Cleaning your skateboard bearings needn’t be time consuming. If you know the basics, you can achieve better performance from your skateboard or longboard and save yourself money.
Start by holding the bearing’s inner ring between a thumb and finger and then turn the outer ring with your other hand, to spin the bearing. You might notice a roughness or grittiness if the bearing needs cleaning.
After use, the grease in your bearings might contain dirt or other particles that will abrade or roughen up the bearing’s surfaces. The less smooth the surfaces are, the less freely the bearing can rotate.
When necessary, you need to clean out old grease and replace it with new grease. If you spin the bearing in a solvent like white spirit or isopropyl alcohol it will aid the cleaning process.
To carry out the cleaning process, you need to remove the seals. This can be done using a Stanley knife or similar thin blade. You should gently insert the blade under the tip of the seal and prise it open. However, be sure not to push the blade too far in because you will risk catching the cage.
Clean out that old grease and replace it with new lubricant. Just make sure the bearings are dry before relubrication. You don’t want the solvent you have used during the cleaning process to dissolve your newly added grease!
Avoid too much or too little grease. The amount of grease in our bearings is carefully chosen to provide excellent lubrication but minimal drag. When regreasing, aim to fill approximately 15-20 percent of the internal space of the bearing.
We offer a high speed, low torque grease manufactured by Klueber. It contains a hard-wearing lithium which is more than enough for skate conditions. You can read more at www.klueber.com.
When you have completed the cleaning and re-greasing process, reinsert the bearing into your wheel by pushing down firmly and reattach your wheel onto the truck. If you still feel that grittiness when spinning the bearing, then you need to consider buying replacement bearings.