How to Clean Your Inline Skate Bearings // Rollerblading Tips

Your bearings are the most important part of your skate. If they stop rolling smoothly, you're going to have a horrible experience. I'll show you the difference between bearings and how to clean them.
Intro - 0:00
Difference Between Bearings - 0:13
How to Clean your Bearings - 0:39
How to Assemble your Wheels - 2:21
Wrap up - 2:54
Bearing Cleaning Kit I Use: amzn.to/2Sj6oHH
Bearing Oil I Use: www.oustbearings.com/shop-onli...
Isopropyl Alchohol: amzn.to/333L8aK
Wheels I Recommend: amzn.to/3KkMvc2
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Note: We are a participant in an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. Lawrence is one of the owners of 50/50, Compass and Chroma and while he tries to be unbiased and avoids conflicts of interest, it’s important to disclose.

[@liberatumplox625]

I just regularly blast the crap out of my bearings with GT85, the smell is amazing and makes me nostalgic for my mountain biking days.

[@Surajsam-xu3kl]

😅😂😊😂😊😢😊😊😂

[@jp50491]

Wowwww.. I didn’t realize how badly my bearings needed a cleaning until they got it. HUGE difference! Thanks for the video!

[@Oreoleoo]

Very informative and to the point! This is exactly what I was looking for thank you!

[@camilotriana8907]

I'm definitely doing my own bearing cleaner. Thank you sooo much!!

[@ghostinajar540]

Again, you have the best content! Thanks buddy

[@TwoQs]

Nice, simple, and oddly relaxing. Great stuff. I recently switched to isopropyl as well and it’s been working just fine.

[@giftedsaucer631]

Legit better than any other video I coulda clicked on ✨👌

[@ninjaah1404]

Great video. I like you made it a short video and explained everything so well. And the display you showed made it verry easy to understand. Thanks!

[@johnnyquesada750]

I bought new roller blades… I’m just learning and definitely I’m not an expert… but man, I soon notice that my friends wheels were spinning way better than my… I have been reviewing info about the bearings, and I was thinking that maybe they were dirty… but after going to a store and review it … I ended up changing all the bearings… the previous ones were sealed bearings, and they were garbage… they don’t spin at all, and you cannot even put oil on them… all the bearings they have different weird inconsistencies and noises … I’m super upset i didn’t informed my self better before buying the roller blades since i didn’t buy something cheap, in the store where I went actually I took almost the top quality they were having… With the new bearings the wheels they spin!! The old bearings not even in my fingers I cannot make them spin … is ridiculous … I haven’t try yet the new ones, today was a busy day… but thanks so much for the content, having a point of comparison it has been really useful . thanks mate

[@johnperez7487]

Excellent vid! Thanks!

[@NoOne-fy3ik]

Thank you for this tutorial.

[@Stargazer1800]

Appreciate the thorough explanation and clear view, thank you! I just got my skates but fell in mud on the 2nd day & my wheels are SO stiff 😬 Good maintenance practice tho!

[@tyanderson6638]

Haha ima hockey player and bought expensive off ice training skates. My puck went onto the soccer field and it was covered by a moat of mud. I tried to tough it out but as you can ended up having to find a way to clean them 😂 good to see we had similar experiences

[@vyrnmn]

Great video

[@emcee7670]

This was utterly great and you are my hero for the day-- maybe the week. Many thanks, M

[@Sourguitars]

Great vid! This question is being asked a lot with all the new skaters we’re getting but we all know we ain’t cleaning our bearings! 😉

[@BacktoBlading]

Shielded bearings are beautiful:)

[@dominikzazo7838]

Oh, is that true? Am new one to the field

[@rumorscameras]

When do u buy a new set of bearings?

[@ritavicente2562]

Very good!

[@BakaMat02]

Yup! I l learned that my bearings are double shielded 😬 cant do much with them. Well, I cleaned them with a brush for now... Already doing a lot better. I know next time will be only with one shield, if I can afford them.

[@chadfr1013]

Great video! +1 subscriber!

[@krism5575]

Thank you 🥰💯💞 easy to understand 🇵🇭💯👌

[@kumbackquatsta]

quality stuff

[@Trevdub]

Thanks !

[@suman-by7gt]

Thank you

[@rollforever_85]

I used to always just take the lazy option and buy new bearings. Seems pretty wasteful in hindsight.. Think I'll start trying to service them.

[@thuptenthapkesherpa8996]

One of my hexagonal sockets teeth of in-line skate boots’ wheels is damaged and I can’t pull the axil out. Is there way I can resolve this problem. Mainly I need to replace the wheel.

[@zackzainal8519]

Great video...Do we need to put spacers in anti rocker wheel? Thanks.

[@BacktoBlading]

I always do. That way they’ll spin when you tighten them down.

