Roller Skate Cushions Explained

Out of all the bits and bobs that make up a roller skate we think that cushions might be the most underrated skate part of all. Cushions, also referred to as bushings, are a fundamental part of how your skates enable you to turn, pick up momentum, hit those edges and absorb the impact of jumps and different surfaces.

Changing your cushions to suit your type of skate setup and style may just be the key to helping you unlock a smoother roll and new tricks. Plus it’s super easy! So let’s get techy and talk all things cushions.

 

What are cushions?
Take a look at the bottom of your skates, you will see the plate that connects to your boots. On the plate you have 2 long bolts that protrude and help to hold your trucks in place, these are kingpins. Along the kingpin you have cushions and their retainers nestled on either side of the truck. Cushions are made of a rubber urethane compound and their little containers or caps are made of an alloy. You need 2 cushions per kingpin, making 8 cushions for a complete set of skates.

Cushions work based on the pressure applied to them, kind of like suspension in a car or bike. As you lean and shift your weight in your skates to do all your fancy moves, you’re applying pressure to your cushions. When pressure is applied or released your cushions compress or flex, allowing the axles and pivot pin of your trucks to move and you to turn, spin, hold an edge etc. The amount of compression and flex that you can expect to get from your cushions depends on their hardness rating.

 

Hard or Soft?
No, we aren’t talking about tacos. Por que no los dos?

But really, our favourite thing about cushions is that they come in lots of different hardness levels to get the right fit for your setup and style of skating. Like most wheels, cushions use the A scale of durometer ratings. The lower the number the softer the cushion, the higher the number the harder the cushion. Cushion hardness levels start at around 70a and can go up to the high 90s.

If your first skates came as a complete setup there is a good chance they have some super hard cushions. This makes your skates more stable to help you learn. As you get more comfortable on 8 wheels and want to hit those edges, you may want to think about updating your cushions and exploring different hardnesses.

Choosing the right hardness of cushion depends on your style of skating, how much movement you want and your weight (no shame intended, this just means that some bodies can apply more pressure to their cushions than others). For styles like dance and RollerFit where you want to hit those edges with ease, a softer cushion may serve you well. If you park skate or are a heavyweight skater then you may want some medium or hard cushions to have more control. Some skaters like to mix up the hardness levels in their cushion arrangement, putting a soft cushion with a hard cushion.

Another factor that influences the performance of cushions is how loose or tight you have your trucks. Trucks can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the kingpin nut on our skates. Looser trucks equal more movement, but you don’t want your trucks to be so loose that they’re going all over the place. Super loose trucks are harder to control and can put unnecessary force on your skate hardware causing it to deteriorate faster. On the other hand, doing your trucks up really tight can cause your cushions to balloon. If you need to have your trucks super tight, then maybe you need to try a harder cushion and if you need your trucks super loose then you might want to explore some softer cushion options.

It’s all about experimenting and sometimes you don’t know what you like until you’ve tried something that you don’t like.

 

The Shape Saga
Just as one size does not fit all, there isn’t one shape of cushion that suits all setups or skaters. That’s why as we dive deeper into the wide world of cushions we need to chat about different cushion shapes and what they are for.

 

 

The most common cushion that you’ll see on roller skates is the barrel cushion. Barrel cushions are cylindrical in shape and provide good stability to flex ratio depending on their hardness rating. For skating disciplines like trail skating, roller dance and RollerFit a double barrel cushion arrangement will work well and there are plenty of different hardness options to try in this shape. The PowerDyne Universal Cushions are a popular choice.

Another shape of cushion that you might see on skates is the cone or conical cushion. The name is pretty self-explanatory, conical cushions are cone-shaped tapering from a wider base to a smaller end. Conical cushions are a great way to get more movement as they have less surface area to try and compress, making them a popular choice with park skaters who use wide trucks. Some skaters like to pair a barrel cushion with a cone cushion closest to the kingpin nut for a good combo of stability and movement. If this sounds like you, we recommend trying out the Trinity Cushions. If you’re opting for a cone cushion, just make sure you’ve got the right size cushion retainer, which is a bit smaller than your standard barrel cushion retainer.

A less common shape but still an important one to mention is the calibre plug. This cushion looks like the love child of a barrel and a cone cushion as it has a barrel body and a much smaller barrel or cone protruding from the top. This kind of cushion is common on plates that use click action trucks like the PowerDyne Reactor range or Roll-Line plates. Calibre plugs go on the end closest to the kingpin nut and are often paired with a barrel cushion. Most of the time a calibre plug’s size is specific to each plate's unique kingpin and click action retainer size, so we recommend you get new cushions that are compatible with your plate.

When thinking about shapes you should also consider the width and length of your kingpin. Most skates take a universal barrel cushion and there are plenty of universal options from roller skating and skateboarding brands alike. Some higher end plates have a different width kingpin which requires a specific size cushion. If you have additional hardware such as a slide block on your skates, then you’ll have another factor to consider when making your cushion choices. You need to make sure you have enough kingpin length to accommodate the block, cushions, retainers, truck and kingpin nut.

Cushion Care

Like a lot of other skate parts, cushions have a limited life and will inevitably need replacing. Cushions deteriorate over time and should be replaced when they start to crack, pancake or excessively balloon. How fast this happens depends on different factors like how often you skate or how you have your trucks adjusted. Replacing cushions could be required every 6 – 12 months, but let’s be honest, most people don’t replace them until they are cracked or want to experiment with something else.

To change your cushions, simply loosen the kingpin nut till it comes off and remove all the hardware installed on it. Remember when you’re putting everything back on it goes retainer, cushion, truck, cushion, retainer then kingpin nut. You’ll need to make sure you’ve got them adjusted to roll straight. You can tell this by putting your skate on an even surface and giving it a little push or having a roll in your skates and adjusting accordingly. Once you install some fresh cushions you’ll be wondering why you didn’t get around to doing it sooner.

When you’re checking out your cushions you should give the same treatment to your cushion retainers. If they are dented or bent from the kingpin nut or misshapen to the point that your cushions don’t sit in them nicely, it’s time for some new ones. A dented or ill-fitting cushion retainer compromises the overall performance of your cushions and we don’t want that.

Now that you’ve got the lowdown on these small but complex bits of urethane, it’s time to go out and explore your cushion options! There’s no right or wrong when it comes to cushions, it’s all about experimenting and finding what does and doesn’t work for you. For any and all roller skating advice we are only an email or DM away. Happy rolling!