How To Change Wheels On Roller Skates & Rollerblades
Do you want to know how to change wheels on roller skates and rollerblades at home? If yes, follow our guidelines as it’ll show you all the instructions to remove and replace old and used skate wheels.
If you skate more and more, you’ll find less grip on your skate wheels – they’ll start to get tapered and more petite. The dull spots can occur on the surface of spins, and they will not permit smooth riding, resulting in severe vibrations and disturbing noises. So, here comes the time to change them and replacing with new ones! In this article, you’ll learn how to change skate wheels quickly and easily.
The first thing you’ll require is to get the tools for this task that can help in skateboard assembly and orientation. The skate tools have various parts that fit with different sections of your board. Further, you’ll need two various sockets for your kingpin and axle nuts, a screwdriver for the baseplate bolts, and some other instruments that can make working on your skateboard easier.
Table of Contents
3 Signs That You Need To Change Your Skate Wheels
After daily use over days and months, it is straightforward for skate wheels to get strained. Moreover, growing children exceed their feet size, making it impracticable to fit in small-sized skates. Such conditions eagerly need for a replacement of skate wheels. Once your skates get old, they show visible signs pointing out that it’s time to go for a replacement. Following are some revealing signs; let’s have a look at them!
1st sign: Alteration in Foot size
Growing kids and teens quickly outgrow their sizes, and sometimes even the adults can exceed their shoe sizes. The feet of an adult man may grow more expansive, or the arch of the feet may subside over time. Moreover, it has been noticed in women that their foot size may alternate during or after pregnancy. So, if your skates ever feel poor fitting and loose, it’s time to replace them with a new pair.
2nd sign: Deforming Appearance
It would be best if you considered your skates for apparent signs of deformation. However, roller skates are organized to last for long; even the tidiest pair of shoes do not last forever. If your wheels are scamper and have crackles, the toe stopper is torn out, the skate frame is bent or has a hole, then you need to get a new pair of roller skates.
3rd sign: requirement for advanced skates
Primary roller skates work well for average skill levels for skaters of all age groups. However, if you want to learn some new skills such as jam skating, speed, or inline skating, you may need an advanced pair of skates. The roller skates extend a point in their skill levels, which are far away from basics. So, it would help if you had a modern pair of skates to serve new advanced skills, which are way more than ordinary gliding.
How to change roller skate wheels [Step by Step Guide]
If you’re new to skating, it can be a bit intimidating to replace your roller skate’s wheels. But no worries! Here you’ll find an essential guide on how to change skate wheels. Just follow these steps!
Step 1: Unscrew the nut
First of all, take a tool and fit it into the nut on the axel of your roller skate. If you move the nut in the left direction, it’ll loosen the nut, and if you move the nut in the right direction, it’ll tighten the nut. Now, gently push and unscrew the nut from the axel.
Step 2: Lift off the old wheel
After completely removing the nut from the axel, take off the old wheel from the skate. Keep your nut in a secure place for later use – they are tiny and tend to fold away.
Step 3: Immaculate the bearings
When you pull off the old wheel from the axel, check out the bearings that will stay in the wheel. Now remove any grease, dirt, hair, and stain from the bearings and axel.
Step 4: Put new wheel onto the axel
Now it’s time to put a new wheel (already contoured with bearings) onto the axel. It depends on the skate’s wheel that either there is more or less space than your old wheels – some wheels are broad than others.
Step 5: Screw the nut on the new wheel
After putting the new wheel onto the axel, smoothly screw the nut on the new wheel with your fingers to align the threading. You may need to alternate your nuts depending on the fit of your skate wheels. If the wheels are more comprehensive, place your nuts on back to front for additional hold – it takes up less space on the axel!
Step 6: Tighten the nut on the new wheel
Now tighten the nut by using a skate tool – turn it in the right direction until it feels tight. After doing this, move slightly back to the left side to allow your skate wheel room to spin. Moreover, ensure that your skate wheel is loose enough to spin and tight enough that it won’t slump away.
Step 7: Spin the new wheel
Here comes the final touch; spin the new wheel with your hand to ensure that you are ready to go! Moreover, examine your nuts consistently to make sure that they haven’t become moveable and slouchy.
How to change Rollerblades/ Inline Skates wheels [Step by Step Guide]
Rollerblading or inline skating is the best option to get outside and enjoy the rides. Unfortunately, inline skates wheels need to be removed and replaced owing to enough riding time. Here you’ll get proper instructions to do this job which takes almost 20 minutes per skate. So let’s start!
Step 1: Collect the tools
First of all, you need proper tools like new wheels, spacer, bearings, pencil and a set of Allen wrenches. Moreover, use high-quality tools, can be carried around quickly, and are compact. You may also need some extra nuts for your axels.
Step 2: Draw out screws and pins from the wheelbase
Take the proper size Allen wrench that fits your specific inline skate wheels. Remove all the screws attaching the skate wheels to its base. Now stretch out each pin from the wheelbase using a pencil. After it, pull out the old wheel upward from the wheelbase.
Step 3: Pull out bearings from the wheel
Place the pencil tip into one of the bearings and stand the pencil vertically with the wheel in the air. Now gently force the wheel down into the pencil until a bearing stretched out. Repeat the same process and remove the other bearing and spacer.
Step 4: Clean the spacer and bearings
Most inline skates bearings are centrally sealed, so no grease and dirt must be enumerated. However, the spacer and bearings need to be cleaned with a tidy and wet wiper. If you find any trouble spinning in the bearings, they need to be replaced.
Step 5: Replace bearing and spacer onto the wheel
Connect one spacer and bearing together by using your thumb – force the assembly into a wheel. Now push the other bearing into the alternate side of the wheel, ensuring to position with the spacer already installed.
Step 6: Replace new wheel on a wheelbase
Now it’s time to place the new wheel on the wheel frame. After it, replace the axle of the skate and tighten it by using the Allen wrench. If you find your spacer is aluminum, tighten the axle as far as it’ll go. If you notice your spacer is plastic, tighten the axle nearly as far as it’ll go, then moderately loosen it. Now lastly, spin your new wheel to check how smoothly it rolls. Repeat the above steps for the remaining wheels.
Conclusion:
Changing roller skate or inline skate wheels is a simple task that can significantly alternate how your skate rides! Wheels eventually poop out, and it’s necessary to know how to replace them. So here in this article, you’ll get to know all the directions about how to change skate wheels.
