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Inline Skate Maintenance |
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Inline Skate maintenance is a hassle and no fun. I hate doing it because I always break my fingernails. BUT it is a performance enhancer and a great way to save money on wheels and bearings. And those aren't cheap! |
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WHEELS It is a good idea to check them out each time you go out skating, but not many of us do. Check the instructions that came with your wheels and they will have a suggested maintenance schedule and instructions for rotating them as well. To maximize your wheel's surface, improve your skating performance, and to save money, you should check your wheels after a few skates to see how your wheels are wearing. Depending on the quality of your wheels, the hardness of them, your skating style, how often you skate, and your skating surfaces will determine how often you need to rotate your wheels to keep the surface even. The standard method for wheel rotation is to turn each wheel over so what was the inside edge, is now facing out. Usually you will be switching the side with writing to the inside (your first rotation). |
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Not only do you want to turn the wheels around, you also want to check the wear pattern of each wheel. This is a great time to assess your skating style. I find I tend to wear my heels down faster then my center wheels, and wear my toe down from dragging it. Your wear pattern will show you where you tend to place your weight, (front or back) or bad habits you may have like, dragging your front toe. Because of uneven wear, it is also a good idea to rotate your wheels on occasion within the skate frame. Commonly you exchange the first wheel with the Third, and swap the second with the fourth. Your center wheels tend to have less wear. This also helps to extend the life of your wheels and even out your skating surface. Then every other occasion or so, you can even swap the wheels to the opposite skates, for more life extension. When you skate you also tend to favor one foot as the stronger over the other, which will cause those wheels to wear even more. So, there is an endless rotation pattern you can go through, Or you can just buy new wheels all the time.
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BEARINGS I use an old toothbrush and gently brush out the dirt, grit and grim that may build up in the ridges That is all you should need to do. Don't use any lubricant on the outside of the bearing because it will build up and attract more dirt.
These type of bearings require using a solvent to remove the old lubricant and grime. After cleaning with the solvent, you need to rinse the parts and make sure they are dry before relubricating and putting them back together. Some people use a jewelry cleaner to clean their bearings. You place them in the machine and let it do the work for you. All you need to do then is be sure all parts are dry and lubricate and reassemble them.
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BRAKES
Many skates have adjustable brake
arms that you can lower as the pad wears down, or raise up if the pad
interferes with your skating. Read your owners manual for instructions
on how to adjust the arm, it usually requires a key that came with your
skates.
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More Articles From Inline Skate Resource: Skate Your Butt Off - A Guide to Skating Hills OK, Something is not right here, my feet hurt when I skate! Stretches and Warm Ups for Inline Skating On The Road Again, Traveling with your Inline Skates When Should I Replace My Helmet? How to Avoid, and Treat Blisters.
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What
if your skate breaks? |
My skate gear stinks! |
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