Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
How to Loosen Skateboard Wheels
Periodically adjusting your skateboard wheels and generally checking that all the wheels are in good condition are very necessary for your safety when skateboarding. To adjust is more or less to tighten or to loosen your skateboard wheels periodically, and it is very much essential because it would enable better functioning of your skateboard and at the same time reduce the likelihood of accidents and inconveniences while skating. If you want to ride safely and get a kick out of your ride daily, you need to take good care of the skateboard wheel.
Bothered about how to take care of that wheel and the tools you needed for it? Worry not, this article will guide you on handling it, and I am sure you should be well-grounded by the end of this reading.
STEPS ON HOW TO LOOSEN SKATEBOARD WHEELS
You just got a new skateboard, and you probably have been a skater or a newbie in skating, and you don’t want to sustain a concussion or have a glitch, tighten or loosen your skateboard wheel when supposed for efficiency and comfort.
Wheels enable motion. It plays a vital role in aiding motion, such as turning, swinging, or playing all tricks of skating, and the tighter the wheel, the difficult its movement becomes. Hence if the skateboard has no wheel, then it is no skateboard. When this happens, players need to loosen the wheel a little to improve movement by riding, turning, and playing with the skateboard in a cooler, comfy, and nicer way.
Searching or looking out for the best tools to help loosen or tighten your skateboard wheel could be herculean because you need to look out for what best suits your wheel based on various types and models, but you are on a safer edge if your skateboard comes with a set of tools for proper maintenance and if yours don’t, the list below is the set of tools you will be needing viz;
- standard slotted screwdrivers
- Allen keys
- opened wrenches
So let’s get straight to the main business, which is the process of loosening your skateboard wheel.
- Place your skateboard upside down and have its wheels facing upward, and there comes a big sized wheel at the end of the kingpin
- Now, using a wrench, twist the kingpin anti-clock wisely so that it can loosen from the joints with its aid. Firstly, try to loosen by moving your wrench just a half or even quarter spin to the test board.
- After loosening the wheels, check out if the wheels are suitably loosed by testing their flexibility and also turning it to the left and sides and also skating with it a bit and at this test its functionality.
- For a more attentive cross-check, place the skateboard on flat or smooth ground. Place your feet on the skateboard and try moving it; using your left foot, right foot, or both feet can be used interchangeably depending on your mastery. After this, try moving the skateboard to the left or right; then, you will suitably ascertain if you still need to loosen or tighten the wheels.
- Note! Watch out carefully for the wheels, and you should not ever over loosen them. This warning is for your safety, for if it is overly loosed, wheels are at risk of falling out of the kingpin when on motion, and you will be prone to an unavoidable accident. So after every ride or during a ride, take time to check out if the but attached to the kingpin is intact.
With these above, let us look at the process of tightening skateboard wheels.
To tighten or loosen your skateboard should be your priority so it can be done DIY. An overly loosed wheel can be dangerous for use; there is a need to tighten those wheels.
The tools you need to tighten the wheels are the same as those used for loosening them. So worry, not tightening the wheels won’t stress you. The steps are;
- Turn your skateboard upside down so that the wheels can face you, look out for the big but that lounges at the center of the wheels. Turn the nut in a clockwise motion to tighten the wheels.
- Twist the bolt in one or quarterly turn at a time to tighten the skateboard wheel after one trial; makes a move by going on a ride. Do not overly tight your skateboard wheel; if the wheel is too tight, the skateboard wheel will be left stiff and prone to an accident if not checked initially by riding.
- Try out some skating tricks, various speed ride tests and discern if you are satisfied with the speed and tightness. It should be noted that no law or principle is guiding how you should tighten your skateboard wheel. You have to find out what best suits you and pleasing to your comfort zone.
To have a smooth and pleasant ride on your skateboard, a lot should be considered, and most especially, your concern should be on its wheel for you cannot skate if there is no wheel either can you ride comfortably if the wheel is wrongly stationed. More so, the wheels should be well taken care of and other guidelines taken
- Below going on a ride check out carefully the wheels if it needs to be loosened or tightened appropriately.
- Check out properly if your skateboard wheels need to be changed or replaced to avoid unplanned injury or accident. This is because the wheels will eventually wear off with or without your notice, so you will be needing to check it up occasionally before riding while riding and even after riding. This leaves your skateboard wheel on proper cheeks and for your healthy ride.
In conclusion, with the necessary tools, you always check the bolt with a kingpin to not fall off unknowingly and avoid being disappointed while skating.