Rollerblades, assemble: step-by-step guide on how to adjust and assemble your inlines

Some skates when ordered directly from the manufacturer can arrive with minor assembly required. Not to worry, the assembly process is rather simple and quick! The required tools are typically provided within the skate packaging along with instructions and a simple-to-understand user manual. Depending on the brand skate you ordered, some have different mounts that will require 2-4 mounting bolts. Most common are 2 mounting bolts and can be installed with a basic 4 mm Allen tool or a M7 Torx tool. At times, you will also have to assemble your wheels and bearings as well. Let's start with installing the frame to the boot.

How to install frame on inline skates?

Something to have handy during the installation process is thread locker. You’ll want to start off by aligning your frames to your boots, both mounting points should line up precisely and depending on whether your skate has a raised heel, the heel of your booth should sit slightly higher than the one in the front. Once everything is properly aligned to your liking, go ahead and begin to apply the thread lock to your bolts. Begin fastening the bolts with the tool included, or any aftermarket tool purchased. Fasten each bolt to the point where they are secure enough to hold the frame to the boot but can still be adjusted side to side with little force needed. You will want to begin with the frames centered to the boot and only adjust side to side as needed. Some reasons you may need to make adjustments to the positioning of your frame are: if you know that your ankles tend to pronate or supinate.

- Pronation is when your ankles are inward instead of straight or parallel to each other - the solution to this is to adjust the front of the frame towards the big toe.

- Supination is when your toes open in the outward position almost like a natural v shape - adjusting the front of the frame towards the pinky toe.

How tight to tighten skate wheels and frames on your skates?

Making the proper corrections will allow you to continue onto the next step. The bolts can now be tightened down, be sure to only tighten the bolts by hand strength only and not to use any power tools. DO NOT use power tools or apply any other forms of torque to tighten your bolts as this can cause difficulties in remove and or replacing these components later on during a service.

It is always a good habit to check all of your axles/screws prior to each ride to ensure that everything is fastened, and you will have a successful and safe skate. If you ever find yourself struggling to loosen one of the bolts some things that can help in loosening the bolts are spraying some wd40 lubricant and letting it soak for a minute or two prior to attempting to loosen them again. You can also use tools with bigger handles that can provide more torque and help break them loose. Ensuring that your Allen tool is properly inserted in a 90-degree angle to prevent you from stripping your screws and axles. If an axle or screw becomes stripped it can easily be taken off by creating a +/- on it and then using a Phillips heads or flat head screwdriver to remove the needed screws/bolts.

How to assemble inline skates?

Before beginning to assemble your skates, you should determine which tool your skate needs in order to be assembled correctly without damaging any of the bolts or axles. Most commonly used axles are a 6mm or a 8mm and the skate box will almost always provide the tool required for the assembly. If the incorrect tool size is used during the assembly, it’s possible to strip the bolts/axles thus creating a problem when it’s time to remove them later on for maintenance.

How to install bearings on inline skates?

1. Let's first start off by removing the wheels. During this step let ensure to not strip the axles

2. Once the removal of the wheels are complete the next step is to pop out the bearings. You can pop out the bearings by prying out the first bearing using a bearing puller in the center of the hub while at the same time, slowly rotating the wheel to give you leverage to completely pull it out of the hub. The second bearing should be able to be pressed or pushed out after the first one is removed.

3. Putting the bearings back into the wheels is as simple as seating the bearing into the hub of the wheel and pushing it firmly while laying the wheel on a flat surface. Next you will need to put your spacer in assuring its line up in the center and then repeating the same step with the second bearing.

How to rotate wheels on inline skates?

When your skating journey begins your wheels will eventually begin to wear down, and they will become uneven from one side. This is absolutely normal and all that is required is for you to rotate the wheels. The frequency of how much you need to rotate your wheels will all be dependent on how often you skate. For a daily skater we recommend rotating your wheels every 2-3 sessions to obtain optimal use from your wheels. Rotating the wheels will prolong their life span and wheel replacement will be less needed. The method we recommend using to rotate your wheels would be to swap the first and third wheel from your left skate with your right skate, then swapping your second and fourth wheels from your left skate with your right skate. Once the wheels have been swapped be sure to put the worn side on the outside of the frame and the better side on the inside. Generally the inside edges of the wheels wear out first due to different slides, stopping methods and carving as well.