| Cleaning the bearings in your inline skates |
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| Written by Skatebiz | |
| Monday, 14 January 2008 | |
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One of the best things you can do for the performance of your skates is to clean your bearings. Not only will they be faster but they will last a lot longer. Bearings have extreme precisions and even the smallest bits of dirt or sand can cause an uneven rotation and unwanted noise. The best things you can do for your bearings when skating is to avoid water as this will cause rust and also try to avoid sand. If you have encountered any water with your skates then we advise to immediately clean them. The following instructions are to clean bearings with a removable shield if you have bearings with non-removable shields ignore the steps on taking off the shields. Tools You Will Need: Small bowl Straight pin Bearing cleaner Small cleaning brush such as a toothbrush. Soft or medium, nothing too hard! Clean towels Paper Towels 1. For removable shields: Insert the end of the straight pin into the end of the C-ring which holds the shield onto the bearing body. Very gently pry the C-ring up and towards the centre of the bearing, working your way around the circle. Remove the shield slowly, always taking care not to damage it. 2. Place bearing in a container or bowl and flush with bearing cleaner to remove contaminants. We recommend a Citrus cleaner as this works best. Use the small brush or toothbrush and remove larger pieces of dirt and grime. If your bearings are particularly dirty, you may have to repeat this step. Be sure to change your solvent with each rinsing. 3. After you have cleaned the bearing, pat it gently dry with a clean, lint free towel. Place on a paper towel and allow it to air dry. Make sure that all water has evaporated and dries out completely before proceeding to the next step.4. After the bearing has completely dried, apply 1 to 2 drops of quality lubricant to the inside of the bearing. A little lubricant goes a long way so there is no need to use too much. Rotate the bearing slowly to work the lubricant in to all of the moving parts. Make sure the balls are completely covered in oil/grease. 5. Replace the shield by placing it on top of bearing and slipping the C-ring into the groove next to the shield. Then work remaining length of C-ring slowly and gently around the fitted groove until it snaps back into place.6. Put your freshly cleaned bearings back on your skates and spin them to insure oil/greases is evenly distributed and wheels are spinning smoothly.
Warning: Always use extreme caution whenever working with any cleaning solvent. Bearing Cleaner is a toxic chemical and should be washed off skin immediately. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 14 January 2008 ) |
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