong, but I wasn’t having trouble with it earlier. I somehow doubt I’ve worn out the o-rings that fast too. Maybe the string is a factor? I switched to another broken in string I had handy, but it wasn’t getting much response either.
It seems I have to have the string twisted pretty tight to get it to come back to my hand at all. But maybe I wore the string down?
Who knows.
But between my currently non-responsive Speed Beetle and me having trouble getting the Classic to respond, I may have no alternative to going non-responsive soon.
It’s a beater but it was my first yoyo. It’s always gonna have a special place in my heart, but I felt it would be cool to pass it on since I don’t use it anymore.
The o-rings are not worn at this point. You probably need to lube the bearing. Also keep the string looser. Loose string will tend to catch the response better than a tightly wound string. Lube is probably the key factor however.
Oh. I found that a loose string (letting the yo-yo “zero out” to where it didn’t spin)wasn’t catching at all.
So maybe the problem is something else, as you said.
But the yo-yo was working fine for me earlier today. Could a brand new yo-yo that was functioning perfectly five hours ago really have gotten to the point that it needs more lube this quickly?
I’ll be honest… I don’t know how to lube a yo-yo. Can you explain that to me?
Yes.
You can remove the bearing shield, or you can just put a few drops between the bearing shield and the inner race (make sure it’s getting inside the bearing). A good indicator for bearing lube, if you put the bearing on a pencil and flick it (spin it), then it keeps going on for a few seconds, it has become unresponsive and needs lube. On a lubed bearing, it will stop rather quickly, probably not even a second.
One thing about responsive play especially with large bearing. Large bearing require longer string to “catch” on than smaller bearing, so you will need to lube more often.
I do play both responsive and non responsive respectively. If you wanna stick to responsive play (which is actually uncommon nowadays), I recommend getting yoyos with smaller bearings, or go with fixed axle (non bearing) yoyos. Or, you can learn how to bind, and not having to lube every few hours. Yes lube wears out that quickly. Learning how to bind probably won’t be easy but it’s not that hard either, regardless, it will open up a lot more possibilities which is a good thing.
Just stick with it and have fun.
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There is another option for your Speed Beetle if you don’t want to deal with the continual replacement of friction stickers. You can make your very own string-based response system if you have access to a drill press. The approach, which I blatantly copied from the YYF Loop 720, is detailed in this post from a few years back…
db
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An update:
Duncan Speed Beetle:
I lubed it (not easy because of the shield on the bearing), and it did help quite a bit, but now it’s doing exactly what Rizki said it should have done if the stickers had worn down - which is sliding down the length of the string and unraveling without the yo-yo itself ever turning.
So it appears that this one may have been a combination of needing lube (after more than three weeks of pretty constant use) and the stickers being worn.
I’ve ordered some more stickers from the site here. I’m also now positive that while many or most of the Speed Beetles may have come with regular friction stickers, mine came with Looping Stickers.
I didn’t get the standard Speed Beetle pack when I got mine. I got it in a two pack and the other yo-yo that was with it was a ProYo yo-yo (also from Duncan) that is made for rapid looping. My Speed Beetle didn’t come with the second set of spacers or additional pads, it just came as one piece with no accessories, so I think it was packaged differently than most of the other Speed Beetles were, and was set up for a looping set to begin with.
Anyway, I modified my order and they should be here in a couple of days along with my new strings.
YoyoJam Classic:
I lubed it. It’s working like a champ again. I was reluctant to start lubing all of my yo-yos because in past mechanical experiences, the oils eventually gum up the insides of whatever is being worked on. I suppose that in this case however, I didn’t have much choice. I was told I needed to lube it after four to five hours of good play though. That seems like very high maintenance to me… I’ve had girlfriends that required less attention than that. Someone else told me every-other day or so though too. I suppose it needs to be played by ear.
But I went ahead and lubed it, and it’s working great again, so that must have been it. I suppose I’ll just have to get used to the idea. The o-rings appear to be fine.
