1. What is the diameter of a wheel?
2. What does durometer mean?
3. What kind of wheel should I use?
4. How do I make my wheels last as long as possible?
5. What should I know about bearings?
6. How often should I clean and lubricate my bearings?
7. How do I clean and lubricate my bearings?

1. What is the diameter of a wheel?

The diameter is the measurement of the width of the wheel. For inline skates this measurement is generally given in millimeters. Typical sizes for recreational skaters are 72mm and 76mm, however sizes can range from as large as 80mm to as small as 45 mm.

2. What does durometer mean?

Durometer is a measure of how hard or soft the polyurethane of the wheel is. Typical inline skate wheels run from 74 (very soft) to 88 (very hard). A soft wheel will provide a smoother ride on rough surfaces, and offer more bite for sharp maneuvering. The down side is the wheel is soft and will wear out faster. On the other hand, a hard wheel offers less rolling resistance and therefore can be very fast on a smooth surface. In most cases the extremes are for special individuals. Speed skaters will typically use a very hard wheel (85 or higher), while roller hockey players want the bite and maneuverability offered by a softer wheel 78 or lower). The typical recreational skater should probably stay in the 80 to 85 range.

3. What kind of wheel should I use?

It depends on how you like to skate. If you want to really maneuver well, then a smaller wheel is better. If you want to skate fast, then a bigger wheel is better. Remember– besides durometer, size can affect the longevity of the wheel. The bigger they are, the longer they last.

4. How do I make my wheels last as long as possible?

As you use your skates, your wheels will wear on the inside edges. You will notice that one wheel on each skate will usually wear more than others; typically this is the rear wheel. By rotating the wheel positions and flipping the wheels over on a regular basis you even out the wear on all the wheels, thus extending the life of your wheel set. This is also a very good time to clean any dirt and dust off areas that you can't reach when the wheels are installed.

5. What should I know about bearings?

Basically, all inline skates use the same types of bearings. These are commonly referred to as 608 bearings. However, all 608 bearings are not equal. Like every thing else in life there are different quality levels. To help rate the quality of bearings, the ABEC rating of 1, 3, 5 and 7 is commonly used. A higher ABEC number indicates that the bearings were manufactured to higher tolerances. Bearings that do not have an ABEC rating are usually low quality.

6.How often should I clean and lubricate my bearings?

It's really a matter of how psycho you want to be about cleaning. In a perfect world, you would clean and lubricate your bearings every time you used your skates. If you did this, your bearings would last a very long time. But we all know that almost nobody takes the time to do this. Of all the things that you have to do to your skates, taking the bearings apart so you can clean them is the most time consuming and dirty task. So most people don't do it more than they have to.

A good way to tell when you should clean your bearings, is to just flip your skates over and give your wheels a spin. Note how freely they spin and listen for any interesting noises they may be making. Crunching and/or grinding noises usually indicate dirt or debris in the bearings. Chirping and/or squeaking noises probably mean you should lubricate the bearings.

7. How do I clean and lubricate my bearings?

There are a number of ways to take care of your bearings. The easiest method is to just do nothing, and when the bearings seize or you can't stand the squealing any longer just buy new bearings– but that gets kind of expensive. (Unless you buy 'em from me.)

The next easiest method we'll call the "soak technique." Get yourself some sort of plastic sealable container. (A margarine dish works great.) Remove the bearings from the skates and put them in the (empty) margarine dish. Using some convenient (clean) motor oil, fill the dish enough to cover the bearings. Put the cover on the dish, set it aside, and let the bearings soak for a day. Remove the bearings from the dish, wipe off any excess oil, install them on your skates, and be happy.

The third method is the "total tear down" technique. This technique takes the most time, but yields the best results. Remove the bearings from the skates. Use a very small screwdriver or a thumb tack to remove the snap rings. This part of the task usually sucks. If you can get the snap rings out, the rest of the job is easy. Oh, by the way. Murphy's law says that at least one snap ring will go flying over your shoulder, and you will never be able to find it again. Don't let this discourage you. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it.

Once the snap rings are removed the dust shields will come off, exposing the races and balls. Using some sort of a light spray lubricant (I like WD40), spray the inside of the bearings clean. You can tell if it is clean by turning the bearings and listening for grity sounds. Once the bearings are clean, set them on a piece of newspaper and let the excess spray lubricant drain out. Once you have done this to all of your bearings, clean the grit and gunk off your dust shields and snap rings. Spray them with the spray lubricant and wipe them off with a paper towel. Avoid rags as they can leave lint in the bearings (this is a bad thing). Replace a dust shield and snap ring on one side of each bearing. Now add your favorite lubricant. It can be one of the gels marketed by skate manufacturers, or anything you choose to use. (I like white lithium grease.)

The heavier the lubricant, the longer it will last, and you won't have to clean and lube your bearings as often. The lighter the lubricant you use (you could just stop with the WD40), the faster your bearings can turn, but you'll have to repeat this process more often.

Now that you have applied whatever lubricant you have chosen to use, put the other dust shield and snap ring on the bearing. Wipe off any excess lubricant and stick all the bearings back in your skates. Now you're ready to skate!

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