LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

TheGinger1 · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Posts: 78

Being a newbie, I really don't know how to look after my new shiny toys. I gave them a wipe down after yesterdays damp Tatem skate (couldn't believe how much muck they had accumulated), took out the wheels and wiped off the muck around the bearings but they had already seized up a bit. I gave them a few spins and they eased up but this morning they're back to being seized.

What's the best technique for post skate TLC? As far as I can work out, the bearings that came with them don't have an obvious way of opening up to be able to clean inside. Should I take them out of the wheels, WD40 or GT85 them?

Any advice greatly accepted.

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1338 Location: Putney

Dry them out more quickly next time, on a radiator or with a hairdryer or something.

The dust covers probably come off, how depends if they've metal or plastic covers.
The cage and balls will also come out on some.
Then they can then be cleaned ( a google search will find a myriad of ways, I can tell you mine if you're interested... my key ingredient is a decent movie to watch while doing it! ).

A lot of people can't be bothered though, and just skate in them to free them up, and replace when they're warn ( presumably a bit sooner than if you cleaned them, but with a lot less fiddling ).

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4070

Two ways to clean bearings: either clean them properly - i.e. stripping them, flushing all the grit out, and re-lubing, or method 2 is to do nothing and just skate more on them. If you do anything in between, such as spray them with GT85, you'll properly trash them.

Howard · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Posts: 277 Location: W2 now init.

Fred_Paris · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 4:50 pm Subject:

I usually clean my bearings once a month to two month.

If I skate in wet condition I would usually clean them every time in the following day.

I would also recommend that if you have to buy a pair of bearings, make sure you go for something easy to take appart as that makes cleaning them easy.

For training I use half ceramic bearings, they are great easy to clean, and tolerate water a lot better if they get exposed.

For your case, I would recommend you clean any of your bearing that don't turn or make suspect noise which would indicate grit got in.

We can go through a short workshop next week in tatem or something.

ed! · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 4:59 pm Subject: Re: Cleaning

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1338 Location: Putney

OK, my plan ( Fred might cringe at a few cheapy choices I make ) :-

1) Remove C clips and covers ( plastic covers come off differently, I only usually replace the covers that will go on the outside of the wheels )
2) Sloosh, rotate, spin in water+detergent/meths/whatever* until they spin freely with no gritty feeling/sound
3) Rinse the detergent away ( not if meths )
4) Dry : All/most of my bearings are metal, by choice ( some have nylon cages ), so I just sling them in the oven at 100C. ( not if meths )
5) Let them cool Surprised

)
6) One drop of normal 3-in-1 oil** per bearing, spin to coat surfaces.

* Something that'll rinse away OK, Flash-type stuff can leave a residue, washing up liquid seems fine to me. Ensure lots of ventilation, etc. if using meths!
** I've not tried any skate specific oils to compare, 3-in-1 does wash out pretty easily in the wet, but I believe the main alternative there is some suitable grease.

GT85 is good for keeping bearings going in wet conditions, e.g. rainy Le Mans.
WD40 leaves thick grease behind, I'm not sure if this causes a problem or if there are other reasons why people don't like it.

merten · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 5:27 pm Subject:

Caution with radiators. Most skates are glued together and heat-moldable, so they might loosen or become less sturdy if heated up too often. Some newspaper stuffed into them and opening them up as far as possible is what I do.

Also I would recommend a special set of weels and greased bearings for the wet weather sessions, so you do not destroy anything important.

Personally I do not skate much in the wet, just too much cleaning effort Razz

Fred_Paris · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 5:33 pm Subject:

Don't worry Barrie, I won't criticise how people clean their bearing, I used to be very bad at it, I often just changed bearings rathwer than clean them so...

the only reason I know regarding WD40 vs GT85 is that GT85 contains teflon and usually WD40 would be great at first but you would loose any sort of lubrification quite quickly so you would need to apply more often.

I used to use WD40 but only for the cleaning part, then oil. with GT85 I use only one product for cleaning and lubricating.

Van · Joined: 10 Nov 2008 Posts: 221 Location: London

Just skate on them and they'll loosen up soon enough. Very Happy

Yeah, I'm a "low maintenance" kinda guy.

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1338 Location: Putney

Fred_Paris · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 5:55 pm Subject:

The way I do it is

* Taking the seals off
*putting the bearings in a tube with an aluminium cage so that I can take them out easily (will post a picture later)
*half fill with GT85
*Shake it, shate it !
*take them out and check each bearing is clean
*go to the sink and spray GT85 holding the center of the bearing with my fingers, so that the pressure will make the bearing roll
*leave bearings on some tissue or newspaper and cover them.
*leave them to dry and put them back toghether a few hours later.

TheGinger1 · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Posts: 78

Thanks for that. I've also found a few youtube clips that were helpful.... much more fun than writing my dissertation........

Ok, next question. What tool do you use to get them out (I've just gone and broken Cecile's...... don't tell her....... my excuse is that it was on its last legs anyways)?

Fred_Paris · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 8:08 pm Subject:

On a video I saw a guy remove the metal circles and seals with a scalpel and I wouldn't recomend that !

I use a safety pin medium size to remove everything, to temove the bearing I use a skate tool with a bearing extractor at the end which is solid enough for the job.

the tube I use looks like that :

https://ssl.kundenserver.de/xtech-skates.de/index.php?page=shop&detail=1&id_prod=53&&lang_id=de_DE&

but has an inside metal cage.

Skate tool is this one :
http://www.cadomotus.com/shop/default.asp?act=category&showcat=7

has a torque preventing over tightening of axels and bolts.

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4070

Rather than taking the shields off both sides, just take them off one side. Then you can leave off the shields when you put the bearings back, just put the open end of the bearing to the inside of the wheel. You'll still get exactly the same protection against dirt, and the next times you clean your bearings it'll be much easier.