Winter riding and board maintenance.

So for those that venture out in the wet what board maintenance do you do? I have been out this weekend, very wet and have been wiping my board dry and giving the under side, trucks etc a spray/wipe with some GT85. Hopefully this will spot water damage to deck and extend the life of the other components.

Cheers Brian.

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Skateboard are fucked after going near water.

You’ll have to get a new one.

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Yeh I thought as much but hoping it will last the winter.

It’s going to sound weird and lose all its pop.

You can save the wheels but not the bearing.

Will have to replace the bushings in the trucks and then they will be ok.

Skating in the rain will ruin the whole setup - bushings, deck, bearings

Skating in the damp will ruin your grip tape, probably the board and likely the bearings but it depends

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You shouldn’t even leave your board somewhere damp or too cold like the boot of your car.

Must protect that pop at all costs.

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I’m curious as to how people look after their bearings during soggy conditions

But then in your house if it’s anywhere near a radiator it’ll be a worst temperature gradient. At least the boot of the car is consistently cold

Hallway skateboard fam stand up.
Your missus asks you to put it under the stairs, that’s prob alright temperature wise.
‘I understand’.

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I used to kiteboard which is essentially the same as a skateboard and I used to use that all winter on wet grass and sand and never had a boad or set of trucks fail on me, bearing yes they used to get replaced every 2 or 3 months.

So why are skate decks so delicate?

Watch the nine club with professor schmidt. It’s about pop and how the ply/wood “breaks”

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Don’t ever get any part of your board wet. Full stop.

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What nazoreth said

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I got ceramic bearings so only have worry about the dirt which I clean out when needed .

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ahhh, nice one

If you aren’t really doing ollies then the board is just a plank to screw the wheels onto and stand on so you aren’t really going to notice it feeling much different.

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That sounds like me…

Ceramic bearing sounds like a good idea. What about the GT 85 is do you think this is OK to use?

Once the lubricant is overtaken by water the bearings will rust, no matter what bearings you buy. Some will last a few times some will last longer but then seize up. You can bring them back to life though, especially decent bearings. Just clean with Carb/injector cleaner spray, get them running again and then use bearing lube/speed cream etc to get them rolling properly. The board is the main thing that will die and will be done after one rain session if you’re trying to learn stuff. You could have a wet cruising board for a while before it’s really soggy beyond use.
Truckswise, they should be fine as long as you dry and clean the bolts/axles after every use to stop rusting.

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Cardon or compasite deck needed for winter then…

Not really, you’ll just end up with slippy, wet grip tape. There’s no getting away from the fact that if you’re skateboarding to learn tricks (rather than just going from A-B) you want to keep your board permanently dry. Going through a puddle isn’t the end of the world, but one proper soaking and its time for some new wood.