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Why Are My Skate's Wheels Not Spinning Very Fast?

by Caroline Millicent on May 01, 2020

It's not your wheels actually... its your bearings!

Bearings are a dynamic and important tiny component of your skate that make a very big difference.

They are the two round shiny pieces that sit inside your roller skate wheel that make it spin or turn.

First, lets check and make sure that the wheel can spin freely and isn't accidentally tightened down more than it needs to be. To do this you will need a skate tool (we like the Powerdyne Y3 Skate Tool)

Try tightening your wheels all the way down until they don't budge or spin at all. Turn your tool a full 90 degrees to the left, and you should have a lovely golden rule combo of: wiggle side to side, but no SLIDE on your skate axle. That means there should be no sound or clacking noise of the wheel sliding up and down on the axle, but just enough room to where you can grip the sides of your wheel and wiggle.

Now that we've gotten that out the way lets talk a bit about what makes a bearing a good bearing.

Bearings operate on a scale called the ABEC system. While this is mostly only useful for very big bearings in industrial machinery we can use it as a relatively simple tool of understanding the general quality we can expect from our bearing or how fast they will feel.

So, the type of bearings your wheels have can effect how fast you roll as well as the longevity of your roll.

Another thing that can effect your speed is the state your bearings are in. Dirty/rusty bearing can definitely hinder your skate experience. We recommend using the Bones Bearing Tool to pop your bearings out your wheel, then use cleaners like Qube Bearing Spa to clean them out. To amp up your speed, we suggest adding lube, like Bones Speed Cream to your bearings after cleaning them. Get ready to feel the difference! Skate safe!

Check out our bearings and bearing accessories collection here.

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