Replacing broken parts on your scooter can get expensive, but luckily we have some tips that can help your ride last longer! Part failures are something that riders of all levels can experience at some point during their action sports journey. Entry level riders often don't land as smoothly as expert riders which is hard on their equipment. Expert riders often jump higher, and grind longer which is also hard on parts. Check out these tips to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck from your favourite scooters and parts.
A lot of parts failures can be avoided altogether when your equipment is properly maintained. Parts can come loose over time, which is totally normal on any piece of equipment which goes through the sort of abuse that action sports equipment faces. If this is ignored, the extra play and movement of loose parts will cause premature wear. Headset bearings perform best when they are tightened properly. Things like loose axles can cause unwanted wear on the dropout area of your deck and fork.
For more tips on keeping your scooter dialed, you can check out our video here.
Scooters should be kept dry and stored indoors. Moisture and extreme temperature fluctuations can cause corrosion in the bearings as well as any steel components like handlebars. Too much corrosion will weaken parts, make bearings spin poorly, and eventually lead to failure of the part.
Don't leave your scooter out in the rain, and if it does get wet, make sure to wipe it down before putting it away. If you regularly get caught in the rain or ride through puddles, it is wise to periodically clean and re-grease your headset, and clean/lubricate your wheel bearings.
While scooters are designed to deal with high impact well, too many hard hits can bend or break parts like decks, bars, and forks. The urethane on your wheels can break away from the core if you land sideways, or regularly land hard on very rough surfaces.
The best way to prevent impact related parts failure is to learn to ride as smoothly as possible. Doing flyout tricks is great for learning new skills, but you should eventually take those skills to the quarter pipes, box jumps, and spines so that when you land, you can roll away smoothly, instead of having all the force get absorbed by the scooter. Try to develop your skills and style so that you are more balanced when you land, and land as straight as possible to avoid side loads on your wheels.
Riders who grind a lot can benefit from using wax to reduce friction and wear on their deck. Any time you grind, you will be scratching away a little bit of material from your deck, and this will eventually lead to cracks and dents. You can minimize this wear by using wax on the grinding surface, and some riders even apply it directly to their scooter. Wax will reduce the amount of friction, ensuring that less material is grinded from your scooter when you do these tricks. Just make sure that you follow proper skatepark etiquette when using wax. You can find wax here.
