After Buying your Soft Boot Skates

Congratulations on owning your soft boot skates and thank you for supporting Inlinex. Here are some tips for you to better protect and maintain your new purchase.

Try One Last Time before Bringing the Skates Out

Before skating outside, test the size of the skates one last time to make sure it fits well. The skates should not be too comfortable when its new. That is a major red flag for an oversized skates. The skates cannot be too tight until the toes are bent. Be sure to test them on a carpeted ground to prevent the wheels from scratching. Inlinex allows 60 days to exchange if the skates are brand new and the tags are still intact.

Wear your Skates Tightly

Soft boot skates can go out of shape easily if you don't wear them properly. Putting weight at the sides over a period of time will make the skates lop sided causing supination and pronation. In order to maintain the structure of the skates, be sure to wear them tightly so that your foot rest on the middle part of the frame.

Pulling on the Handle 

Too much pulling force will cause the handle to tear. The handle is usually attached to the liner by threads. Furthermore, the liners are fabric. So even the best of materials will tear under great force.

This can easily be prevented if you loosen the laces to allow more space for your foot to enter the skates. 

Do not Keep your Skates in High Temperature Areas

Inline skates has many plastic components which will go soft under heat. When this happens, the skates will become highly malleable and will go out of shape very quickly.

Maintaining your Skates

The only part that requires technical maintenance is the bearings. A good way to maintain the bearings is to remove the wheels and clean the surface of the bearings on both sides regularly. By doing so, debris will not accumulate overtime, reducing the chance of your bearings getting jammed. The fabric part of the skates only requires hygiene attention. 

Rotating your Wheels

The inner sides of the wheels will wear off quicker. Just remove the wheel and flip sides to use both sides of the wheels. Be sure to do this regularly to double up the lifespan of the wheels.

Extra Caution when Handling Axles

When you work on the axles, make sure you place the Allen key tightly and accurately in the axle. Do not scratch the sides of the hexagon as this will cause the shape to be rounded. It will be very difficult to remove a rounded axle.

Do Not Skate in the Rain

Skating in the rain is not only dangerous, but also bad for the bearings. As the bearings are coated with grease to trap dirt and minute debris, it reacts with rainwater to form rust. If you are caught in the rain, immediately remove the wheels, dry the surface of the bearings with a cloth and let it air for 1-2 hours. 

Wear High Socks

Wearing high socks will help to keep the top part of your skates hygienic and also offer protection from the tightness of skates. Prevent wearing socks that ends where the skate buckle straps are. This will cause blister and pressure on your skin.

Watch the Wear Limit of the Brake Pad

There is a indicator that shows when you need to change your brake pad. By changing the rubber brake pads, you will not wear off the plastic component of the brake.