Clever maintenance: this is how your skates, wheels, frames and bearings will last longer

How can I enjoy my wheels as long as possible? How do I store my boots? What can I do when my bearings are noisy and can I perhaps prevent it? There are a lot of questions concerning the maintenance of inline skates. Do you want to know what you can do to enjoy your gear much longer, please do continue reading!

• Shoes, daily maintenance
• Shoes, maintenance after skating in the rain
• Laces, buckles and straps
• Change wheels
• Bearings maintenance
• Frames maintenance

Daily maintenance of your inline skate boots

A good set of inline shoes can easily last for years, but proper maintenance is vital. With a few simple steps, your shoes can even last a couple of years more. 

After skating, wipe your shoes with a cloth. By doing so, you will prevent dust and dirt to stick to your shoes. The fabric of our https://www.cadomotus.com/en/inline-speed-skating/boots/ can be easily cleaned. Generally, dust is not so much of a problem, but if you lose for example a few drops of your sports drink on your shoes, it’s easily cleaned after a workout. So make this a routine!

Also, make sure you close your shoes after skating. Close the buckle or use the lock-system to, about the position you would use when you skate. That way, your shoes will keep the shape, especially if you put them away for a longer period of time. Don’t put your shoes in a box or bag, but preferably on a shelf or an open space. This way they can breathe and less pleasant smells will go away. 

Prevent wear and tear of your inline skate boots

Many skate boots show wear and tear because they are not stored or transported well. Chances are when you put your shoes in your sports bag every day, protruding parts will make small damage, not to mention other stuff you might be carrying in your bag that can cause your shoes to be worn out really fast. 

It’s a good reason not to leave your skates outside your bag, or make sure you put them in a suitcase with a special compartment where you can carefully transport them. Cadomotus offers the best bagsavailable: from transport to your training to travel suitcases. 

Maintenance after skating in the rain

Sooner or later it will also happen to you: the rain has caught you and you arrive home soaking wet. It’s so bad, the water has even reached your toes. First thing you do after taking them of, is make sure no mud has gotten in your shoe. If that’s the case, wash them out with lukewarm water. They’re already wet, so that’s ok. 

Then your shoes obviously need to dry. A proven solution is stuffing your shoes with paper newsprint and put them by the heater. Make sure you don’t put them on the heater. It might deform your shoes. Replace the newsprint in your shoes every couple of hours. If you leave it in, it will do the opposite and keep your shoes wet. By doing so, your shoes will be bone dry in 24 hours.

Laces, buckles and straps

It seems the most logical thing in the world: to make your shoes fit properly, good laces are indispensable. Always use waxed laces. The thin layer of wax gives the lace a little extra friction, to make sure they’ll stay in the same place. Without the wax, feet will have more play, with for example blisters as a consequence. Always make sure your laces are in a good condition, it’s a cheap way to prevent injuries. 

After a while, your buckles can also wear out. Do you think they’re slipping, or do you feel you can’t turn them as tight as before, please replace your buckle set, or in the case of the Ci1-boot, the steel wire you use for adjusting your shoe. 

Change your inline skate wheels regularly

Your wheels shouldn’t be left in the same position in your frame. Your wheels will wear much quicker on the inside than on the outside and your front wheels will wear quicker than de ones in the back of your frame. Good reason to flip your wheels often, but also change the order every now and then. Start changing your wheels as soon as the press seam in the middle of your wheels has disappeared. 

Some inline skaters will come up with all sorts of magic formulas when it comes to the order of wheels. Our advice is simply to use common sense, see which wheels are worn most and swap them with the wheels that are worn the least. Generally speaking, it will come down to changing your front wheels with the back wheels, because the front wheels wear quicker. Free advice: don’t exaggerate this. Skating on worn wheels is unpleasant and even risky. You can read here when it’s really time to replace your wheels. 

Bearings

You can’t see them, but they’re incredibly important: well-functioning bearings increase your pleasure and fun on skates enormously. When they get dirty or worn, rolling resistance will increase and you will simply have to work harder on your skates. Because skating is an outdoor sport, you will always pick up some dust and dirt. Good reason to maintain your bearings regularly and take them out of your wheels. You can do this by simply using the indispensable Multifunctional Inline Tool from Cadomotus. 

After taking the bearings from your wheels, cleaning is easy. You can do this with several kinds of cleaning agents, but this bearing cleaning unit will do the job better than anything else. It’s easy to use, no residual waste will stay behind and the bearings will be degreased. After cleaning, put a few drops of speed lubricant on your bearings and they will be good to go. Especially after skating in the rain, use of the cleaning unit is the best way to save your bearings. 

Eventually, your bearings will wear, so make sure you’ll replace them in time. As soon as there’s play on the core, it’s time to replace them. When your bearings become noisy, it’s a clear and obvious signal that it’s time to think about replacement. Except for a soft whiz, your bearing should be quiet as a mouse. When you start to hear them, a few drops of lubricant will most probably do the job. If that doesn’t help and they start to squeal, it’s really time to replace them. 

Cleaning your inline skate frames

It’s often overlooked, but do clean your frames regularly. Without noticing, all sorts of dirt can stick and the longer you wait, the harder it gets to clean it off. When you’re accidentally skating on a somewhat dirty surface, take your wheels off after skating and wipe your frames clean with a wet towel. 

Whenever you change or turn your wheels, it’s also a good moment to clean your frames. You can turn this into a routine: take your frames from your boots for proper polishing. You’ll have to admit: a nice and shiny frame looks a lot better!