Eboard Maintenance | Top Tips for you to try.

The weather is dull and wet, riding is limited and your board is getting muddy, greasy and damp or it’s sat waiting for a sunny spell. 

Now is the perfect time to do your eboard maintenance and get your rig in tip top shape for the coming months!

Nuts and Bolts

Possibly the most important aspect of maintaining your electric skateboard. The important things that hold everything together. There aren’t too many nuts but the key ones are of course the nuts holding on each wheel and the nuts holding on the trucks to the deck. 

Each of these nuts is a nyloc nut which has a nylon ring around it, so once the nut is tightened and in place, it’s less likely to come loose. You should check nuts and bolts between every ride and if you’re regularly changing wheels or trucks, the nylon nuts become less effective after being removed and replaced lots of times. So it’s quite a good idea to change these regularly if so. 

Bolts sit through the top of the deck and hold the trucks on, the head of these can round over time and so if one is on its way out its best to replace it before it becomes really difficult to remove. 

Bolts on the underside of the battery case are loc-tited in but these can work loose over time with constant vibration from rough riding. Again these should be checked regularly to make sure no gaps are appearing between the battery case and deck. 

Bearings

All of Slick Revolutions wheels are compatible with normal skateboard and longboard bearings so the options are endless. Bearings need some regular maintenance to keep them rolling smooth. Ionic Flux is the best stuff for the job and can get them rolling smoothly. Again, we will be making a tutorial on how to lube bearings properly. 

Ionic Flux Black Steel Bearing Lube (15ml)

If any bearings feel rough, as though they’re catching, rubbing or grinding it may be time to swap them for good. If you do want to swap out bearings, heres the best way to swap them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lP_-XWi8HM

Make sure to check the pulley bearings too, these are much larger than the wheel bearings and are arguably more important to keep your esk8 running smoothly. (On a side note, do you prefer esk8, electric skateboard or eboard as the generic term?)

If you do happen to hit a puddle or get your eboard damp, its always best to re-lube the bearings as they will begin to rust over time. 

General Cleanliness (Easiest part of eboard maintenance)

This is often the first port of call for general maintenance and keeping your eboard looking fresh. Keeping your eboard muck and grime free can help issues developing down the line. We recommend that you take all of the wheels off, pop the bearings and spacers out to access the full wheel core. Wash with warm water and a brush to get rid of any buildup. 

Pulleys should be cleaned in much the same way and checked over for any dents, knocks or embedded stones which may affect performance or smooth running of the drive belt. Make sure to pop out the bearing before cleaning them with water. If they are worn out, skipping teeth or generally need replacing you can get more here: http://slickrevolution.co.uk/product/eboard-pulley-drive-sprocket/

Belts

Check belts for wear and tear and if there are any nicks, tears or damage, its always better to be safe than sorry, you can get belts here: http://slickrevolution.co.uk/electric-skateboard-swap-drive-belt/

Griptape

If your griptape is in bad shape there are a few things you can do to restore it to it’s former glory.

1. Cleaning Block. This genius block of silicone came off the back of belt sanders and sanding discs, what it was originally designed for. Great for getting in to the nooks and crannies of griptape. (By the way, what even is a cranny?). It’s best suited to light dust ad muck rather than mud or anything permanent like paint or glue. Check it out here: Griptape Cleaning Block

1. For serious dirt, try a soft wire brush to get the majority off and then move on to the deck cleaner. If you cant get down to the layer of grippy sand/glass then theres nothing for it, but option 3.

1. Replace your whole griptape. Not too difficult to do and there are plenty of tutorials online. Plus new griptape is affordable and will completely refresh your grip. Check it out here: Flex-Eboard Griptape