Wheels are squeaking

[ArthurW]

Yeah, the wheels are squeaking, not the trucks.

I'm new to longboarding, so I didn't know that I shouldnt go through water. I went through a few puddles one day, read that I shouldn't, and looked up how to take bearings out of a wheel.

So I took them out of my wheel, but couldn't figure out how to actually take the shield off, so I just put everything back together.

I didn't go out for a few days because I messed my knee up, but I just took the board out for a spin and I noticed that when I'm pushing off from a dead stop, there's sometimes a bit more friction that I'm expecting.

Also, I roll really slowly on the linoleum in the hallway, and without turning the trucks or anything, I hear this squeaking coming from the wheels area.

Just another quick question: do the bearings actually roll? I don't see the ball bearings exposed, and I don't see any moving parts on the outside....

[MacRae]

The outer part of the bearing rotates around the inner metal ring. If you pinch the inner metal ring (around the inside hole, where the axle goes through) between two fingers, you'll find that you can spin the outer metal ring (where it touches the wheel) without the inside part spinning. So, yeah, they roll. The balls aren't exposed because they're sandwiched between the two metal rings.

It sounds like your bearings might have rusted, or just lost lots of their lube/grease from the water. Either thing could cause weird noises and reduced performance. You could check out some instructions on how to clean and lube your bearings:

YouTube - Bones Bearing Cleaning

... or you could just spend $10-15 on a set of new bearings, which honestly might be your best bet. Although I'd recommend learning to clean bearings anyway, it's a useful skill to have.

[ArthurW]

Oh wow.

This is horrible news. I just tried the bearings on the back two wheels, and yeah, the inner ring does spin.

Which means my front 4 bearings are all messed up.

Alrighty, thanks for the tip man. I got a pack of 5 sets of bearings from MHS, so hopefully I'll get em soon.

[ArthurW]

Oh hey, I just got a quick idea.

Why dont people just tape up or somehow seal the entire side of the wheel so water doesnt even touch the bearings?

[taz0001000]

because there is an axle that is stationary while the wheel spins so that just wouldnt work

[Kataplexy]

Oh hey, I just got a quick idea.

Why dont people just tape up or somehow seal the entire side of the wheel so water doesnt even touch the bearings?

Some people do for rain riding, check this out:

Forum thread: Bearing Savers for Rain Riding