Last Updated on February 22, 2021 by Jayda Salinas
How to clean roller skate bearings? A common question asked by every skater! Besides, it is crucial to clean the bearings to enhance the lifespan, and you also have to lubricate these quite often. Most skating trainers recommend cleaning the bearings usually after one month.
You can enhance the lifespan of the bearings by cleaning them properly. Once you clean these bearings properly, you will see a clear difference in your skating speed.
Cleaned bearings will move effortlessly, this way, you don’t need to exert much force to move forward. So if you want to compete with other skaters, it is necessary to clean the bearings.
Contents
14 Easy Steps On How To Clean Roller Skate Bearings
Now we’ll tell you how to clean roller skate bearings, but you have to gather some things first.
Things You Need To Clean The Bearings
- The skates
- Skates tool – You will get it from a sports shop for $10.
- A bucket
- Small paper towels or napkins
- Dishwashing soap
According to the recommendation of a skater champion, it is essential to clean the skates’ bearings to enhance their durability. Furthermore, a three-time champion of skates said it would not last longer than one year if you didn’t clean the bearings.
No matter if you are a beginner or a seasonal skater, you will find useful information in this guide. Cleaning the skates is easy, however, you need to have the right tools to clean them.
There are various methods to clean a skateboard, here are the simplest yet most effective way to clean roller skate bearings.
So let’s begin:
Step 1
Firstly, never clean the bearings when they are attached to the wheels. So you have to detach the bearings from skate in order to clean them properly. Moreover, you have to carefully remove the bearings because the shield can get damaged easily.
Step 2
Grab a bearing tool to remove these bearings from the wheels. You have to press the top button and then press it from the center to remove the bearings. Furthermore, the hole will slip easily from the axel of your skates.
Step 3
Next, you have to release the button so the bearings can slide out of the wheels. Here, if you face any trouble removing the wheels from bearings, use the power dyne press to release them easily.
Step 4
You have to be careful not to damage the shield of skates. So after taking out the bearings, put them in a plastic jug or any other bowl.
Step 5
Add some bionic cleaner to the plastic jug. There are multiple bearing cleaners available in the market, you can check these out.
Step 6
Now leave the bearings in the jug overnight. Let the cleaner do its work and clean these properly. This way, you don’t have to invest much time and energy in cleaning the bearings once they are dipped in the bearing cleaner for overnight.
Step 7
On the next day, you have to close the jug tightly and shake it a few times. After shaking, the bearings will be cleaned properly. The debris inside the bearings will be removed on its own.
Step 8
After shaking the jug for one time, you have to keep the jug aside and shake it again after a few minutes. The chemical cleaner will remove the dirt from the roller skates easily after you shake the jug twice.
However, you should not take out the bearings after shaking them twice. You have to repeat this process many times. Once you notice that bearings are all cleaned, you can stop it and take the bearings out.
Step 9
Now you have to drain the bearing cleaner and take out the bearings. Wipe the bearings with a paper towel or napkins.
Step 10
Here’s an additional step to clean the bearing: use an air compressor to dry the bearings completely. But if you don’t have an air compressor, then try to do it with some hair dryer as well.
Step 11
Once the bearings are completely dried, you have to lubricate them with the best bearing oil. Once you have applied the oil, keep the bearings aside for some time. Then hold the bearings between the fingers and try spinning the bearings for some time.
Step 12
Keep holding the bearings until the oil is distributed on all sides.
Step 13
The bearings will not take much time to dry. Now you have to reattach them with the wheels of bearings.
Step 14
Lastly, fix the bearings without damaging the shield and try skating.
The skate bearings should be cleaned according to the environment in which you use them. It is not a good option to skate in the wet area because the wheels and bearings will be damaged very soon.
In fact, the performance of roller skate will depend on the condition of the wheels and bearings. Besides that, you have to maintain the condition of bearings so it can last longer.
You will find the skate manufacturers recommending not to skate on the wet and sand. Moisture will ruin the bearings and decrease the speed as well as the smoothness of skates.
These are the 14 steps on how to clean roller skate bearings.
Maintenance of Bearings
There are two types of bearings, and their maintenance is different from one another. Hence, here we’ll guide how to maintain both types of bearings.
1. Steel Bearings
Steel bearings are very common, and most of the roller skates come with the steel bearings. However, you have to keep them in good condition to enhance the durability.
However, some skaters will not prefer using the steel bearings because steel will not handle the friction as ceramic bearings do.
The beginner should not use the steel bearings because it is meant for faster skating. The professional skaters prefer using steel bearings because it helps them to skate faster.
In addition, the skate bearings will get damaged if they have a lot of dust and moisture inside them. So you need to maintain the steel bearings by keeping them dry. Best of all, the dry bearings will never damage in the short-term, and you have to lubricate them after every use.
Keeping the bearings dry doesn’t mean that you don’t need to lubricate them. We recommend cleaning the roller skate bearings according to your skating routine. So if you skate more often, the bearings need frequent cleaning.
If you are a light skater, bearings will last longer and don’t need frequent cleaning. No doubt, the bearings will only last long-term when you take care of and maintain them.
2. Ceramic Bearings
The second type of bearings is ceramic bearings. These bearings are expensive, and they don’t need much maintenance as compared to other bearings. Likewise, the ceramic bearings are ideal for all types of skaters. You can even skate at less speed with ceramic bearings.
Moreover, the ceramic bearings have less friction and require less lubrication.
How To Enhance The Lifespan Of Bearings?
As we mentioned the two types of bearings above, you have to maintain them according to their material. Perhaps the ceramic bearings require less maintenance.
But wait, let us tell you something!
The bearings will last longer when they have smooth rollers. You have to keep lubricating the bearings time to time.
Further, the speed of skates will be increased when they are properly lubricated. However, you have to apply the bearing oil when the bearings are clean. Do not overuse the bearing oil because bearings need only one drop of oil.
You have to buy the bearing oil for one time, and it will last for many years. Bearings require a small drop of oil. Besides that, you have to dry the bearings and then apply oil on them completely. If you feel the bearings are dry. You can apply oil after a few weeks on the bearings for keeping them smooth.
Types Of Bearing Oil
There are two types of bearing oil.
1. Bionic Oil
The bionic oil is best for enhancing the lifespan of bearings. Likewise, the bearings will have a longer break-in time after you apply bionic oil on them.
2. Light Speed Oil
The light speed oil also known as synthetic oil will keep the metal parts in good condition and prevents friction. Best of all, the light speed oil is great for all types of bearings.