How to Get a Bearing Into a Skateboard Wheel

Sooner or later, you'll need new bearings for your skateboard wheels.

Urethane wheels revolutionized skateboarding in the early 1970s by making the ride silky smooth. But it was the invention of precision sealed bearings installed on each side of the wheel a few years later that made urethane fast. Though bearing technology has improved continuously, one fact endures: Wear and tear takes its toll. Replacing bearings is a regular service event and no amount of preventative maintenance can eliminate it. Fortunately, standardization of skateboard bearing size and design makes replacement procedures uniform and easy to carry out.

Things You'll Need

• Skateboard axle nut wrench

Instructions

1. Remove the old bearings. Unscrew the axle nuts and pull the wheels off the axles. Hook the tip of one axle inside the inner ring of the bearing and pry it out of the wheel. Flip the wheel over and pry out the bearing on the other side. Repeat for all four wheels.

2. Turn the skateboard sideways so the empty axles are vertical.

3. Slip two bearings, shield side down, onto a single axle.

4. Place a wheel on the axle on top of the two bearings. Carefully center your pressure on the wheel so you press straight down and are not "see-sawing" the wheel onto the bearing. Press down with straight, steady pressure until the bearing is fully installed into the wheel.

5. Flip the wheel over. Slip a bearing spacer on the axle if your board uses spacers. Place the wheel on the axle on top of the remaining bearing and spacer. Center your pressure on the wheel. Press down with straight, steady pressure until the second bearing is installed into the wheel.

6. Install the axle nut.

7. Repeat the procedure for all four wheels.

References

• Buttery Bearings: How To Install Your Bearings

Resources

• Exploratorium: Skateboard Design - Making Skateboard Bearings