How to Make Crusty Skateboard Wheels New Again

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If your skateboard is feeling kind of sticky every bit you ride it, it might be fourth dimension to give your wheels a clean. Your wheels and bearings can become blocked upward with dirt and rocks, which tin pb to a not-so-smoothen feel. Luckily, cleaning your wheels and bearings is relatively easy, and just requires some disassembling and a little bit of cleaning solution. Once your bearings and wheels are ridden from congenital up dirt, yous'll be cruising effectually in no fourth dimension.

1. 1

   Remove the wheels from the beam using a wrench. Plow the skateboard over so information technology is resting on the deck, with the wheels facing up. Utilize a 0.5 inches (one.3 cm) socket wrench to twist and remove the axle nuts on the outer sides of the skateboard wheels, then set them aside.^[1]

   • Continue all bicycle materials (nuts, washers, etc.) together in one place and then you can easily notice and adhere them afterward. You'll need every piece you take off, so don't lose them!

2. 2

   Pry the bearings out of the wheels with the truck axle. Take hold of 1 cycle and identify the centre against the metal rod that information technology was attached to (this is called the truck beam). Use the rod to pop the bearing out of the wheel, kind of like you'd utilise a bottle opener on a bottle top. Use the same prying technique for all 4 of your wheels, and go on the bearings in one spot so you lot don't lose track of them.^[2]

   • Keep the wheel bearings and the wheels separate from each other so they're easier to clean.
   • If you lot can't manage to remove the bearings in this mode, try using a screwdriver to pry out the bearings. Simply hold on to the sides of the bike out in forepart of you, insert the tip of the screwdriver in the front of the wheel, and pull the screwdriver to the side to release the bearing.
   • When you lot remove the bearings from the wheels, a begetting spacer volition fall out from the centre of the wheel. Continue this in a safe place so you can reassemble the wheel and bearings later.

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3. 3

   Wipe off the surface of your wheels with a rag to make clean off dirt and rocks. Use your fingers to loosen whatsoever rocks or gravel, then employ your rag to really scrub hard. If at that place's any super dirty areas that need a lot of scrubbing, grab a toothbrush and use that instead.^[3]

   • Don't worry if you tin can't get your wheels sparkly clean just withal—this is just the beginning step!

4. iv

   Soak the wheels in soapy water for 10 minutes. Fill a bucket or your sink with about 0.v US gal (ane.ix L) of warm water and i to 2  tsp (4.9 to nine.9 mL) of dish lather. Stir the mixture up until it's sudsy, and so submerge your wheels and let them sit for most x minutes.^[4]

   • Just soak the wheels, non the bearings! Soaking your bearings in water can brand them rust.
   • The warm water will assistance to loosen whatever stuck-on clay and crud.

5. 5

   Wipe down the wheels with a rag or a toothbrush. Take your wheels out of the soapy water and give them a good scrub downwards. Here'south where you can work super hard to make sure they look sparkly and clean.^[5]

   • Brand sure you're wiping down the within of the wheels as well as the outside. Small-scale rocks and dirt tin can get trapped in any nook and cranny.

6. vi

   Dry the wheels off with a clean rag. Grab a split up rag and wipe your wheels off until they're mostly dry. Yous tin set them aside to air dry out the residue of the manner while you work on your bearings.^{[half dozen]}

   • Make certain your wheels are super dry out earlier y'all reassemble your skateboard and then you don't slip and fall while riding.

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1. ane

   Popular the begetting shields off with a razor blade. Position your razor blade in between the bearing shield and the edge of the bearing. Gently button the blade downward to pop the shield off the bearing and separate the 2 pieces.^[7]

   • If a razor blade doesn't work, endeavor a safety pin or a screwdriver instead.
   • Be very gentle as you have the shield off! You tin can damage the thin textile if y'all're too rough.
   • Some bearings only have one shield, while others have shields on both sides.

2. 2

   Pour one to 2 in (ii.five to 5.one cm) of solvent into a bowl. To clean your bearings, you can use a cleaning solvent, similar rubbing alcohol or mineral spirits. If you'd like something a little less harsh, you tin can use a liquid citrus cleaner. Pour your solvent of choice into a bowl or plastic container to become information technology ready for your bearings.^[8]

   • Yous can find bearing cleaning kits at nigh skateboard shops, but they're often more expensive than just buying the solvent yourself.
   • If you are using a harsh solvent, put on gloves to protect your pare earlier you offset.

3. 3

   Soak the bearings in the solution for 5 minutes. Carefully drop all of your bearings into your solution, making sure they're fully submerged. Swirl them effectually in your container a little bit and so all the sides get fully covered, and so get out them to soak for most 5 minutes.^[ix]

   • Leaving your bearings to soak for too long can damage them, so make sure you have them out right away.

4. iv

   Tap each bearing onto a paper towel to get the solvent off. Put on your gloves again and carefully grab all your bearings out of the cleaning solution. Ane by ane, tap the bearings onto a clean newspaper towel with the exposed side down to get the backlog solvent out and dry the bearings off.^[10]

   • If in that location's withal solvent in the bearings, use a toothbrush to scrub the insides.
   • Don't spin the bearings to get the solvent out—this could splash harsh chemicals into your eyes or face up.

