Longboard bearings are a very important part of your longboard because via this point the longboard trucks and the wheels connect with each other. These bearings roll inside the wheels and make the wheels roll to go forward or backward.
Sometimes these wheels get rusty because of wet conditions and sometimes they even wear out. So, how often should you replace your longboard bearings? In this article, we’re going to tell you all about replacing your longboard bearings. Please read this complete article to get to know everything about it in detail.
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How Often Should You Replace Your Longboard Bearings?
Well, the replacement of your longboard bearings depends on various factors. There are multiple reasons why you should replace your bearings often and some of them for not replacing them.
But if you want us to answer this question without making it more complicated, we’ll say keep checking the longboard bearings after every month or so.
And if you think that they need to be replaced or even if they don’t look like they need replacement, just replace them with good quality bearings after every year or two.
Importance of bearings replacement in longboards
Replacing a broken or worn-out bearing in a longboard wheel is very important for so many reasons. First and the most important reason to do that is for your own safety.
Sometimes, when you use your longboard in wet conditions or use on a very rocky and bumpy road, the bearings break or wear out.
And because of these kinds of problems, they get stuck while rolling fine suddenly and that’s why you should not take the risk on that. When a ball bearing wears out and gets stuck in your longboard wheel, you feel a sudden jerk and the longboard will stop moving immediately.
In this situation, sometimes the jerk is so hard that even your wheel can break and fall off the board. It can be so dangerous for the rider if they are imaginably moving at a speed of 30-40Km/h.
So make sure to keep checking for their condition and replace them immediately if you think they need it.
Reasons for Bearings Wearing Out
The first and most important reason for the longboard bearings wearing out is the wet condition. When you use your longboard in water, mud, or rain, it will wear out immediately. The process of oxidation starts and continues eating the bearings until they’re in too bad condition to roll.
Sand, dust, and dirt are everywhere and your longboard catches a lot of it when you ride it. So you should always keep it in mind and clean your longboard regularly. Otherwise, these elements will stick to the bearings and your longboard will start malfunctioning.
The inner rings of your longboard wheels which contain the bearings inside are very precisely sized according to the size of your wheels. Therefore, if the bearings catch dust or dirt, it causes stress and then the bearings don’t roll properly.
Symptoms of bearings wearing out
Checking for your longboard wheel bearings for any replacement is very easy. You just have to follow these simple instructions and you’ll foresee that your bearings need to be replaced before you face any accident.
- The amount of time wheels take to slow down – The first and most important step to notice whether your wheels need their bearings to be replaced or not is to notice how long they take to stop or slow down after a push. You should try both ways like standing on the longboard and giving it a hard push and holding the longboard in your hand and then pushing the wheels. If you feel that the wheels are taking too less to stop or slow down, then it is time to replace your wheel bearings.
- Wheels start making noise at each push –The good quality bearings and those that are in good condition don’t make any noise when you push them. Only the bad quality wheels and the bearings as well as old worn out bearings make noise. So if you spin the wheels with your hand and hear some noise coming out of them, it is time to change the wheel bearings.
- Wheels moving side to side – This one is a very important symptom and you should never underestimate it. Although all of the above symptoms are important as well this is the most important one. To check about this symptom, you need to move your longboard wheels side to side at least 4-5 times. Good quality wheel bearings and those that are still in good condition don’t move at all. But when you move them side to side and they move even a little bit, you should know that now it is time for a bearings replacement. This is because you never know when the wheels are going to move that little bit. After all, it can be while you’re taking a turn.
This is how bearings last longer
In order to make your longboard wheel bearings last longer, you need to avoid all those activities and conditions that make them rusty and worn out. The first and most common reason you should avoid is not using your longboard while it’s raining outside.
Also, not just specifically raining but not use them when the weather is overall moist. It’s because the moisture makes the bearings start rusting and you will have to change them afterward.
Try to avoid skating on dirt, dust, and sand because these elements cause your bearings to wear out faster. In fact, if you see any dirt build up on your wheel bearings, you should clean it immediately and not let it build up anymore.
This way your longboard bearings will last longer than they usually do. The most common place where your longboard wheels catch a lot of sand, dirt, and dust is the beach.
We know that longboarding on a beach is a fun-filled activity but you should still avoid it if you want to make it last longer.
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Conclusion
How often should you replace your longboard bearings? The replacement of the longboard bearings depends on multiple factors. But if you want a short and crisp answer that you will follow like a general rule of thumb, then change your bearings after every 1 or 2 years.
But keep checking if they need to be replaced even before this time so that the longboard rider is never at risk.
We hope that you liked this article, if you did then please make sure to share it with others. Also, if you have any questions or suggestions, please write them down in the comment section below. We’ll be very glad to hear from you.
