One of the most crucial and typical skate maintenance procedures that every professional roller skater should understand is how to clean their bearings. So, this article is about how to clean the bearings in roller skates.
In addition to ensuring that your roller skate or rollerblades spin more freely, ensuring your skate bearing is clean can also help extend its lifespan. Your skates will begin to slow down if they become extremely dirty, making it difficult to maneuver around the rink.
Table of Contents
Safety First
- Wear eye protection when using tools
- Keep all removed hardware in a secure container
- Use rags to handle cleaning fluids/lubricants
- Take care not to lose any small components
In addition to ensuring that your roller skate or rollerblades spin more freely, ensuring your skate bearing is clean can also help extend its lifespan. Your skates will begin to slow down if they become extremely dirty, making it difficult to maneuver around the rink.
Required Tools and Supplies
Before cleaning your skate bearings, gather the following tools and supplies:
Tools:
- Socket wrench set or skate tool
- Small flathead screwdriver
- Hammer
- Bearing press
- Safety pin
- Tweezers or pliers
- Lint-free rags or paper towels
Fluids and Lubricants:
- Degreaser or bearing cleaner
- Water for rinsing
- Speed cream/lubricant
Containers:
- Small cups or muffin tin
- Shallow bin or tray
Other:
- Eye protection
- Nitrile gloves
Unfasten the screw or axle nut on each wheel
Using a socket wrench or skate tool, first remove the axle nut from one of your skate wheels on quad skates. Remove the nut entirely and put it into a tiny cup for safekeeping.
Bearings for inline skates are handled slightly differently. Axle screws on most inline must first be loosened before being removed from the frame. The axle screw should be removed and stored safely.
Take the skate’s wheel off
We need to take the wheels from the skate plate or frame. Therefore, remove the axle nut or screw first. For quad skates, gently pull the wheel from the axle. Push the wheel away from the skate frame when using rollerblades.
Choose your preferred tools to unscrew both bearings from the wheels
Take out the wheels’ bearings before you try anything. The procedure is the same whether you take out inline or quad skate bearings. Use a hammer and a screwdriver.
You can use a little screwdriver and a hammer to remove the bearings. To remove the bearing, insert the screwdriver into the bearing hole and hit the screwdriver with a hammer.
Inspect the bearing
You might remove the bearing covers once the bearings have been removed from the wheels. Some folks skip this step, but we always advise you to clean your bearings afterward.
The bearing shields can easily be removed with a safety pin and are typically made of plastic or rubber. If you don’t have a needle, a paper clip that has been torn apart can also be used, but it is a little trickier to handle.
Unwrap your safety pin and insert the pointed end into the rubber cover. The bearing shields should then be removed. After completing this procedure, the ball bearings on either bearing should be visible. After removing the axle nut and screws from the skate bearing, put them in your tiny cup together with the bearing shields.
The next step is to dry those bearings
Set down some paper towels or a dry rag and remove the bearings from the solution. We usually put down a few layers and then put the bearings on top. Then we use a paper towel to dry them. Change the direction of each bearing and clean the outside.
You can use canned air or a hair dryer to dry the insides quickly. If not, get a cold drink and sit down while you wait for the bearings to dry. Before you move on to the next step, you want to ensure that your bearings are completely dry.
Add a few drops of speed cream or lubricant to each bearing
The next step on how to clean roller skate bearings is to lubricate them. You can choose to re-lubricate each bearing by putting some speed cream, lubricant, or grease. This helps your bearings work at their best and makes clean bearings easy.
Reattach each bearing’s bearing shield
It’s time to reinstall all the bearing shields on the bearings now that they are dry, clean, and coated with speed cream or another lubricant. Push the rubber shields back into the skate bearing one at a time while holding only one bearing.
Be sure to position the shields on the right side of the bearing. Numerous shields also bear slogans or brand logos. The rubber shield’s writing should be facing you.
