Your skateboard is slow down over time, but the fix is typically rather easy. Even though changing the wheels or the bearings frequently fixes the issue, other factors might also be at play. It can be annoying to not have the required speed, especially in small skate parks or when you just want to take a lengthy ride.
The following are the most typical causes of a sluggish skateboard:
- Your bearings need to be cleaned.
- Wheels are blocked by the axle nut.
- Your wheels can’t use this surface.
- You selected the incorrect wheel size.
- You should get new wheels.
- You ride a subpar skateboard.
- You exert your full weight when moving.
- You don’t have any speed washers.
- You Squeeze Mongo
- You’re bearings are off.
We are going over each typical issue one at a time and obviously looking for practical answers. Your skateboard may slow down for one reason alone occasionally or for a number of reasons.
Why Your Skateboard Is Slow and How to Fix It
It might not necessarily be a negative thing to have a slow skateboard unless it impairs your skating. While it can be annoying to have to stop too quickly before kickflipping a bank, the issue is frequently simple to resolve. I began with the most typical issue and then included a few less obvious ones.
Your soiled bearings need to be cleaned.
The bearings may need to be thoroughly cleaned or replaced if you have been skating for a while or purchased a secondhand skateboard.
Skateboards slow down as a result of friction caused by dirt and dust accumulation. Until you clean or even replace your skateboard’s bearings, you may not even realize how much they slow you down.
Although you don’t require the best skateboard bearings, good bearings do matter. Depending on the method you use, cleaning is quite easy and takes 15 to 30 minutes. How to clean your grimy bearings is as follows:
Tools Needed:
- The simplest method is to remove your wheels and extract your bearings using the vehicle axle.
- Use a toothpick, razor blade, or even a thumbtack to pry open protected bearings if you have any.
- They should be placed in a container that has a lid and submerged in isopropyl alcohol. Remover for nail polish also works.
- After leaving them for 15 to 30 minutes, give them a little shake.
To get rid of any lingering dirt, place the bearings on a paper towel, wrap it around them, and shake it vigorously. - Apply a couple or three drops of silicon lubricant or Bones Speed Cream.
- Put the shields on and then put the wheels in.
- Spin your wheels a few times to help the silicon lube disperse evenly.
Your skateboard should run quicker and the problem should be resolved. Make sure to repeat this procedure approximately every three months and you will see a difference.
Cleaning your bearings has a drawback. Isopropyl alcohol can partially dissolve the special grease that comes pre-applied to skateboard bearings. As a result, you must constantly lubricate your bearings because the original grease has been used up. Not a major problem, and preferable than replacing bearings every three months.
The Axle Nut is Too Tight
Your skateboard’s axle nut is one of the most typical sources of issues. It’s really easy to tighten the axle on your skateboard truck, but you could have gone too far. Axle nuts that are overtightened squeeze bearings, creating a lot of friction that could lead to bearing damage.
See if you can make them a little bit looser so that your wheels can spin more freely. They need to spin for a little more than 20 seconds, not for minutes. Ensure that there are spacers between the bearings to prevent the axle nut from crushing them. Nobody would be surprised if you ruined a brand-new bearing.
When you encounter resistance while attaching the axle nut, halt. Verify that the wheels may spin freely. You should be alright if they do. If they don’t, slightly rotate your (skate) tool counterclockwise to allow the wheel to spin.
Cheap complete skateboards frequently experience this issue, but as we’ll see later, simply loosing the axle nut won’t likely solve the issue with a cheap Amazon board.
You Ride the Wrong Wheels on the Wrong Surface
It’s difficult for me to tell where you skateboard, so this is a little challenging. Remember that on bumpy roads, really hard and small wheels won’t go very quickly. They work well in skate parks made of (concrete).
Get softer wheels if you ride over tough terrain. This will assist in absorbing any shocks and jolts you may experience when using your skateboard. Additionally, a little larger (and softer) wheel might make a significant impact. To find out more, see my post on hard vs. soft skateboard wheels.
You won’t go as quickly on wood or concrete with soft 92A wheels as you will with hard 99A+ wheels. Slower movement is caused by softer wheels that adhere to the road. You must strike the right balance in this situation since they provide a more comfortable ride.
You Picked the Wrong Wheel Size
In essence, a larger wheel travels farther with fewer rotations than a smaller wheel. You should not overuse it, but it will speed you up. Although large 75mm wheels can be attached to a skateboard, longboards aren’t designed for skating.
You shouldn’t go over 56mm if you still want to perform easy or even advanced skateboard tricks. For technical street skating and level ground, 56mm is already a stretch. If you desire greater speed, riding 54mm will be best for you.
Larger skateboard wheels are preferred by bowl riders because they need to move quickly and maintain momentum. Riding 60mm wheels in a bowl or pool is not unheard of. Because you only need the necessary speed to cross the other side, vert skaters frequently utilize wheels that are 58mm in diameter or larger.
Larger wheels (60mm to 70mm) make a significant difference if all you want to do is ride comfortably about town. Check out my article on the best wheels for cruising if this describes you. You’ll get the speed you need with these wheels. Additionally, they need riser pads.
