How To Clean Skateboard Bearings? Have A Try

First, how to clean skateboard bearings?

Take off the wheel, the bearing, and the bearing guard. Then, wash the bearing in detergent, dry it off, re-lubricate it, put the guard back on, and put the bearing back in.

The bearings in your skateboard can become clogged with dirt and debris over time, which will make it harder for you to perform sick tricks. Your board will experience less typical wear and tear, travel faster, and the wheels won’t lock up if the bearings are cleaned. You want to avoid eating pavement at all costs. Fortunately, it is simple enough to complete at home.

For more information on how to clean skateboard bearings, please continue reading.

Required Materials To Clean Skateboard Bearings

• This tutorial is about Sabre ABEC 7’s.
• A bit of rag
• About half an hour
• A knife blade for rubber shields or circlip plies for metal shields
• A warm, well lit place
• Some sort of degreaser/solvent
• A tray to soak your bearings in (preferably with a lid)
• Some light grease/speed cream etc
• Tea making capabilities

How To Clean Skateboard Bearings?

Remove Wheels

To start, slide the wheels off of your truck axle after removing the axle nuts with your skate tool or wrench. Keep an eye out for the washers that go between the axle nuts and the interior of the axel and the bearings. In order to prevent losing any small pieces of hardware, we think it is best to arrange and store the axle nuts and speed washers in a small tray.

Taking The Bearings Out

Remove the axle’s nut, then move the wheel along it until the innermost bearing is just outside the axle’s edge. Pry the bearing out of the wheel with a motion similar to that used to open a beer bottle. Reverse the wheel and continue.

Removing A Lot Of Grime And Dirt

To prevent rubbing dirt into the bearings, make sure to do so gently. To get rid of any obvious dirt, gently rub the bearings with a dry cloth or paper towel.

Apply a moderate amount of solvent to the rag or paper towel if the grime is particularly bad to help cut through the grime.

Make A Cleaning Solution

Put the acetone or a grease-cleaning solvent in a clean bucket or bowl. Rubbish alcohol or mineral spirits also work well, are reasonably priced, and are less abrasive than some cleaners. Simply add enough liquid to the bucket or bowl to cover the bearings.

If you choose to use acetone, be sure to put on gloves because it is a potent solvent. The use of acetone is not always advised by boarders; you may prefer to use a gentler solvent in its place. When working with acetone, wear gloves!

You might have to wait a little bit longer for the bearings to become completely clean if you use a milder solvent, like mineral spirits.

The Bearing Shield Caps Should Be Removed

Take the bearings in your hands and pry the rubber shield away from the bearing using a tiny, thin object, such as a pin, paperclip, or the tip of an X-acto knife. Typically, these caps come in either red or black. You should see tiny metal balls after removing the cap.

If you have trouble doing this, try inserting a pointed object between the rubber cap and bearing housing, then gently prying until the cap is released.

Put The Bearings In The Solvent To Soak

The bearings can now be placed in the cleaning solution. The bearings should be swirled in the solvent for approximately five minutes, after which they should be left to soak for approximately ten minutes.

You may need to carefully drain the grease solvent and add more to the bucket if it has significantly darkened. Repeat this procedure as often as required until the bearings appear clean.

Bearings Should Be Removed And Dried

Prepare a level, secure area before removing the bearings so that they can dry. Lay down paper towel or a rag, remove the bearings, and allow enough time to pass until completely dry

Dry Re-lubricate

After the gunk has been eliminated, remove the bearings and dry them as quickly as you can. It works well to spin them after tapping them face down on a dry rag or paper towel. If you have a hair dryer or compressed air on hand, you can also blow them.

Re-lubricating the bearings is the next step. Because skating with a dry bearing will cause harmful friction, this is essential. We advise using a lubricant designed specifically for skate bearings, such as Bones Speed Cream or Bronson Speed Co. Oil For Ceramic High Speed. Pour one or two drops of lubricant into the bearing, spin it to distribute the oil, and repeat. Repeat this process for all eight bearings.

Avoid using WD-40 as lubricant! Your bearings will become dry and vulnerable to rust as the effects quickly wear off.

Replace Shields & Mount Bearings

The bearing shields must then be reapplied, which is much simpler than removing them. They can be put in place and gently pressed until they snap back on by starting from the center. You are then prepared to go! Put those bearings back in your wheels and start rolling with the feel of the new bearings.

Prior to reinstalling the bearings in the wheels, make sure to replace the bearing spacers between them. You should also replace the speed washers on the truck axle before tightening the axle nuts.

Read about: How To Stop On A Skateboard?

When Must Bearings Be Cleaned?

Naturally, it can be challenging to determine when to clean your bearings because they are out of sight and out of mind. However, a general rule of thumb is to waste time while paying close attention to what you’re seeing and hearing. The worse the bearings are, the quicker and noisier your wheels will stop. The ABEC balls inside can occasionally even be heard battling with sand or other debris. Or, when you’re skating, your bearings will make a screeching, high-pitched squeaking sound like mice. Your bearings’ lifespan will always be increased by addressing the issue and cleaning them as soon as possible. This translates to time and money savings for a quicker, more fluid skate. These general recommendations will help your skateboard bearings last longer and experience less wear and tear.

• At all costs, stay away from sand and dirt, especially in areas with high concentrations of both.
• Invest in quality bearings; they may be more expensive, but they will last longer.
• If you skate skateparks, especially, use speed cream to lubricate your bearings.
• Never explicitly ride through water or use water as a substitute for lubrication.
• DW40 has the potential to do more harm than good.
• Bearings are available in 2 and 4 pack sizes at skate shops for easy replacement.

Conclusion

How to clean skateboard bearings was the main topic of the article.

You’ve just finished re-greasing and cleaning your skateboard bearings.

Oil requires maintenance more frequently than grease, so grease is nice. On the other hand, it most likely rotates a little more slowly. But in the long run, it’s beneficial for you because a clean, lubricated bearing spins much more smoothly than one that is dirty.

Keep in mind that once the rain finally stops and the salt has all been washed off the roads, you can switch back to oil….

How frequently should you perform this? Your mileage and frequency of rides in poor weather will determine how often you ride. Try once every month at first, or more frequently if you spend a lot of time in the rain, for greased bearings.

If you ride every day, oiled bearings require maintenance every few weeks. After a rainy ride, I usually clean them out because the oil doesn’t protect against rust as well.

Regarding your reading, I thank you.