[@WatchingNinja]

Thanks for the video! Do you have a preference in the lubricant you use? I've seen some suggest Liberty Triple or Bones Speed Cream.

[@BacktoBlading]

To be honest, I can’t tell the difference. Any oil based lubricant will probably work well.

[@andrewblanton5397]

Can I ask why you left the shield on while cleaning the bearing? Is it necessary to ever remove it?

[@iwantdog]

Sooooo, I should replace my non-serviceable bearings with serviceable? Also what does it mean if wheels spin freely in hand, but once added back to the frame the spin much less?

[@LNVACVAC]

I wash with dish soap and hot water four times. Then 70% alchohol thrice, the second and last cycle I let it sit for 1h each. I dry it. Then pure isopropil alcohol thrice, the last cycle i let it sit for 3 hours. I dry it and apply nitrile based synthetic grease, 2 pea sized globs.

[@doktorkoka]

I have a little question, yes. I've been skating for decades, but only yesterday I became aware of wheels slack, when I got my Aeon 80s out of the box. I cycle a lot during recent years and had a lot fiddling with all the bike parts, just for the joy of it, and now even the slightest slack in any mechanism catches my attention. So - does it have something with the skates being new? Some wheels didn't have it, and those which did - I took them off and played a little with a hex tool, pulling each bearing a few microns to the outer side of the tube they housed in. After assembling back there is no slack. I understand that it depends on the pressure between outer and inner disks, and now, when outer discs are aligned more to the sides, the inner discs are creating tension when tightened. The main concern - I mean I'm more curious than concerned - is it a fine way to go, or I should have pressed the outer discs instead of pulling the bearings? The bearings were in place, nothing was awry. And I've heavily pressed outer discs of the bearings on one wheel with a plastic tool, this worked as well (though no obvious movement could be seen). Maybe all this fuss was unnecessary and I just had to break in new wheels? I never bothered to check for the slack before

[@BacktoBlading]

Usually the clacking you hear can be two issues: - wheel core is cracked/warped and the bearing isn’t seated securely - bearing spacers are too wide making the wheels slide on the bearings a bit with strides First troubleshoot the wheels. Install the bearings in the wheels, flip them over and see if they stay in. If they fall out of the wheels, replace the wheels. For the bearing spacers, assemble the wheels in the frames and tighten down the axles as tight as possible (without using a drill). Test each wheel by pushing side to side. If there’s any sound, replace the bearing spacers. Hope this helps! I should do a video on making skates silent

[@doktorkoka]

@@BacktoBlading I was speaking about another things, nevermind though

[@jeffs4483]

I'm assuming it's not good to use isopropyl alcohol that is 50, 75, or even 90% because of the risk it might trap water and cause rust?

[@BacktoBlading]

Right, 99% is ideal I think

[@jithendrayarabolu9557]

If can we use Petrol or Diesel as cleaning purpose? After cleaning ceramic bearings oiling is necessary?

[@gaetano2435]

Oc

[@greg6162]

Quick question… ABEC-9 or SG9 bearings? I think SG bearings are proprietary to Rollerblade but I could be wrong. I’ve been out of the game for over 20yrs and I just bought Rollerblade Macroblade 80 with the ABT brake system because I couldn’t find Twister Edge X (or any hard shell boot) pair in my size. I’m gonna upgrade wheels to Hydrogen or Supremes. The aluminum frame supports up to 84mm and I was thinking about upgrading the bearings as well. Not sure the difference between SG-7 vs a ABEC-7 or the IQL bearings is. What bearings should I get?

[@BacktoBlading]

SG9 are great. They’re not ABEC rated but solid choice for the price.

[@kenmastersmaster]

Rollerbones or ilq7. Sg bearings are trash

[@thecareercompanion7611]

Which oil you use

[@josemiguelgomesteixeira9274]

Can one use acetone as the solvent/cleaner?

[@BacktoBlading]

Yeah, absolutely. It’s a bit harsher for the environment I think, but works great to clean them.

[@hemataart7265]

plss help me: i cleaned the barring as here and they still crunch but everything runs smooth, is that bad or just ok?

[@BacktoBlading]

Sorry, are they rolling smoothly? Not sure what you mean by crunch.

[@hemataart7265]

@@BacktoBlading sand in the barings, my english is not very good 😅, yeah they run smooth as well but im worring

[@josefoo77]

I see what you’re doing, trying to slow down the competition lol

[@verleede]

Interesting. I though you were always supposed to remove the shield while cleaning

[@_lc]

my bearings are completely rusted wont spin gonna try this, will update.

[@fisherchi]

My bearings have white grease on them. I tried to use regular degreaser called "Mean Green Super Strength Cleaner & Degreaser", then 70% alchohol, and neither of those would remove the white grease. I shook the bearings in the 2 solutions separately for about 5 min each but neither would dissolve the white grease. I finally got acetone and repeated the process and that finally worked. I didn't want to use acetone since it is so bad for the environment. Do you know what the white grease is made of and if there is a more environmentally friendly solution that would dissolve it?

