Rollerblade Wheel Maintenance
Inline skating, or rollerblading, is a popular sport. Inline skate wheels are relatively soft and require maintenance and, if used frequently, replacement. Whether participating in extreme skating or skating for fitness, proper maintenance of your skate wheels and components is important both for performance and safety. How you use your skates will define how often maintenance must be performed.
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Cleaning
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Inline skate wheels are relatively soft to allow them to grip concrete and pavement. Water is best for cleaning the wheels. If your wheels are extremely dirty, add a little dish soap to cut through the grit and road grime. Do not use gasoline or other petroleum products on the wheels as they could be damaged. To properly clean your wheels, it is best if you remove them from the skates and remove the bearings. Some bearings are self-lubricating and dish soap could damage the bearings. Once your wheels are clean, dry them thoroughly. Excess water can cause rust on the wheel hubs.
Bearings
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Some bearings are completely sealed and can't be cleaned. Other bearings are self-lubricating and should not be cleaned with gasoline. If you are unsure of the kind of bearings in your skates, take the bearings to a sporting goods shop and ask what type they are. Most common bearings, however, are easily removed and not sealed. It is this lack of seal that allows grit and dirt to get into the bearings and potentially damage them over time. To clean these bearings, remove them from the wheel. If they have shielding on both sides, remove at least one side of the shielding. Drop the bearings into a solvent, like a citrus cleaner or white spirits. Gasoline, acetone, lighter fluid and paint thinner are not recommended as they could melt any nylon parts in the bearing. Reassemble the bearings and lubricate. WD-40 is a good general lubricant. Put the bearings back in the wheels.
Replacement
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Over time, friction on the road will wear down inline skate wheels. When considering a replacement wheel, consider how you skate. If you skate on rough surfaces, larger wheels may make the cracks and bumps less dangerous. Larger wheels also tend to allow you to skate faster. Bearings also wear out. High-end replacement bearings are available with ratings from the Annular Bearing Engineering Council. The higher the rating, the greater the precision and potential speed. ABEC rated bearings are available in ABEC 3, 5, 7 and 9.
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