Without proper rotation, inline skate wheels will wear unevenly and become unusable more quickly. Just as you rotate a mattress or rug to ensure even wear, you should rotate your skate wheels regularly. Depending on the way you skate, your wheels might wear out more quickly on the inside or outside edges, at the front or back of the skates or on the skate of your dominant foot. Regular rotation should compensate for these irregularities and make one set of wheels last longer.
Step 1
Remove the wheels from your skates using an Allen wrench or a screwdriver, depending on the way your wheels are secured. Set aside all bolts and screws.
Step 2
Place the wheels on the floor or on a table in order, according to their original location on the skates. Line up your left skate's wheels in a row from front wheel to back wheel; do the same for your right skate's wheels.
Step 3
Rearrange the order of the wheels on the floor or on a table. Swap the left skate's front wheel for the right skate's back middle wheel, and swap the right skate's front wheel for the left skate's back middle wheel. Swap the left skate's front middle wheel for the right skate's back wheel, and swap the right skate's front middle wheel for the left skate's back wheel.
Step 4
Turn each wheel so that its most heavily worn side faces the opposite direction it faced before. For example, if you noticed that your wheels were worn more heavily on the inside, rotate them so that the wear now faces the outside of the skates.
Step 5
Reattach the wheels to your skates using the Allen wrench or screwdriver.
Step 6
Rotate your wheels in a different pattern the next time you rotate them, to ensure more even wear of the wheels. Then use the pattern described in the steps above the next time after that. Another common wheel rotation pattern requires you to move the left skate's front wheel to the right skate's middle front position, the left skate's middle front wheel to the right skate's middle back position, the left skate's middle back wheel to the right skate's back position and the left skate's back wheel to the right skate's front position. Follow the same pattern when moving the right skate's wheels to the left skate.
Tips and Warnings
- Rotate the wheels as soon as you notice that one side of the wheels has worn down more than the other side, or that one wheel has worn down more than the others. Don't wait until the wheels wear down even more to rotate them. If you notice uneven wear on the wheels, rotate the wheels before you put the skates away and forget about them.
- Always wear protective gear, including a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and padded gloves, when skating.
Things You'll Need
- Allen wrench
- Screwdriver
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