[@BacktoBlading]

I can only assume it’s a special grease, I have t seen anything white used before though.

[@fisherchi]

@@BacktoBlading Thanks. That was my guess too since I have not seen white grease before. My bearings are the FR Twincam MW9 Titalium Freeride.

[@wauroware]

Did you try WD-40?

[@kenmastersmaster]

Probably kyodo grease. It's white

[@kenmastersmaster]

Try a degreaser or dish soap

[@BladeGuru23]

Will 50% isopropyl work, if 99% isn't present? Help another scoot booter out and hit back ASAP !!

[@BacktoBlading]

It’ll work but not as well

[@andreiierdna9356]

Is it really fine to not remove the shields before cleaning the bearings? I always remove mine, but the popping out process tends to damage the shields and that can lead to faster wear & tear of the bearings.

[@BacktoBlading]

Yep, no reason to remove them unless you can’t get them clean with the solvent. Makes sense, it’s just moving dirt from the bearing to the liquid. If you can make it clean, no reason to risk damaging the shields.

[@andreiierdna9356]

@@BacktoBlading Awesome. Thanks for the video & response. I will definitely try your cleaning method.

[@andreiierdna9356]

I also use 99% iso alcohol to clean bearings. Maybe the shields need to be removed only if using harsher chemical solvents like acetone, gas, etc., which might damage the rubber coating on the shields.

[@th1s1sm4ry9]

It's so difficult for me to take the C rings out. Please help

[@BacktoBlading]

For the bearings? Usually I get bearings without the C ring since they’re a nightmare to work with. A razor blade is the only way I’ve found to remove them. Be careful!

[@UlyssesSGrant-lg8lh]

Can I use graphite power for lubricant?

[@BacktoBlading]

I’ve never tried, maybe?

[@UlyssesSGrant-lg8lh]

@@BacktoBlading Yeah my skates are almost twenty years old the bearings are a little rough,.

[@vlada_janjanin]

can i put bearings in boiling water?

[@casquejolee68]

Can I use other alcohol? Or just Isopropyl?

[@Kidzps3]

acetone

[@freethegays]

Why should the wheels be replaced if the bearings fall out?

[@BacktoBlading]

Usually that means the hub of the wheel has been stretched from jumps or impact. It’ll start affecting performance

[@freethegays]

@@BacktoBlading Thank you so much :)

[@DiabolusBR]

Any way to get back the silence of brand new bearings? hahaha

[@BacktoBlading]

I think that’s the lubricant talking. Grease will be quieter, so maybe that’s the answer?

[@chriss4365]

So you don't use grease?

[@BacktoBlading]

If your bearings are greased, you should assume they’re not serviceable. Nothing wrong with greased bearings but they’re usually single use only. Oil is what most people use after cleaning.

[@chriss4365]

@@BacktoBlading if you can open them doesn't that mean their serviceable? Won't the oil slowly leak out?

[@samsonman2000]

I accidentally cleaned my shielded bearings with metho :( tried to lubed them then saw your video. Anything I can do or are they busted now??? Help anyone 😅

[@BacktoBlading]

I would probably buy new bearings. Shielded bearings are usually not cleanable. You could try soaking them in some oil, sewing machine oil works well, but they might be dead.

[@merchuza2542]

@BacktoBlading thanks for the informative video, very helpful! I have double shielded bearings, so the cleaning is not useful for those? Thanks!

[@kenmastersmaster]

Have you ever used rollerbones?

[@Monster-wt1qk]

Wow…i have removed all the wheels and bearings to find out I own the double shielded bearings and now I need to buy new ones cause I can’t give them maintenance?!….Im sad ☹️☹️☹️

[@tobiaspedersen8333]

Same here but there is a little clip you can remove but I am not sure if you can leave one off for later

[@Monster-wt1qk]

@@tobiaspedersen8333 the ones I had were different. They were a one use only BUT, I worked my magic and opened them all up anyways hahaha I cleaned and greased them up…once I put the shields back on they were a bit dented obviously because I forced open them. Although let me tell ya, I was able to use them a second time 😂😂😂

[@22ryanoc]

I saw someone use coffee filters to filter out the dirt and do 3 sessions of shaking. I suppose that’s not nessesary

[@chilli-iceolive-abode2447]

99% isopropyl alcohol must dry super quick. I have to use methylated spirits and that dries pretty damn quick as well. Great informative video! I love the studio setup. 👍

[@chestermartin2356]

Surely you'd be better popping the rubber seals off before bathing them...a new craft knife blade gets them out easily

[@pjsw]

Thank you

[@nataliyaalexander3340]

Thank you

[@BacktoBlading]

Happy rolling