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MAINTENANCE

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maintenance, or scroll through our whole maintenance page.

Bearings Brakes Liners Wheels

Bearings:

There are two basic types of bearings: sealed and serviceable. Sealed bearings may not be put back together after they have been taken apart. So, DO NOT TRY TO TAKE APART SEALED BEARINGS! Serviceable bearings have little shields on each side which are held in place with a "C"-ring. These may be removed to get to the inside of the bearing for maintenance.

Serviceable Bearings

To clean a serviceable bearing, first use a brush to remove as much of the dust from the bearing as possible. Then, pop out the C-ring from at least one side. Then, remove the shield. Place these in a ceramic bowl for later. Some bearings fall apart if you take off both sides. Others, like Twin Cams, retain the balls with little ridges inside the can. If yours retains the balls, go ahead and remove the other side. DO NOT BEND OR DAMAGE THE SHIELDS OR RINGS!! There should be no need to force anything off. A tiny slotted screwdriver will probably be very helpful in getting the C-rings off. Next, put the rest of the bearings into another ceramic bowl, and soak them in some sort of mineral cleanser. Most skate stores sell citrus-based clearers which I have found to work very well. Use a toothpick to rotate the bearings in the solution as they soak. Do this with the shields and rings also. The basic goal is to remove as much of the grit and dust as possible. Don't worry about losing grease, you'll add more later. After about an hour, remove the bearings, shields, and rings from the solution and place them on a paper towel to dry. Use a hair dryer on a LOW speed to dry them faster. When the parts are completely dry, put on one shield (skip this if you only removed one side). Now, add about 2 drops of lubricant to each bearing. Any more will attract dust. When you have done this, replace the last side and c-rings. You're ready to skate again!

Sealed Bearings

There's not much you can do for these bearings since they're non-serviceable. NEVER WIPE THE BEARINGS WITH A CLOTH!! This is a common misconception to most new skaters. Wiping a bearing will only help push dirt inside them. Only wipe them if you are going to completely take them apart next.

Oil vs. Grease

There are basically two types of bearing lubricants—oil and grease. Oil has two components: base oil and additives. The base oil is either synthetic or petroleum. Additives are blended with the base oil to give the oil certain properties such as corrosion resistance or oxidation inhibition. Bearings lubricated with oil will spin faster because oil is thinner and has less resistance than grease. On the downside, oil does not last as long as grease, so your bearings will require more frequent lubrication.

Grease has three components: base oil, thickener, and additives. Note that oil and grease both share the components of base oil and additives. The difference between an oil and grease is that grease has a thickener. The thickener makes grease easier to retain in the bearing, provides a better barrier to contaminants, and adheres better to the bearing surfaces. Since grease is thicker than oil, it also has greater resistance, which means slower bearing spin.

Petroleum-based vs. Synthetic: Petroleum-based lubricants are made from refined crude oil and contain impurities which cannot be removed. Synthetic lubricants are man-made. They are blended from various chemicals and have molecules that are uniform in weight and shape. Due to their uniform molecular structure, synthetic lubricants have the following advantages:

Faster: Synthetic lubricants are more slippery than petroleum-based lubricants. The uniform length of synthetic lubricant polymers allows them to slide more easily over one another. The result is reduced friction and a faster spinning bearing.

Longer: Synthetic lubricants have a higher heat of vaporization (600 degrees Fahrenheit) than petroleum-based lubricants (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Synthetic lubricants run smoother and longer at all temperatures, whereas petroleum-based lubricants form deposits at high temperatures and solidify at low temperatures. If you use petroleum-based lubricants, your bearings will eventually "gum up" so you'll have to skate harder and spend more time degreasing your bearings.

Stronger: Synthetic lubricants have greater film strength (3000 psi) than their petroleum counterparts (500 psi). This means that synthetic oil is less likely to be pushed out from between two metal surfaces where there's a lot of pressure (skate bearings). Greater film strength protects bearing parts better.

Brakes:

Pay special attention to your brake pad. After all, you're putting a lot of trust into them when you stop! Most pads these days have a wear line or a set of wear lines. Roces brakes for example, have 3 lines. Your brake should function well even as the wear approaches the final line, but you will notice that you have to pull your toe up higher to activate it. When you put on a new pad, you may have to take a little time getting used to it again since you will barely have to move your foot to stop.
Many skates these days have more complicated braking systems than just a simple pad. Check these often for signs of wear, loose screws, missing pads, and anything else which could hinder your braking.

Liners:

Liners generally come in 2 flavors: moldable and non-moldable. The moldable liners will mold themselves to the shape of your foot over time. If your liner is heat moldable, you can accelerate this process with either your oven or a heat gun. Follow the manufacturer's or your skate shop's instructions to mold boots to your feet! The general idea is to heat them up and then put them on so that they can change to fit you. Be careful putting the skates on after they are hot!

Generally, your liners require little maintenance. You can get some extra life out of them by taking them out of your boots and letting them air-dry after skating (quick hint: pinching the heel of the liner together helps immeasurably in putting them back in the boots). Odor eaters, or better yet baking soda sprinkled inside, will help your liners from getting really bad!

Wheels:

Wheels are very easy to maintain. After you have skated on a new set of wheels for a while (about a month), check the wear on them. If they appear to be worn down in one direction, it's time to rotate them. When you rotate your wheels, you want to switch the first wheel with the third, and the second wheel with the fourth. On five-wheeled skates, the preferred pattern is 1 to 4, 2 to 5, 3 to 1, 4 to 2, and 5 to 3. Also, turn them around so the writing is on the other side. This will help balance out the difference in wear among your wheels and will help you get much more use out of them. Be careful when you first ride on the rotated wheels. You may notice a loss of stability, especially around curves! This will improve in time, however, as the wheels wear flat again. As you take off the wheels, take a look at the spacers which hold the axles in place (if your skates have them). If they're plastic, look for signs of wear or broken spacers. Plastic ones break often if you jump a lot which helps to absorb the impact. They can be replaced for about a dollar each. A good sign of a broken spacer is a clicking noise as you put your skate down on the ground. This is because the wheel has a little freedom to move around and may slide a bit on the axle.

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This page last updated on June 17, 2001.