How to Customize Inline Skates

When shopping for inline skates, you might find that the boot is comfortable but the wheels aren't ideal. Or you might decide to save money by buying a cheaper pair of skates and replacing the accessories later. Skates can be altered for better performance in street skating, inline hockey or even trick skating. In fact, some skates are built with adjustable axles so wheels can be moved up or down based on skating style. Changes also can be made to provide more ankle support or change the way the skate stops.

Things You'll Need

  • Three-way Inline skate tool
  • Extra bearings
  • Extra wheels
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Replace the wheels based on your use for the skates. Harder wheels are ideal for street skating and won't get torn or worn down by pavement as easily as soft wheels. Soft wheels are used for inline hockey, which is played on a smooth surface, and allow players more ability to stop or control their slide. Wheels for trick skating are smaller than both street and hockey skate wheels because they allow for quicker turns, according to the Skate FAQ website.

    • 2

      Select a wheel bearing based on your skill and skate use. Bearings are numbered according to speed. The higher the number, the faster they'll make the wheels spin. Test out the bearings that come with the skates to determine whether something faster or slower is needed. Keep in mind that the faster the wheels go, the longer it takes is to stop, even with soft hockey wheels.

    • 3

      Decide whether to remove the brake and adjust the location of the wheels on the skate. Brakes may not be allowed in rinks or inline skating decks, and advanced skaters who have learned stopping techniques based on sliding and the placement of their feet may choose to remove the brakes. On some skates the wheels can be "rockered," which means the front and back wheels can be moved up in the axle hole and shortened, allowing for sharper turns, according to the Skate FAQ website.

    • 4

      Determine if the laces that came with the skates are long enough to provide ideal ankle support, if needed. Some laces aren't long enough to wrap around the ankles once. Longer laces can be wrapped around the ankles at least once after the boot is secure.