Everyone loves roller skating, but few know how to make their wheels spin faster. In this article, we’ll show you how to make roller skate wheels spin faster so that you can enjoy more incredible speed and performance on the rink. Keep reading for tips and tricks on making your skates scream!
Roller skate wheels are an essential part of roller skates. They are usually made out of urethane plastic, rubber, or polyurethane with a metal core inside the wheel called a truck. A typical roller skate’s wheels will have two on each side of the boot, one at the toe and one at the heel.
A Stepwise Guide on How to Make Roller Skate Wheels Spin Faster
Method 1: Increasing Friction
- Find the center of the roller skate wheel and mark it with a black marker or paint pen on one half of the wheel (tape can be applied over this later for marking).
- With your scissors, cut off the marked portion on the wheel but leave about an inch attached. This is done to create another “hub” at which you will apply glue to increase friction between the wheel and the surface it is mounted to.
- Apply super-glue in a ring around the circumference of where you just cut with care so as not to get glue on any bearing or axle.
- Place the wheel with the uncut side down on a large piece of cardboard (the size of a pizza) and allow it to dry for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes or once the glue is dry, remove the wheel by slowly peeling the cardboard.
- Measure out a rectangle on the side of the wheel that you just cut off with your ruler and mark it with a black marker or paint pen (tape can be applied later).
- With your razor blade cutting implement, carefully cut out around this rectangle to not damage any other part of the wheel.
- Apply super-glue in a ring around where you have just cut with care so as not to get glue on any bearing or axle.
- Place the wheel with the uncut side down on a large piece of cardboard (the size of a pizza) and allow it to dry for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes or once the glue is dry, remove the wheel by slowly peeling the cardboard.
- You have now successfully created an axle hub on either side of your roller skate wheels.
Method 2: Increasing the Diameter
- Lob off the ends of your roller skate wheels with a hacksaw so as not to damage any bearing or axle.
- Measure out a line on one half of each wheel about 1mm in length.
- With your ruler and razor blade, cut along this line.
- You can now attach both halves of your old wheels.
- With an electric drill, make holes through each end you just cut.
- Push an axle through these holes, so it is now running through both halves of your wheels.
- With the electric drill, make two holes in either side of where you just cut so that you can attach your front truck bolts.
- Attach bolts and place back on roller skate with bearings installed.
Method 3: Increasing Rotational Mass
- While the wheel is drying after applying super-glue, take the elastic band and cut it in half through its length (if you can’t find an elastic band, a rubber band will work).
- Take one of the halves you just cut and stretch it around the circumference of where you cut on the wheel for 30 seconds while holding both ends of the half band with your fingers (this works best if two people do this at once).
- After 30 seconds have passed, tighten up the grip you have on the two halves of the band, playing out any slack.
- Repeat this process with the second half of the elastic band to get a good grip around the circumference of where you just cut.
- Allow 2 minutes for your glue to dry, and then remove it from its cardboard or plywood surface (if you used the cardboard as I did).
- Rotate your newly-mounted wheel clockwise at least once (I recommend doing this twice) and check if the elastics are gripping around your glued section on their own or if they need adjusting (use caution when adjusting the band to not snap it in two).
- If you find that your elastics are gripping well on their own, mount your newly-made skate wheel back onto your roller skates and give them a spin!
These methods will help in how to make roller skate wheels spin faster.
You Can Check It Out to Make My Skateboard Faster
Precautions
- Use safety glasses, wear long-sleeved clothes, choose a well-ventilated room to work in, have an open fire extinguisher nearby just in case.
- When making roller skate wheels spin faster, you are working with combustible liquids that release vapors that are heavier than air, so it is best to go outdoors or at least have an open window for ventilation. When using lawnmower gas specifically, you should never smoke or have any available flame sources near where you are working.
- Maintain good housekeeping when making roller skate wheels spin faster by having newspapers spread out onto the ground under your workspace to absorb spilled liquid and wax fragments. Preventing spills reduces the risk of starting unwanted fires, which will result in unnecessary home damage.
- Flammable liquids are never suitable to keep inside the house, so when making roller skate wheels spin faster, I recommend that you find an outdoor shed or garage with a concrete floor, so anything spills will not damage your home.
- Ensure no one is sleeping in the immediate area, children playing nearby, or people who may be affected by vapors should any flammable liquids begin to burn.
- Avoid working with other substances while making roller skate wheels spin faster because fuels can mix and cause unwanted reactions that could result in fires or explosions, which are even more dangerous than just burns from spilled gasoline.
- It’s best to have some water close by when making roller skate wheels spin faster for safety reasons just in case of spills and also to prevent the fumes from catching fire.
Which Size Should I Get for My Roller Skate Wheels?
When you first go shopping for roller skate wheels, it can be challenging to determine which size is best suited for your skill level. If this is the case, you’ll need to research the different sizes available and how they compare to one another.
Here are some of the most common ball sizes used in today’s skates:
53mm – The smallest size has recently become more popular due to its maneuverability.
56mm – Perfect for beginners or those just wanting something with a slightly larger wheel than their current setup.
59mm – This is considered the standard size because it offers better speed and stability than smaller wheels while allowing quick turns and spins.
62mm – Larger weight-bearing skates that can be used for downhill skating or by those wanting a very stable set of wheels.
53mm vs 56mm Roller Skate Wheels
When it comes down to choosing your first pair of roller skate wheels, you will want to decide between the smaller 53 mm size and its more famous counterpart, the 56 mm sizing. As you can see in the picture above, these sizes are pretty comparable; however, if you’re not looking forward to doing tricks and just plan on cruising around at a leisurely pace, then you’ll probably want to go with the slightly larger size as they produce less friction and provide added traction when they roll against the pavement.
On the other hand, if you’re really into doing tricks or plan on using your skates for derby, then you’ll want to go with the smaller size as they’ll be easier to turn and spin.
What Is the Best Way to Make Roller Skate Wheels Spin Faster?
Roller skate wheels help people move more efficiently on their skates, but depending on the speed you are moving or trying to gain enough momentum to jump over things, roller skating can be dangerous. If you want to make roller skate wheels spin faster, so you don’t lose your balance as quickly, consider investing in some harder wheels or bearings.
One of the easiest ways to make your wheels spin faster is by getting a new pair of roller skate wheels that are harder. You can also try using bearings, which will speed up the amount your wheels turn. If these ideas don’t work or you are not comfortable with making this kind of upgrade, there are ways to adjust the wheels that come on your skates.
Conclusion
We hope this article on how to make roller skate wheels spin faster was helpful. Roller skates are a lot of fun and usually come with two wheels, but what if you could make those wheels spin faster. That would be great! There is some cool science behind how roller skate wheels work. It’s all about inertia which means that things with more mass will travel slower than something with less weight (that only has air in it). These things work together by using gravity to help push the wheel down into contact with the ground, then momentum pushes up against gravity and makes the wheel turn.
You may also read: How to Roller Skate Downhill
