How to Clean Skateboard Bearings?

How to Clean Skateboard Bearings?

How to Clean Skateboard Bearings? Cleaning your skateboard bearings will help you to ensure the skateboard works properly and lasts long. Sometimes, streets are full of sand, water, and dirt that can easily get into the bearings. As a result, your skateboard bearings may slow down, seem mucky, make junky sounds when spinning your skateboard’s wheels.

How to Clean Skateboard Bearings?

For this, you should clean your skateboard bearings frequently, even when a little dirt is gathered or doesn’t clean for a long time. At this time, someone may think that disassembling and reassembling skateboard bearings will be a challenging
task. For your help, in this context, we will tell you how you can easily clean the bearings on your skateboard. So do not leave; stay tuned by reading this context.

Importance of Cleaning Your Bearings

Bearings play a vital role in getting the fastest speed when skateboarding. For that, to ensure your skateboard bearings work properly, you have to clean them on a regular basis. Cleaning your skateboard bearings is extremely important for a number of reasons.

First, regular cleaning enhances the longevity and performance of your skateboard bearings. These practices will help to keep the skateboard’s wheels in superior condition. Typically, dust and dirt on the streets affect smooth movement while skateboarding. As a result, the wheels may increase friction and make noise that could hamper your speed and mobility.

In that situation, you can use skateboard bearings lubricant to ensure the wheel moves fast and effectively. Otherwise, keeping your bearings clean will help to prevent any unexpected issues. This way, you can ensure your safety while surfing.

However, if you use a skateboard every day, more dirt can gather on the bearings. While you are not checking bearings for a long time, you may find them broken one day. For that, you should take care of your bearings, like the wheels of your skateboard.

When Should You Clean Your Skateboard Bearings?

After a long time of skateboarding, even a newbie rider will easily realize that something is wrong. This means your skateboard parts need to be clean or lubricated. There are several causes why your skateboard is not riding properly. Some common reasons that can cause the skateboard not to ride properly have been pointed out below.

  • After a long ride, when too much dirt accumulates on your skateboard bearings.
  • If rust appears on the bearing ball or on the side of the ring.
  • When the bearings collect, various dust and debris are due to lubricants on the moving parts of your skateboard.
  • Making noisy sounds from your skateboard bearings, even riding on the flat surface.
  • Encounter problems when performing any maneuver with your skateboard.

What You’ll Need to Clean Your Skateboard Bearings?

How to Clean Skateboard Bearings?

Before starting the process of cleaning your skateboard bearings, you will need to collect some instruments. These instruments will help you to make the cleaning process of bearings easier.

  • A flat surface
  • A skate tool or wrench
  • Razorblade or knife
  • Paper towels
  • Disposable or ceramic cup
  • Isopropyl based alcohol
  • Lubricant or speed cream

How to Clean Your Skateboard Bearings

Skateboard bearings need relatively low maintenance. Nevertheless, you will need to clean them to make sure the wheels turn smoothly and increase lifespan. For your convenience, below we have demonstrated how you can easily clean your skateboard bearings.

1. Choose a Perfect Work Space

First, you have to choose a suitable space where you can take your skateboard wheels and finally your bearings off. Having a nice flat workbench in your backyard or garage can be a great idea. To clean your bearings indoors, place and arrange all the equipment you require under a towel. This will help you make less mess and avoid losing anything over.

2. Remove Wheels and Bearings

Now you have to take the bearings out of the skateboard wheels. Cleaning the side of your bearings will only clear the dust that is accumulated on the upper part of the bearings. So, unplug bolts from your wheels using the wrench or skate tool. After that, place the wheel facing a bearing at a 45-degree angle to create a crossover leverage effect. Now, holding the wheel with one hand, use your body weight and a little elbow grease to remove bearings from the wheel. Remove all 8 bearings and place them in a secure area.

3. Take Off Shields

Clean the top of the bearing where the shield was placed using a paper towel. After cleaning the outside of your bearings, you have to remove the shields. For that, popping the shields off each bearing using a razor blade or knife exposes the steel balls inside. This is the most damaging debris part of your bearings. By cleaning this part, you will get the most benefits.

4. Soak Bearings in Isopropyl Alcohol

At this stage, take a ceramic or disposable cup and pour isopropyl-based alcohol enough to submerge all 8 of your bearings. Now place all the bearings without shields in the cup. Now you need to leave the cup for a minimum of 30 minutes with frequent swirling and swishing of the bearings. You will see the alcohol turning back and brown by dissolving gunk from your bearings.

5. Apply Speed Cream or Lubrication

Once all the dirt from your bearings is loose, place them on a clean rag or towel and let them dry. You can utilize compressed air or a hair-dryer to ensure no residues on the bearings. After drying the bearings properly, apply speed cream or lubrication on the steel balls for getting the fastest speed. Avoid using WD-40, motor oil, cooking oil, or petroleum jelly, as these are improper for your bearing.

6. Put Back the Bearing Shield

After properly lubricating steel balls of bearings, you need to place shields one by one. You have to ensure the shields remain flat on bearings at this stage. This is because a curved slope shield can damage the bearing. To put the shield back, you just have to press the shield tightly with the round of the metal of the bearing.

7. Re-Install the Bearings

This process is easier than taking out a bearing from wheels. Put the bearing on the axle with the shield facing down. Then, make pressure until the bearing is placed in the correct position inside a core. Remember to place the spacer if your wheels
contain between bearings. Put all bearings one by one into all wheels. After that, screw back the axle nuts with washers and tighten them to secure bearings. And lastly, spin each wheel to check the wheels turn properly.

How Often Should You Clean Your Wheel Bearings?

How to Clean Skateboard Bearings?

How often you should clean your skateboard bearings totally depends on the environment you are riding in. If you’re skateboarding several times a month, but the riding surface is not cleaned, you should clear your bearings once a month.
On the other hand, if your riding surface is neat and clean, you can ride until you find gathered dust inside the bearings. For that, you have to check your skateboard bearings frequently.

Besides, if you find any unwanted sound during riding, that means your skateboard bearings need to be cleaned. Remember that your performance as a rider can be hampered if you neglect your skateboard bearings. So, try to check your skateboard on a regular basis and solve any issue if you find one.


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Final Words

Cleaning your skateboard bearings is the only way to make your skateboard last longer. This will also help you increase your performance and get a better speed during the ride. But the fact is, most people are unconcerned about cleaning their skateboard bearings.

As a result, most of them don’t know how to clean skateboard bearings properly. That’s why we have provided step-by-step guidelines on cleaning your skateboard bearings in this context. You can easily clean your skateboard bearings following
the simple process explained above. This way, you can get the best skateboarding experience.

Written by: Bernita Fregoso

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