Outdoor Roller Skates for women maintenance tips

Outdoor roller skates maintenance: why is it important?

When getting into a new hobby it is important to take care of your equipment not only just so it looks nice, but also so you can ride smoothly on the streets. Keeping your Quad skates in top shape helps to make it safer for you to roller skate outdoors, and also maneuvering around the block easier. Depending what level you’re at with roller skating, investing in high quality skates could be another factor for you to consider on why you keep up with maintenance. Roller skate plates and Roller skate bearings can become pricey if not well maintained. The more you skate, the more debris and dirt get stuck in the bearings.

Before we get started with tips for outdoor roller skate maintenance, here are three tools to help taking apart your skates, all three tools can be found on Amazon,  the tools are low cost options, and separately they’re under $15. 

Roller Skate Tools

Zeato one- in-all portable T shaped skate tool has multiple functions to help you remove Axle nuts, and also for tightening a kingpin, and a removable screw head driver.  

• 9/16” Socket can use used for Truck kingpin
• 1/2″ Socket for Axle nuts 
• L shaped Phillips head wrench for screws
• 3/8″ Socket for other hardware 

Powerdyne Y3 skate tool is compact and portable. It has 3 functions for roller skate removal and a non-slip grip. 

• 1/2″ Socket adjusting your roller skate axle nuts 
• 9/16” Socket to lock your kingpin lock nuts 
• 15/16” Wrench helps with tightening your toe stop or with removing.

Kami-So Roller Skate Bearing tool makes removing your bearing from the wheels quick and fast. Kami-So helps remove bearings without denting the balls inside the bearings. 

• Works with 8MM bearings 
• Applies pressure so forceful denting is prevent from happening to the shields 
• Bearing press and remover 
• Small for pocket use

Now that you have a couple of options with what tool to help you remove your skate parts lets break down the roller skate in more depth and understand how each part helps you roll.

6 main Outdoor Roller skates boot parts:

1. Boot: The the main part of the skate and the most important. They can be made of materials like acrylics, leather, or suede. Some boots have heels for artist skating or they can be completely flat for speed skating. The heel helps provide balance by distributing the weight for sharp footwork. 
2. Plate: The plate is on the bottom of the roller skate it is mounted on. Everything the roller skate needs is attached to it. Plates can be made of metals like aluminum or magnesium. They can be made of nylon, which is a lighter weight material. 
3. Toe Stop: Toe stops are attached to the bottom of the plate. They help you slow down while skating. They can come as adjustable or fixed (non-adjustable). Having an adjustable toe stop can come in handy when learning to jam skate.
4. Laces: Skate laces come in different lengths, the length you use will depend on your boot style. There are 60” or 72” for low cut laces for derby roller skaters. And high top boot roller skates laces are typically 96”. Take a look at, Luck Skates blog post on how to choose the right length laces for skates.
5. Bearings: Bearings are hidden inside the wheel. They help the wheel move. Each roller skate wheel has 2 bearings in one wheel for a total of 16 bearings. Bearings come in two sizes 7mm and 8mm. Bearing should be kept clean so that the wheels can continue to spin around.
6. Wheels: Wheels come in different sizes, and hardness levels depending on the surface you plan to skate on. Outdoor wheels are more gummy and soft so they can absorb more shock when you are skating on hard surfaces. The bigger the wheel the more traction, and stability you will have while you skate outdoors.

Roller skate bearings, Roller skate toe stop, Roller skate plates and what?

There are about 18 different parts that make up the roller skate. For a deep dive into how each part plays a role in helping support the roller skate check out Moxi Roller Skate company’s YouTube video The Anatomy of a Roller Skate, Parts & Tools.  Estro goes into a full explanation of each part that makes the roller skate move. She also shows what the part looks like, and how it functions with the roller skate. She provides great insight about how to take skates apart if it is your first time taking the skate apart. 

A guide to self care for Quad skating:

Roller Skates work hard to keep you moving around, and keeping you dancing. They can get filthy from being outside with mud, rocks, and debris. Here are two ways to maintain your roller skates to keep them as a long term investment. 

• Cleaning the bearings is the best way you can get the most out of your roller skates by following a 2 step process.
  • Cleaning bearings with solvent cleaners like acetone, or alcohol. Following the cleaning you will need to lubricate.

Cleaning the bearing first helps remove all that dirt and debris from the inside of the bearing. Let the bearing air dry on paper, drying the bearing with a cloth could have a piece of the cloth stuck inside the bearing. 

• Once the bearing has dried completely add oil or grease inside the bearing for after care to keep the bearing moving around. Applying lubricant keeps bearings cleaner for longer. 

Here is a How To Clean Your Roller Skate Bearings from YouTube creator Simon Slays she goes in a more depth process for an easy follow along.

• Store Roller skates properly after finishing a skate sesh. After skating, let your skates air out between sessions. Boots also need a breather, moisture can build up in leather or suede boots. This can cause your boots to have an awful smell.
  • Keep away from heat or cold weather after use. Have a special spot for your boots. Weather damage can cause rust, and tear and wear on boots. A spot to keep your boots could be inside your car or the trunk. 

Go Outdoor Quad Skating

A brief introduction goes a long way when learning more about a new hobby. If Quad skating is a hobby that peaks your interest check out more of the blog post section for 6 beginner Roller skating tips for women on how to roller skate. Learn the history of roller skating and how it got started. Once your roller skates are adjusted to your liking, go out and test how they feel, this is the best way to learn how you will like your skate to be set up.  Make sure to go out there and enjoy the updated maintenance on your roller skates when you’re outdoor skating.