A comprehensive video on the necessary safety and performance checks that should be done on all skates, regardless if they are used for recreational, speed, or fitness skating.
Be wary of thread lock glue - more trouble than it's worth (the gunk can prevent you pulling the threaded bolt out through the bearings - trust me). If you are doing all these pre-ride checks the bolt isn't going to pop out, but carry an Allen key.
There are different types of thread locker and some are very thick and could cause problems. Thread locker is key on some skates though, especially on rough outdoor surfaces where there is a lot of vibration. Most skates even come with thread locker preinstalled now!
If the wheel is pitted just re-rotate and try to wear evenly. I don't know what kind of funds you have but lol throwing away a solid wheel and getting new ones isn't cheap, especially if they're over 90mm size.
Can move to another location and flip 180 degrees, but yes. Moving around will proling life of the wheel. Eventually they will wear to where they need replacing. The front wheel gets the most abuse, and typically on one side as most have a more comfortable direction they like to turn or hockey stop. So, moving around eary and often is best for longest life. Thanks!
Pitted wheels are from rough asphalt not from wear.. I've seen wheels worn down to the hubs with no pitting and wheels worn down 5mm with extreme pitting. Why throw it out?
What are those skates I love them and I would be interested in buying both of them skates (the one with a gold alu frame and the black white and orange one)
The gold/white/black skates are K2 Moto 90 skates and the black/white/orange skates are Rollerblade Tempest 100 skates (or 110). Both are from a few years ago and are no longer available for sale. Sorry!
Thanks. Great job - very informative. How many hours of skating would you say that a pair of "high quality"aluminium frames would be good for (given it's not been damaged bsides small dents or isn't warped). I have a couple of alu frames that I must've used for at least 400 hours+ of skating and besides some small dents they seem perfectly fine still. I am a bit worried about metal fatigue though, so is there a rule of thumb here? Should I be worried after 500 hours? 1000 hours?
No rule of thumb and sorry for taking 3 yrs to respond :( But in case others wondered, they last a loooooong time. If/when you feel loss of energy transfer to where you are left wanting more from your frames, then replace. Otherwise, as long as they are working then keep on rolling!
question i bought some thor 909's is there a way i can get new frames for it and what type of wheels are best for them? i use them to get me from A to B and just for fun
Tour Thor 909 skates are designed for roller hockey, but that doesn't mean you can use them to get around. Frames on hockey skates are riveted in, unlike the fitness and speed skates that have mounting bolts. So it much tougher to take off and replace frames and you would need to have someone mount or mount yourself. Not the easiest of things. They come with 78A wheels which are pretty soft and grippy for indoor roller hockey. They will not hold up well outside and you should look at 82A wheels on the fitness page. Try the fitness portion of our web page and not the hockey side for wheels and skates that would work a lot better for your intentions. Thanks!
i got brand new rollerblades right out of the box, how many seconds should the wheels spin? they al spin 5 seconds except 2 of the wheels spin for 3 seconds- are the bearings too tight right out of the factory?
There is no rule for how many seconds a bearing should free spin. Skate bearings are designed to be used under load (with weight on them) so spinning them without weight on them should just be used to make sure there isn't any resistance, grinding or anything else abnormal; it's not necessarily a performance test. Bearings also require a bit of breaking in as they have been sitting unused and that can cause the lubrication to built up. Using them will redistribute the lubrication and should get them all spinning easily for you! Also make sure that the axles on those wheels aren't overtightened. That can cause the frame to pinch the bearings!