5. 5

   Driblet i to 2 drops of oil into the bearings. You tin can utilise skateboard oils, sewing machine oils, or electronic oils. Add 2 to iii drops to the exposed side of each begetting, then spin it to make sure all the bearing balls are evenly coated. Wipe off any excess with a paper towel to clean upwardly.^[11]

   • Too much lubricant can clog upwardly the bearing rather than making it motility smoothly. When in doubt, the less lubricant the meliorate.
   • Do non use thick oils equally a lubricant on your bearings. Avoid lubricants similar olive oil, vegetable oil, or motor oil, as they tin can clog upwards your board.
   • Something like WD-xl volition lubricate your wheels for a minute or two, but the bearings will rapidly dry out out.^[12]

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1. 1

   Snap the bearing shields back into identify. Grab your begetting shield (call up those thin pieces of prophylactic?) and use your thumbs to snap it onto the exposed side of your begetting. This shouldn't have much effort, then you lot tin can gather your bearings fairly rapidly.^[13]

   • The shields help trap the lubricant on the within of the begetting to keep them polish.

2. 2

   Insert the bearings dorsum into the wheels. Push one bearing into a wheel, and so utilise your fingers to snap it into place. Turn the wheel over and insert the begetting divider, then snap the other bearing into identify.^[14]

   • This is why it'due south important to proceed all the hardware in one spot!

3. 3

   Attach the wheels to your truck axle with the axle nut. Slide each cycle onto the truck axle that's attached to your skateboard, and so put the axle nut back on the outside of each wheel. Utilize your socket wrench to tighten the nut in place, then requite your wheels a spin!^[15]

   • Be careful non to overtighten the nut. If you tin't spin your wheels, loosen it up again with your wrench.
   • Your wheels should feel smoother without any sticky grinding every bit you ride.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Practice you oil skateboard wheels?

  

  Jon Depoian is a Skateboarding Instructor and the Owner of Intro2Skateboarding, an organization based in Orange County, California that provides professional private, habitation-school, subsequently-schoolhouse, altogether party, and summertime campsite skateboard lessons for beginners and experienced skateboarders alike. Jon has over 21 years of skateboarding experience and over ten years of skateboard instruction experience. He too has extensive experience producing street skateboarding videos and skating competitions.

  

  Skateboarding Teacher

  Expert Answer

  

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

  You demand to lubricate the bearings within of the wheels, merely you don't need to lubricate the wheels themselves. Employ a Teflon-based lubricant to proceed friction off of your bearings. Stay away from stuff like WD-forty, which will dry out pretty rapidly and crusade your bearings to beginning arresting dirt.

• Question

  Can I apply babe oil equally lubricant?

  

  No. You should get lubricant from your local skate store. I would recommend Bones speed foam for the best performance.

• Question

  How do I know when I should clean my bearings?

  

  Yous should either clean or replace your bearings when they no longer spin smoothly, and are noisy when spun. The hissing noise and obstructed movement of the bearing is an indication that there are small dirt particles in the bearing.

• Question

  What happens if I don't clean my skateboard?

  

  Clay, mud, and debris can clog your wheels and damage your bearings. Cleaning them prevents this.

• Question

  Why do non employ baby oil?

  

  Baby oil is great for absorbing and locking in moisture, but this could cause your bearings to rust over time.

• Question

  How often should I clean the wheels and bearings of my skateboard in gild to keep them functional?

  

  This depends on how much your ride your board. Yous can test your bearings by spinning the wheel past hand. If it stops quickly you lot should clean them, simply if they spin for a good while, you lot're practiced. The wheels depend on how much y'all wear them down. When you see little cracks develop, yous should clean.

• Question

  Tin I use skate wheels on a skateboard?

  

  Yes, though you lot may want to pay attention to the diameter of the wheel.

• Question

  Can I ride a skateboard in an airport ?

  

  This depends on the airport, only most public places forbid it, especially indoors.

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Video

• Employ a cup to hold all your bolts and pocket-size objects in i place.

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• Never use bleach on your wheels, every bit information technology can dry the rubber in the wheels and cause them to weaken.

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Things You'll Demand

• Socket wrench or skate tool
• Clean rags
• Paper towels
• Solvent
• Bowl
• Dish lather
• Thin lubricant

About This Article

Article Summary 10

To clean skateboard wheels, first by removing them from the board with a socket wrench and taking the bearings off of them. Then, wipe the surface of the wheels with a rag to dislodge any embedded debris, like rocks or caked-on dirt. Side by side, soak the wheels in a bucket of soapy h2o for x minutes before scrubbing them with a rag or soft-bristled toothbrush. You can also make clean the bearings by wiping them down with a citrus cleaner and lubricating them. When yous're finished, reattach the bearings to the wheels and put the wheels back on your skateboard. To acquire how to accept the wheels off of your skateboard, keep reading!

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