Whether you buy your skates from Roller Kingdom or you buy your own skates, you want them to last as long as possible. Follow these following maintenance tips and your skates will continue to operate in top form for years to come.
When you first receive your skates, perform an initial maintenance check.
- Make sure the wheels are properly attached, the nut in the wheel is firmly screwed in and there’s no give between wheel nut and wheel.
- If your skate is a quad, check to make sure the toe stop is adjusted to your preferred height.
- For quads, you’ll also want to check the tightness of the truck (the place between the wheels) and tighten that bolt as well.
After every skating session, check the wheels, wheel nuts and bearings.
- Make sure the wheels of your roller skates have not become loose; tighten them if they have. A loose ride is a dangerous ride so keep your wheels tight.
- Ensure the bearings are not wet. Wet bearings will rust or corrode. All grime or rust should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol; do not use dish soap. Dish soap will damage your bearings.
When necessary, perform additional roller skate maintenance.
- When your ride is less smooth, check the wheel bearings. Some skate dealers have wheel presses that will remove the bearings, but you can also use a screw driver. If your roller skate bearings don’t spin well, they need to be lubricated.
- Once the bearings are removed, you can wash your wheels in hot water with dish soap. (Dish soap damages bearings.) After your skates are completely dry, you can put the bearings back in.
- Smell can be eliminated with fresh air and sunlight. Leave the insoles of your skates fully exposed to the sun to remove odor. Baking soda may also prove a viable remedy.
If you take the time to care for your roller skates, they will last for years and be smooth riding for a long time. If you invest the time into roller skate maintenance, you won’t have to invest the money into a new pair of skates.