Reinstall two bearings in each wheel
After that, it’s time to reinstall your inline or quad skate bearings in those wheels! Take your bearing press and a wheel. Slide a bearing, a skate wheel, and another bearing onto the bearing press.
Ensure that the bearing’s shields are facing out. Pull the press’s lever after that, and voilà! Your bearings are now in place.
Place Your Skates’ Wheels One by One
The quad wheel should then be slid into the skate axle. Using inline skates, slide the wheel through the skate frame before screwing the axle.
Tighten the Screw or Axle Nut
Next, add an axle nut to each quad wheel by grabbing one from your cup. Adjust the tightness so the wheel rolls easily without moving when you push or pull on it.
The axle screw-on inline skates should be tightened all the way. After that, spin the wheel to put it to the test. With a slight push of the wheels, it ought to spin freely for many seconds.
In case you prefer to watch a tutorial video, this one can be handy:
Credit to the Moxi Roller Skates YouTube channel for this awesome tutorial.
Troubleshooting
If you encounter any issues along the way, here is some advice:
Stuck Bearing:
- Soak in degreaser fluid for 10-15 minutes
- Insert a screwdriver and tap firmly with a hammer in multiple spots around the perimeter
Damaged Bearing Shield:
- Carefully remove any torn remnants
- Replace with new rubber shield
Bearing Falls Out When Riding:
- Loosen axle nut/bolt and adjust tightness
- Ensure spacers/washers are reinstalled correctly
Noisy Bearing:
- Give lubricant time to penetrate fully (up to 12 hours)
- Consider replacing the damaged bearing
Wheel Doesn’t Spin Smoothly:
- Check axle nut/bolt is not over-tightened
- Make sure bearing shields face outward
- Remove debris inside with tweezers if needed
How Often to Clean Roller Skate Bearings?
The recommended frequency for cleaning roller skate bearings is 2 times per year. How often to clean roller skate bearings 2 times per year is ideal for performance.
recreational skaters:
- Clean every 6-8 months
frequent skaters:
- Clean every 3-4 months
heavy skaters:
- Clean every 1-2 months
Also, clean immediately if the wheels spin poorly. Catching issues early is best.
By cleaning roller skate bearings 2 times per year as recommended you get the maximum usable lifespan.
How to Clean Roller Derby Skate Bearings
The bearing cleaning process outlined in this tutorial can be followed similarly for roller derby skate wheels and bearings. The same principles apply:
- Thoroughly disassembling wheels
- Degreasing and removing debris from bearings
- Ensuring complete dryness
- Lubricating and reassembling
The main differences when servicing roller derby bearings:
- Roller derby wheels use extended axle bolts rather than shorter axles
- Bearings usually press directly into the wheel instead of spacers
- Roller derby skates undergo rougher treatment so clean bearings are especially important
So while roller derby wheels have their specific design, this tutorial provides the model process to properly service those bearings as well. Make sure to get roller derby bearings deeply clean after intense sessions at the skatepark!
Although this guide is on how to clean roller skate bearings, you might be wondering which bearings are the most suitable for your skates. If that’s the case, you should read our review on the best bearings for roller skates.
In Conclusion
This guide has taught you how to clean roller skate bearings at home without taking them to a professional. Now you have the knowledge of how to clean roller skate bearings at home. By methodically disassembling your skate wheels, removing old lubricant and built-up debris from bearings, and then repacking them with fresh grease, you can keep your skates rolling smoothly for many sessions.
The ability to properly service bearings at home is crucial for any passionate skater. Not only does it save money instead of replacing bearings often, but it also allows you to swiftly get skates back into optimal condition between sessions. With the right tools and safety precautions, cleaning the most basic bearings at home is an easily learnable DIY process.
Now get back out on those polished hardwood floors or smooth outdoor blacktop and enjoy speedier rolls and pivots thanks to renewed bearings! With this tutorial, keeping your skate components in peak shape is in your own hands.
