How to Change Inline Skate Wheels

The wheels are the most quickly worn-out part of roller blades. Replacing the wheels will, in most cases, make your skates feel brand new. Fortunately, you can easily change the wheels yourself - Just follow this guide, and you will be out rolling in no time.

Necessary tool: Allen key or a skate-tool (For some skates, you might need 2 tools, one for each side of the wheel).

Use the tool on the bolt that holds the axle. In some cases, you will need two tools or Allen keys, as shown in the picture above. Once the bolt is loose, the axle and screw can be removed. Also, remove the old wheel from the frame.

At this point, it is a good idea to clean the frame and the bearings. Therefore, we recommend wiping off dirt with a dry cloth from where the wheel was positioned.

Use a skate-tool or an Allen key to remove the bearings from the old wheel. If you want to reuse the bearings in the new wheel, wipe off all dirt from the bearings with a dry cloth. You might also want to clean your bearings.

Read more: How to clean your bearings

Besides the bearings, a spacer is also located in the wheel. This spacer should also be used in the new wheel (Please note that some skates have 2- or 3-divided spacers).

Place the bearings and spacer in the new wheel. The bearings should fit tightly. (If the bearings do not fit tightly, play in the wheel occurs, which should be avoided. Find better wheels with a tighter hub)

The new wheel is ready for refitting. Place the new wheel in the empty spot in the frame.

Put an axle through the wheel and place the screw. Tighten the screw with the skate-tool. The screw should be tightened fairly hard, but not so hard that the wheel cannot rotate freely.

Repeat the same procedure for all wheels. New wheels usually have a larger diameter than the worn wheels. Therefore, you will be able to skate faster, so take care the first time you use your skates after a wheel change.