How To Change And Clean Roller Skate Bearings

Bearings can make or break your roller skating experience. As a fundamental component of your roller skate, it’s super important to maintain them. But when is it time to clean your bearings? How do you clean your bearings? We hear these questions all the time at Pigeon's Roller Skate Shop which is why we’ve put together this step-by-step guide on How To Change And Clean Roller Skate Bearings.

So: when should you clean your bearings? If you’re skating regularly, every 6-8 months is a pretty good time to check in on your equipment. However, if your wheels are feeling sluggish when you roll( like you’re skating through mud or molasses) or one of your wheels locks up entirely, you know it’s time to clean ‘em!

Step one is probably the most important step before you jump in: figure out what kind of bearings you’re working with! You want to make sure you’re rolling with bearings which have colored caps--this means the cap is removable (blue, pink, green, black, red--doesn’t matter, just make sure there’s a color!) Unfortunately this guide will not work with bearings that have a metal/sealed cap (the metal caps are non-removable).

Sealed/ Non-removable Bearing Cap  vs.  Removable Bearing Cap

Step two: get the right tools! Before you actually get to cleaning, we recommend gathering up the following tools / accessories:

• Bearing Tool: Pigeon's Roller Skate Shop recommends the Bones Bearing Tool . This is a skate kit essential. The Bones Bearing tool helps you install and remove bearings with ease. Other options: PowerDyne Bearing Press and Puller

• Basic Skate Tool: Pigeon's Roller Skate Shop recommends the Y3 Skate Tool. This versatile tool works with a wide range of plates. Other options: Y4 Skate Tool 

• Bearing Tank: Pigeon's Roller Skate Shop recommends the Bones Bearing Cleaning Unit because this tank perfectly seals and contains your cleaning solution. This tank also fans out your bearings evenly to insure they are thoroughly cleaned during agitation! Other options: Qube Bearing Spa

• Cleaning solutions: You’ve got a couple of options when it comes to cleaning solutions! You can use 100 % alcohol (be sure that you are using a 100% solution and not an isopropyl/alcohol blend), or Acetone. Acetone is great for cleaning bearings however it is a very harsh chemical that needs to be disposed of properly (DO NOT DUMP ACETONE DOWN THE DRAIN!) We also love the Qube Bearing Cleaner!

• Bearing lubricant: Pigeon's Roller Skate Shop recommends the Bones Speed Cream .

Step Three: Grab that Y3 tool and remove the wheels from your roller skates (remember: righty tighty, lefty loosey).

Step Four: Insert bearing tool into bearing and simply pull to remove bearing from wheel.

Step Five: Remove the cap or “shield” from your bearing. This is the colorful outer ring on the bearings which is actually a very thin piece of metal shielding the bearing balls. Removing this shield allows you to deep clean the interior of the bearing without trapping fluid in the bearing. Trapped fluid can rust the metal components of your bearings so be sure to fully remove the shield. 

Pro tip: To remove the shield you’ll need something small with a sharp edge such as a safety pin or a needle. Be sure to press on the inner ring of the bearing otherwise the cap won’t come off. When you’ve completely removed the cap the balls in the bearing will be exposed and ready to clean.

Sometimes bearings have two caps, sometimes they only have one. If they have two caps you want to make sure you’re removing both of them.

Step Six: Once all of the caps have been removed you’re ready to slide them onto the post inside of the bearing cleaner. The spacers on the post in the cleaning unit are meant to separate the bearings so the cleaning solution can move freely through the bearing, so make sure to alternate between bearings and spacers as you load the cleaning unit.

Step Seven: Add the cleaning solution to your bearing tank. The Bones Bearing Cleaning Unit actually has a fill line so you know how much solution you should add to the tank. Only a small amount of solution is necessary. 

Once your cleaning unit is locked and loaded (screw that cap on TIGHT!) agitate the bearings on and off for 8-10 minutes.

Step Eight: Once you’ve finished agitating the bearings, remove them from the tank and unscrew them from the post. For this step it’s nice to have a can of compressed air to go over and blow the excess fluid off of the bearings. If you don’t have compressed air you can let your bearings sit out for a full 24 hours to allow the excess solution to dry.

Pro tip: We prefers Acetone as a cleaning solution because it dries faster than other options! If you’re using Acetone you can spin the bearing to remove excess fluid from the bearing.

Step Nine: Once your bearings have completely dried, it’s time to re-lubricate them! This last step is essential to keep your freshly cleaned bearings lubricated and moving freely. When applying lubricant you only need a single drop--that’s right, don’t go nuts!

Step Ten: Replace the caps onto the bearings. They should snap in easily don’t apply too much pressure. Be nice and gentle with this step as the shields can be delicate!

Re-install the bearings into your wheels with the Bones Bearing Tool. Now you’re ready to roll!

Questions? Comments? Let us know in the comments below!