So You’ve Just Bought New Roller Skates – 3 Things To Check Before You Start Rolling

So, you’ve just bought a new pair of roller skates? How exciting! We know there’s nothing quite like those fresh skate feels and you’ll be wanting to lace up right away and get rolling but before you jump into those 8s there are some things you should check. We’ve got a foolproof list of 3 things to do to ensure your new set of skates feel just right.

Whether you’ve got your first pair, have updated or splurged on a new custom skate set up you need to make sure you all your parts are secure and tweaked just how you like it before you get going. Most skates come with a suitable tool to help you adjust and maintain your roller skates, if you didn’t get a tool with your skates, you can find a range of skate tools on our shop. To help you make sure you’re adjusting the correct parts of your skates, take a look at this skate anatomy diagram.

Before we launch into it, there are some things to do that might sound like a no brainer but are worth mentioning. We know that the new skate purchase adrenaline pump is real and can get the better of us sometimes. 

• Check there is no packaging left in the boots. Some brands wedge paper firmly down in the toe box to ensure it maintains it’s shape after manufacturing.
• For adults, ensure you’ve got a nice snug fit with your skates. Skates should fit more like a second sock, rather than how most of us wear our shoes with a bit of space. For kids, a little bit of growing space is a-ok but you don’t want them flopping around.
• Lace your skates according to your needs. Check out this blog for all the info you need on roller skate laces [link to laces blog].

Check your toe stops or toe plugs
You want to make sure your toe stop or toe plug is secured tightly before you get rolling. Some skates come with a tool so you can tighten the securing nut or screw. 

If your skates have an adjustable toe stop you can set the toe stop to your preferred height. If you don’t know what your preferred height is that’s all good! A bit of experimenting and time spent on your skates will let you know. If you have a bolt-on toe stop you cannot adjust the height of the toe stop, just ensure that bolt is secured firmly. You can learn more about the difference between adjustable and bolt-on toe stops here.

When making any adjustments to your toe stops make sure the toe stop stem and securing parts are free of debris or chips. It’s handy to add some lubricant to the toe stop stem and be careful not to cross thread any parts when adjusting, changing or installing.

Check your wheels
Give each of your wheels a spin to make sure they are spinning freely for at least a few seconds. If they don’t spin you can loosen the axle nut with very small turns of your tool until it spins freely. On the other end of the spectrum you don’t want the wheels to be too loose. If the wheels feel like they have a lot of space to wiggle around on the truck axle you can tighten the axle nut to a sweet spot with not much wiggle and achieving a free spinning wheel. If you hear a crunch when you’re tightening you’ve gone to far and are crushing your bearings, loosen off the axle nut just enough to get a nice wheel spin. If you’ve found the sweet spot but the wheels still feel a little wobbly or won’t spin, press down firmly on each wheel with the heels of your hand on either side to ensure the bearings are installed properly inside the wheel. 

Check your trucks
Trucks are the part of your skate that hold your wheels. You adjust your trucks by tightening or loosening the kingpin nut on your skates. Before you even put your skates on, push each skate on a flat and even surface and see if the skate rolls relatively straight, that’s a good tell tale sign if some adjustments need to be made.

Now it’s time to lace the skates up and have a roll in them. Do you feel like there’s too much movement/turning action without much effort? Do you feel like you’re trying to make them turn with all your might but they’re just not going? Are your feet feeling like they’re trying to run away from you as you roll? All these things mean you need to do some adjustment of the kingpin nut. Too much movement means you need to tighten them. Not enough movement means you need to loosen them. Skates not rolling in a straight-ish line means you need to loosen or tighten either the front or back kingpin nut on each skate till they can roll relatively straight. Remember, when adjusting your trucks start with quarter turns, because a small change can make a big difference to the feel and performance of your skating.

Once you've done all 3; toe stops, wheels and trucks, you’re ready to roll! If you have any problems, queries or questions, send them our way. We can’t wait to see what you get up to on your new set of 8s.

P.S. Don’t forget that to get the longest life out of your new roller skates you need to keep them maintained. This means cleaning the bearings, checking your parts and refreshing them when needed. You can learn more about this on our blogs for roller skate products, parts and recommendations  and classes and general roller skating tips and tricks.