I’ve got a small vial of lube to carry with me now, and have put together a little yo-yo bag to keep with me… A burse - a boy purse - I’ll hear no end of this at the board meeting…
I also got great service from the site here when I couldn’t find more o-rings to add to my order. I asked the sales team for help finding them on the site, and they said that this site doesn’t carry o-rings. Then they said they had a couple extras laying around they’d be happy to send me if I needed some, but that since my yo-yo was brand new I probably didn’t need any, as they tend to last for years.
So they gave me some free education, answered my question, and even though the items aren’t listed on the site they offered to dig around and find some o-rings for me from their stash if I really needed some.
That’s really great customer service.
This community has been awesome. Very helpful indeed.
Thanks for the patience and the help. I think I finally have this all worked out.
Man, I honestly don’t recall ever working so hard for a $5 toy in my life… Couldn’t have done it without the community here though. I’m glad I found this place.
Thank you all very much!
If you are talking standard o-rings, you can get them at the hardware store, usually in the small specialty parts bins.
Yeah, they’re pretty standard. I think they’re 15mm.
Can you get bearings at the hardware store too? Bearings that fit our yo-yos I mean?
My Classic takes these two bearings:
YYJ Narrow Bearing (.125 x .500 x .187) or Size C (.250 x .500 x 187)
My Speed Beetle takes this one:
Size A
Are those available at the hardware store too?
I like when people come and ask questions, then actually come back and report the results. Hang in there Alastor, it’s gets easier. You probably won’t find yo-yo bearings at the hardware store, I know it’s a pain to wait for stuff mail order but it’s worth it in the long run. You’ll soon find you have accumulated enough spare parts that you can always cobble something that works in a pinch.
Thanks for the encouragement and understanding!
I’m actually eager to get a little kit together. I like gizmos and doodads and I like things I can customize. I’ll order some spare bearings the next time I order, and that should pretty much set me up, I hope.
I’m kind of excited about having a set of yo-yos!
This is going to be fun!
If you have a hobby store in your area that deals in RC cars and helicopters, they probably sell bearings in the size you need. I’ve purchased them at a local hobby store in the past.
Take the bearing with you as they sell by dimensions. The letter designation was started by another online yoyo store to obscure the actual sizes.
Size reference: Ball Bearings | YoYo Wiki | Fandom
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What will happen if I lube my yo-yos too much?
It will just be responsive, unless you are pouring it in there and making a mess too. If it gets too messy or starts collecting dirt, you can clean just the bearing in paint thinner, acetone or lighter fluid and start with a fresh lube, but I don’t imagine you will get to that point too soon.
FYI - It’s much easier for people who are lubing for non-responsive play to over lube and end up with it too responsive. they can keep playing it hoping to break it down enough to become un-responsive again, depending on how much they put in there. What they should be aiming for is a partial drop on the end of a straight pin or needle, and very infrequently. Depending on play, it could be well over a month, even sometimes several months. Some people even like to play it dry, which is a bit too screechy for me.
Oh wow. I have a Yoyojam Classic and I’ve put more than a drop or two on it, and it’s just now getting responsive again. Someone else said they lube theirs about every two days, and a third person said they need to lube it after four or five hours of solid play.
I wonder if the Yoyojam Classic just flat out needs more lube than most other yo-yos.
My comments about lubing it infrequently were in the second section, where I was giving information about non-responsive play. For responsive play, with the use of lube to make it responsive, yes, you will need to lube frequently.
Just to add, I personally don’t use lube at all for unresponsive play, even the tiniest bit of lube usually “drags” the string, which can get annoying, even if it doesn’t it still reduce spin time. As long as the bearing is really really clean, it shouldn’t be loud (unless it’s plastic).
Thanks, guys!
I’m not ready for non-responsive play, but I’ll bear that information in mind if I ever get that far.
Quite the opposite, I doubt you can’t go unresponsive. Most people around here started off unresponsive, they are good at it… except once I bring my fixed axle wooden yoyo and let them play with it.
Funny thing though, for most people who are too used to unresponsive play, playing responsive is actually more difficult. I personally think it’s better to start off responsive then switch to unresponsive later… or stay responsive which is more awesome.
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