There are some of us who were made to skateboard and longboard and those who were not. If you are someone who loves to skate and long board, then you have probably put out a lot of money on your equipment. A good skate or long board is not something that doesn’t come at a hefty price. If you pride your board than it is best to take care of it, keeping the bearings clean, and keeping it running in top shape. A skater is only as good as the equipment that he uses, so if your board isn’t maintained properly, or the bearings show signs of wear and tear or dirt, not only will you not be able to compete the way you know you can, you run the risk of putting yourself in danger during your use of it.
The longer you use your board your the more accumulation it has. It takes a while to break one in and get it where you want it to be. It is a fine balance between wearing it in and wearing it out. As you use it it can accumulate grime and dirt that will not only slow it down, but will affect its overall performance, and yours on it as well. Long and skate boarding is a risky endeavor made only more so when you don’t keep them clean. If you don’t maintain it properly, it is possible for the bearings to lock up all together bringing it to a halt when you least expect it, and when it is most dangerous for it to do so.
You can go to a long and skate board shop and they will sell you some really expensive products that you don’t really need to clean your board. The main ingredient in them are the ones that you already have at home. It isn’t necessary for you to purchase high end, high cost materials to keep your bearings running efficiently, they are like any other wheel bearings, they just need some rubbing alcohol and a little elbow grease to keep clean.
The most important part of keeping your bearings clean is to clean them frequently and to keep them dry. If you are out in the rain, or run through water during the day, that would be a good time to take the time to clean them off. All you need to do is turn the board over with the wheels facing upwards. Taking a screwdriver you need to remove the bolts that hold them into place. Once the bolts are removed, remove the truck bearings from the board. From there you will want to remove the nuts that encase the axel to the wheel and slide them off. Inside of each of the wheels will be the bearings which you will then remove. Soak those into a pail of alcohol for about an hour. When they are done, lubricate them before putting the board back together.
