Roller Skate Maintenance

I played roller derby for quite a few years.  I retired last year after a series of injuries and a new business taking up my time but still look at it as a wonderful experience.  Today I was cleaning out some files and came across my powerpoint for a class I used to teach about roller skate maintenance.

I have a mechanical background and used that to teach other skaters, who'd never held a tool in their life, how to care for their skates.  It's really very simple if you can just dive in and do it.  I think it's empowering and it needs to be done to stay safe.  Besides roller derby skates are expensive so take care of them.

This is Skatenenance 101 and very basic.  It teaches you the parts of your skate, how to clean your bearings, lubrication and inspection.  This is general information and you should check with the manufacture for specific recommendations. If you are really nervous find a seasoned skater on your league and ask her/him to walk you through the first time.  Also the shops where you buy your gear are usually full of really knowledgable and helpful people so ask them.

I noticed that I neglected to say that you should inspect the nylon on the inside of your axle nuts.  Technically  they should be replaced every time you remove them but in reality as long as there is nylon all the way around the inside of the nut you should be alright.

I hope you enjoy my presentation, get dirty, skate hard and ask me anything if you don't understand.