Your Need To Replace Your Wheels
Smaller wheels significantly slow down your skateboard, which is closely related to the prior problem. You can see in the image above that the urethane is largely gone, suggesting that it may be time to replace your skateboard wheels.
Because wheels deteriorate gradually, you might not even realize that your skateboard is moving much more slowly than it formerly did. initially have 56mm wheels, but eventually only have 45mm wheels.
The simplest way to avoid this is to frequently cross-swap and reverse the wheel arrangement. This will prevent one or two wheels from wearing out too soon and prevent a significant size differential that could cause an unstable ride.
Another skateboard wheel that truly needs to be changed is shown below. A new wheel as opposed to one with little remaining life. It will be obvious that the smaller wheel is moving considerably more slowly.
As noted, a smaller wheel can considerably slow down your skateboard or at the very least make it more difficult and frequent for you to maintain pace. Finally, look for any flat patches on your wheels.
You can have a flat spot if your ride is a little bumpy or if it feels like something is caught under your wheel. They increase friction, create some discomfort, and may even make your board move more slowly. It’s a bit of a stretch, though; unless they’re really terrible, flat places shouldn’t significantly slow down a vehicle.
You Have a Low Quality Skateboard
Every second a child receives a subpar skateboard from their parents, who they mistakenly think they purchased because of the 5-star Amazon review.
You are one of the unfortunates who received a $30 skateboard that was packaged in plastic. There is no quick cure; you must gradually replace the broken parts or buy a new skateboard from the ground up.
Here, I would advise replacing the wheels and bearings first, as this will make a significant impact. Start putting money aside and gradually replace the remaining skateboard components. Throw the cheap knockoff skateboard deck in a bonfire once you’ve replaced it. In any case, that is probably where you find the most happiness.
Make careful to stay away from the subpar skateboard manufacturers; it can be dangerous and highly frustrating to ride one.
You Push With All Your Weight
Your pushing style may occasionally be the problem. In this instance, you are pushing in the opposite direction; your skateboard is not slow. Instead of gently pressing with the front of their foot, beginners frequently stamp their push foot.
This means that pushing becomes less effective since you exert too much energy when you make contact with the ground.
You might not be extending your push leg far enough. When you push, you sort of mimic falling over and extend your leg as far forward as you can. If you push in the appropriate direction, you’ll go more quickly and with less effort.
Do the following to propel a skateboard effectively:
You might actually slow down if you put too much effort into your push foot. In addition to losing momentum, pushing when fully supported by your back foot requires additional effort.
You Didn’t Use Speed Washers
Small rings called speed washers are applied to the outside of those bearings. They assist in lowering resistance between the axle and axle nut. Additionally, they lessen heat buildup and keep your bearings from deteriorating.
Without speed washers, you might not tighten the axle enough, which would make the ride slower. Your vehicles already have speed washers, which are very affordable. The issue is that because they are so small, it’s quite simple to move them.
I also observed that less expensive full skateboards occasionally lack speed washers. Verify if you possess them. If not, be sure to purchase a set—eight specifically—as it just takes a few seconds to arrange them.
- Over the truck axle, place a speed washer.
- Place your wheel now.
- Add a second speed washer.
- Fix the axle nut firmly.
As soon as you encounter some resistance, stop rotating your skate tool. Once you’ve done so, rotate your skate tool just a little bit counterclockwise to let the wheels spin naturally.
You Push Mongo
When pushing a bicycle, you balance on your back foot and use your front foot to push. Although it isn’t all that horrible, it does appear clumsy and unsteady. It is not recommended to push Mongo while riding a skateboard for a variety of reasons. Unlearning it is simple, but it takes some effort.
It is a bit of a stretch to say that pushing Mongo will slow you down, but in some situations, it does. When there is enough room to ride, you can push Mongo at full speed, at least once you get used to it.
It takes more time and effort to position yourself correctly on your skateboard when pushing mongo, which is incredibly wasteful. You won’t have as much time to speed up and do a trick because it takes more time. You will move more slowly if the area is small and you have to push only a few times before you can access an object.
You Got the Wrong Bearings
You may have chosen longboard or cruiser bearings even if you don’t require incredibly pricey bearings. Longboarding and cruising benefit greatly from bearings like Zealous, but skating does not.
The problem is that they accelerate more slowly, and you need bearings that accelerate quickly for skateboarding. Compared to skateboard bearings like Bones or Bronson, they are superior at maintaining momentum after you get going.
When you ride in tiny parks with limited area to accelerate, these bearings might be frustrating. Don’t forget to add spacers when purchasing normal skateboard bearings. Avoid off-brand products and try to purchase them from your neighborhood skate shop.
Conclusion
It takes some effort to figure out how to set up a skateboard for the correct use. Your skateboard may occasionally be extremely slow on a skate park but swift on rocky terrain. Everything relies on the bits you choose, and occasionally you had no option at all.
The most frequent issue is dirty bearings, however there are a lot more ways to make your skateboard faster, so I hope I was able to assist you.
