Clean Skateboard & Longboard Bearings CORRECTLY

May 1st, 2013 by admin

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.

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25 comments

  1. NWH BMX says:

    Would the oust kit work with bmx bearings and does this method work the same?

  2. crazyman123137 says:

    Should i used this silicone spray i got from 99 cent store

  3. Grant hayward says:

    how about wd-40

  4. skateboardtech says:

    How did you miss the “DO NOT USE WD-40” in the video? Read our description or go to RatVisionDOTcom for info about WD-40.

  5. jakobo55PL says:

    what can I do with my bones reds when i leave it wet after riding and morning I can’t spin it ? Probably bearings are rusty. (sry for eng)

  6. Jackson Elfers says:

    Thanks Dude!

  7. Wiktor Wieczorkiewicz says:

    Can i use Orange Juice?

  8. lobsterrawr says:

    Can I soak my bearings in citrus cleaner?

  9. Chris Clew says:

    PLEASE HELP!! I have ABEC-7 bearings so I cant take the shields off but I did my best to clean them and I put bones speed cream on the outsides. but now they are making more noise than before! what should I do?? 🙁

  10. Chris Clew says:

    oh yeah my bearings also say “solid MFG”

  11. Ilya Schukin says:

    which are the best bearings for sliding and speed and clean

  12. TuesdayShanice says:

    Great video, thanks!!

  13. Sora Noize says:

    What if I use wd-40 as a solvent and lube my bearings with sector 9’s lube. I experimented with my Autobahn Abec 5 bearings with said method, and it kinda worked better than using citrus cleaner.

  14. skateboardtech says:

    WD-40 is not specifically a solvent, and a good for cleaning bearings.

  15. skateboardtech says:

    We like Oust the best. You’ll especially like the way Oust handles side loads from sliding

  16. skateboardtech says:

    You put speed cream on the “outside”? Did you get any lubricant inside? If you put lubricant on the shield it won’t do anything at all for the bearing. Get lubricant inside by putting drops between the inner ring and shield.

  17. skateboardtech says:

    No they will rust.

  18. skateboardtech says:

    Terpenes come from the rind/peel of the orange, not from juice.

  19. rahul11cheta says:

    Please help me!! my bearings have rusted and do not spin unless i clean them. after i clean them the next day the same thing happens so i clean them again. i have to do this everyday but that makes them rust even more. how can i stop them from rusting? so i dont have to clean them everyday. Please help me!!!!!!!!!!!

  20. Badass712131 says:

    Is orange alright for ceramics?

  21. skateboardtech says:

    What the hell are you doing? Clearly, what ever you are doing is incorrect. What are you doing and using to clean your bearings?

  22. skateboardtech says:

    Yes orange oil is ok.

  23. beachthisgame says:

    I just boil them and quickly dry them off

  24. David Santos says:

    can i do this stuff for roller skates?????

  25. skateboardtech says:

    Yes. Absolutely.