Q. The wheels on my skateboard aren’t spinning well anymore. Is there anything I can do to fix them or do I have to buy new wheels? Slow Joe, Tampa, Fla.
A. We feel your pain, Slow. We have the same problem, so we asked our friend Andy Macdonald, eight-time world champion skateboarder, for the lowdown on your slow down:
“New wheels are not going to help in the least if your wheels aren’t spinning. Chances are you just have to clean and lubricate your bearings. Remove your wheel and pop out the bearings with the edge of your axle. Bones Bearings pretty much set the standard in the skateboarding world as far as bearings go. They recommend picking up a Bones Bearings Cleaner Unit at your local skate shop ($15), but a clean plastic yogurt cup and a few cotton swabs will work, too.
“You’ll need to remove the bearing shields if your bearings have them. Just poke them out with a paper clip. Then soak your bearings in acetone, nail-polish remover or rubbing alcohol. Spin them dry and make sure all the dust and dirt are out. Now you’ve removed all the dirt as well as all the lubricant from your bearings. It’s important to use a silicone-based lubricant. WD40 or others like it will dry out your bearings and attract dust and dirt. You can pick up a bottle of Bones Speed Cream at the skate shop, or try some Prolong from the auto parts store. It doesn’t take much, and the excess will just spin out when you replace your shields, pop your bearings back in your wheels and start shredding. Skate safe and enjoy your new-found speed.”
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Just poke them out with a paper clip.Then soak your bearings in acetone, nail-polish remover or rubbing alcohol.Spin them dry and make sure all the dust and dirt are out. Now you've removed all the dirt as well as all the lubricant from your bearings.
Now that your wheels are at the same starting point take your Y-tool and turn the screw counterclockwise to loosen them to your desired speed. The looser the wheel, the faster it spins. Skater Tip: Your wheels should not be loose enough to move up and down on your truck screw; if you hear a noise, they're too loose!
Can you use WD40 on skateboard bearings? NO.WD40 is a degreaser - not a grease!! The object of cleaning your bearings is to remove all the grease, clean the bearings, then add grase back in.
To tighten your skateboard wheel, you're either going to need a skate tool or an axle nut socket. Place the wheel on the truck, sliding the truck's axle through the bearings, then add your washer, and begin by hand tightening the axle nut towards the right. Repeat with all four wheels!
If your wheels fail to spin after you release the axle bolts, you might have to wash and grease your bearings. Anytime you go on wet pavement, muck, or debris, dirt quickly builds in your bearings, causing friction and making it feel like you're riding with bricks attached to your board.
Soaking your wheels in a bucket or clogged sink with some dawn dishwashing soap while you take each one off and remove the bearings, will help get things rolling while you work. Make sure the bearings are out of the wheels so the soap can start dissolving the gunk laying in the bearing beds.
Durometer is used to determine the hardness of skateboard wheels. They are traditionally measured on an 'A Scale'. This 100 point gauge is used by most manufacturers however also use the B Scale of durometer which measures 20 points lower than the A Scale.
Adjust it with a classic skateboard tool or a wrench that's a particular size. You'll want to adjust the axle nut on the outside of the wheel that isn't spinning correctly. It doesn't take a lot of turning (you'll want to loosen it) before you see a big change.
That means that a single hair is thicker than the clearance between the balls and the races inside the bearing, and a hair will clog it up and slow you down. Because you skateboard outside through dust, sand, water, mud, etc; your bearings will eventually get dirty and/or wet.
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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