There are lots of articles on the web showing you how to pull your bearings apart, wash, dry and oil them. In my opinion this isn’t necessary 99% of the time. You should only really consider stripping your bearings down if you’ve had them over a year and/or they feel stiff or sound gritty.

Here are my tips for keeping your bearings in tip-top shape!

Tip 1: Don’t use your skates in the rain or muddy areas. Only skate when it’s dry and stay off the grass and other areas which could clog your bearings with dirt.

Tip 2: Your wheels need rotating every couple of weeks or so (more often if you’re a heavy user), so take the opportunity to remove the bearings and wipe them with a clean dry cloth. Use an old toothbrush for better results if you have one.

Tip 3: When skating in the rain (not advisable) remove the bearings that very same night, use a clean cloth to dry them and put them on a radiator or use a hair dryer to completely dry them out.

Tip 4: Always try and use the proper tools when removing your wheels and bearings. Ask your local skate shop for the correct tool. If you can’t get the correct tools, then a suitably sized screwdriver will suffice for removing bearings.

Tip 5: If your bearings are rusty or stiff.  Don’t waste your time trying to restore them back to new. Just go out and buy some more, chances are that your bearings will be a good year or two old by now anyway and should be replaced for safety reasons.

Tip 6: The lazy skaters solution to stiff and rusty bearings. Visit your local cycling shop and ask them for spray-can chain oil (I recommend Ketten-Fluid). Remove your bearings from the wheels and spray the oil directly onto the bearings, leave for a few minutes then dry with an old cloth before putting them back into the wheels (the oil will have seeped into the bearing casing and lubricated the ball-bearings by then).

In short: Only skate on dry surfaces, stay away from muddy areas and grass! If your bearings are less than seven months old and you don’t skate in the rain or mud, then wiping them down with a clean dry cloth or with an old toothbrush will do the job just fine. For old, stiff or rusty bearings, either buy new ones or use some spray-can oil instead.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 18th, 2007 at 4:40 am
and is filed under FAQs.