Skates
Scooters
Winter Sports
Boards
BMX
Apparel
Surf
On Sale
How to Look After Inline and Roller Skates
Maintaining roller skates and inline skates encompasses various tasks, some of which are more frequent. Ensuring your skates are well-maintained improves their longevity and performance, making your skating experiences both enjoyable and safe.
This manual provides key tips and strategies for maintaining your skates, covering protection, cleaning, and ensuring the wheels and bearings remain in prime condition. Moreover, it will direct you to comprehensive guides and articles detailing specific maintenance techniques.
Overview
Overview
What Is the Best Way to Clean My Skates?
The cleaning procedure for inliners and roller skates varies by make. For skates with removable liners, you can wash them thoroughly. Skates with built-in liners require a different method.
Hard boots can be scrubbed more vigorously using a sponge, while soft boots need a more delicate touch.
Deep Cleaning Inliners or Roller Skates
- Take Apart the Skates: Remove wheels, bearings, and liners if possible.
- Boot Cleaning: Clean hard boots with a sponge, mild soap, and water. Soft boots should be wiped gently with a soft cloth, avoiding complete soaking.
- Liner Washing: Wash removable liners according to the manufacturer’s instructions, typically in a machine with gentle detergent below 30°C (86°F). Air dry in a well-ventilated space to prevent shrinking or deformation in a dryer.
- Wheel and Bearing Cleaning: Wipe wheels with a damp cloth. Follow this guide for bearing maintenance: How to Clean and Lubricate Bearings
How to Clean Inline and Roller Skate Liners?
Often, the liner or inner boot is removable and washable. Adhere to the care instructions to prevent damage. If lacking manufacturer guidelines for washing, follow this basic method:
- Liner Removal: Take out any used insoles.
- Liner Washing: Machine wash with gentle detergent, not exceeding 30°C (86°F).
- Liner Air-Drying: Hang in a ventilated area to dry; avoid hair dryers.
For built-in liners, washing is not an option, but anti-bacterial shoe sprays can keep odours at bay. After sessions, always ensure ventilation or consider a boot-dryer as needed.
How Do I Speed Up Drying My Skate Liners?
To hasten drying, stuff liners with towels or newspaper to absorb excess moisture, ensuring good room ventilation.
Note: Avoid using a hair dryer or heating devices, which can shrink and warp liners.
How Can I Avoid Unpleasant Smells in Skate Liners?
What can be done to prevent liners from smelling? Odour is caused by bacterial growth in warm, moist liners.
While eliminating odours is challenging, the process can be greatly reduced.
Ventilating Your Skate Liners Makes a Significant Impact
Post each session, store skates in a ventilated spot to dry, reducing odour risk from moisture and bacteria. Remove and air-dry liners if possible, and wash them routinely if washable.
To minimise odours inside liners, incorporate these habits after skating:
- Open liners as much as possible and dry in a ventilated space. Remove skates from the bag!
- Air insoles out (if used).
- Employ anti-bacterial shoe spray.
By adopting these practices, you can maintain fresher inline or roller skate liners, enhancing your skating sessions without worry over odours.
How Frequently Should Bearings Be Cleaned?
The cleaning and lubrication schedule for bearings depends on usage and conditions. Frequent use or skating in dirty or moist environments necessitates more regular maintenance than occasional clean surface use.
Signs it's time to clean bearings:
- Drop in Performance: Reduced bearing efficiency indicates a need for cleaning.
- Abnormal Noises: Unusual sounds suggest bearings might have dirt; cleaning helps extend lifespan.
It might be necessary to change bearings or clean and lubricate them for optimal functioning. We offer products and guidance, whether you need cleaning and lubricating supplies or new bearings:
- How to Clean and Lubricate Bearings
- Explore Our Range of Bearing Oil and Cleaning Containers
- Discover Our Range of Bearings for Inline and Roller Skates
Removing Bearings from Inline Skates
Bearings can be removed with or without specialised tools. Follow these steps for effective bearing removal.
Start by taking off the wheels, loosening axles and bolts with an allen key.
Note: Maintain wheel order to reattach them in the original position or correctly rotated.
Extracting Bearings Without Specialised Tools
Pry bearings out with an Allen key; each wheel contains two bearings and a spacer. Ensure prying occurs on the bearing edge, not the spacer. After one bearing is out, flip the wheel for the other.
Watch this video demonstrating bearing removal without specific tools
Removing Bearings Using a Bearing Remover / Blade Tool
A bearing remover simplifies the task, avoiding potential mistakes. It pulls on the bearing edge instead of prying it.
Place the tool on the bearing's centre and pull at the inner edge.
Most blade tools include a bearing puller, check yours:
Rotating Wheels on Inline Skates
Skating pushes cause faster wear on one wheel side. Prolong wheel lifespan and ensure smooth skating by rotating and flipping wheels periodically.
Check wheels for uneven wear. Significant wear on the inner edge means it's time for rotation.
Proper wheel rotation is crucial for best results.
Basic Wheel Rotation on Inline Skates
For 4-wheel inline skates, rotate and flip wheels between left and right skates using a cross pattern: 1-3 / 2-4.
Is It Essential to Rotate Inline Skate Wheels?
Rotating wheels is vital for even wear and extended wheel life. Regular wheel rotation ensures smooth rolling before replacement. It shifts wear to new wheel areas, reducing friction.
Rotating wheels isn’t compulsory – new wheels offer similar results – but to maximise wheel utility, rotation is recommended!
What Tools are Required for Maintaining Inline or Roller Skates?
Basic skate maintenance requires:
- Hex Key/Allen Key: Essential for wheel removal and mounting, frame, brake, and cuff adjustments.
- Blade Tool: A worthwhile investment, providing necessary hex/allen keys and a bearing remover, serving as an all-in-one tool for trips.
Discover blade tools and more:
Shield Your Skates with a Bag
For prolonged storage, keep skates in cool, dry places, avoiding sunlight and dampness, as excessive heat deforms plastic, while moisture leads to rust and mould.
Invest in a quality skate bag. These bags and backpacks secure quads or inliners and offer padding to protect from damage. An added benefit is their convenience in transporting skates easily.
