Have you ever wondered “Is it bad to skate on wet ground?”. Does it make a skating session worse? Or does it bring a new experience to skaters?
Stop cracking your brain for those questions because the answers you want all lie here. In addition, we can help you find ways to know if your skateboard is wet, tips for drying them and how to fix wet skateboard bearings. Now, let’s see!
Is It Bad To Skate On Wet Ground?
Is it bad to skate on wet ground? The answer is yes. This is also a danger for skaters. So read carefully before you intend to take this foolhardy action.
Warped Skateboard Deck
Most skateboards are made of wood. So once the board gets wet or soaked in rainwater, it will be warped. This will cause your skateboard to gradually break down and become unavailable to use.
Rusted Bearings and Trucks
Besides wet boards, the bearings and trucks will also break down and rust over time. This is really dangerous even if you are a professional skater.
When skating on the wet ground, the wheel will cause water to splash, and then, the bearing may break down and rust over time. However, bearings are quite expensive components, so you need to consider changing or fixing it.
For example, if cheap bearings are wet or rusty, you will want to replace a new one better. Meanwhile, if you own expensive bearings, you can preserve them by taking them out and wiping, drying or even adding lubricants and putting them in the old position.
Dangers to the Skateboarder
Water is really a hard nut to crack as it can place your skateboard in jeopardy. To put in a funny way to say, it is surely the number 1 enemy of your lovely skateboard.
When skating on wet or damp land, the adhesion of your favorite skateboard will be reduced. Therefore, it is dangerous not only for you but also for the people around you. At that time, you lose control of the skateboard and cannot manage the direction. The more serious case is that you may be injured.
To find out if your skateboard is on the wet ground or not, you can check it by looking if the board leaves a trace or not. If yes, it means that the surface is too wet and you should change the place.
It can be seen that skating on wet ground is not a good idea unless you are looking to ruin your board. Many people consider this a challenge for skaters. But no, think carefully, it does not do you anything good. Please consider it carefully!
Way To Notice A Wet Skateboard
If you are a skateboard lover, you will definitely be interested in this issue. Moreover, you will take care of your “buddy” more carefully. So the following may be useful for you. Even if you do not skate in a puddle, it does not mean that your skateboard is not wet. In order to notice a wet skateboard, you should follow our tips below.
The Sound
You can easily check by listening to the sound of the skateboard. When the skateboard gets waterlogged, you will hear a muffled sound.
First, stand on the tail or the nose of the board. Then, release the leg and let the skateboard fall on a firm surface. If you hear sounds like when you land, then do not worry, your skateboard is perfectly good. Conversely, if it emits strange sounds and bounces less, your skateboard is flooded and needs repair.
The Weight
Anything that is affected by water will be heavier than normal. And of course, your skateboard is not an exception.
If your skateboard is wet, its weight will be two or three times higher than normal weight. This will also make it difficult for you to skate.
Evidence of Warping
Another sign to notice if your skateboard is waterlogged is the warping. To do this, simply put the tail of the skateboard on the ground and the top of it under your hand sole. If the board twisted, we have to say that it is warped. In this situation, you should dry your board soon, or else it will bend and lose its shape.
The Condition of the Board
This is probably the simplest way to see how bad your skateboard’s status is. When the board is waterlogged in many times and becomes warping, split cracks will start to appear on the board. In addition, the original glue used to attach the wood layers together is also gradually lost. This makes your board become corrupted and look more disgusting.
Tips to Dry Your Wet Skateboard
Surprisingly, after checking, you have discovered something wrong with your skateboard. It could be that you leave them in places that are prone to moisture, or you leave them in the rain for hours making it seriously devastating. Exposing them in the sun is an idea, however, it cannot save your board completely.
So now you know is it bad to skate on the wet ground, right? If your board condition is too serious, then try the following things.
First of all, please disassemble all parts of the hardware’s skateboard. After that, check them carefully and dry the grip tape, trucks, hardware, and board with the tissue. Absolutely remember that you must not use wet towels.
In the next step, unassemble the wheel part from the board and try to dry the bearings using Q-tip. After drying, lubricate the wheels while rotating them to move more smoothly. Of course, you should take the time to lubricate them, particularly 1 to 2 days to avoid bearings from rusting.
The next step is you can expose them to the sun. Note that you need to face up your skateboard deck and let it dry for as long as possible. However, if the weather is not favorable, you can take them into the house and place it in a cool dry place for as long as possible.
Are you considering to know if it is dry or not? Well, let’s have a check by dropping it to the ground at a moderate height and listening for the sound. If the sound is back to normal, reassemble it and use it as usual. However, if the sound is distorted, your board may still get waterlogged and have no chance of fixing it. In this case, we recommend you to purchase a new product.
How to Fix the Bearings of Your Wet Board?
Wet skateboard bearings are really hard to recover if they get wet. But you don’t have to worry too much. Following these steps below, you can fix them with ease.
- Step 1: Take out the axle nut of the wheel and the wheel using a wrench.
- Step 2: After unassembling the wheel, you can see a bearing on top, a bearing under, and bearings spacer.
- Step 3: Wash them with a good detergent to get rid of oil, stains, dust from their surfaces.
- Step 4: Use a dry towel or paper to wipe them. To be more careful, you can use a dryer to get rid of moisture, preventing them from rusting.
- Step 5: Reassemble the bearings and the wheels to the very beginning positions.
Note: After the board gets wet, you should clean and dry these bearings as soon as possible. If you let them wet for too long, the stains and dust will stick tighter and make them harder for you to clean. Not only that, being wet for too long can also cause rust, decreasing the quality of your board. In the worst case, you will have to throw your board away and replace it with a new item.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this article has provided useful information about skating on the wet ground.
As a skateboarder, we believe you know how to maintain your skateboard and what to do if it gets flooded. And now, you can answer the question: “Is it bad to skate on wet ground?” already, right? It is really dangerous if you use a waterlogged skateboard in a crowded place.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or contact us, we are always here to help you as much as possible.
Lastly, we want to say many thanks to you for having read!
