Similarly, avoid oily patches in parking spaces, and metal plates and grates. Wet concrete can be extremely slippery. Paths may sometimes be less oily than the road in the wet. Cobblestones : dangerous. Roll at slow speed. Marbled ground : super dangerous. Keep body centered. Autumn leaves : treacherous. They hide holes, sewer grates, branches, rocks, uneven surfaces. The leaves themselves can be slippery. Keep speed controlled, and a stabilised position. Shift your weight from front back a little.
Be very careful in leaves when turning. Everything that is metal will rust although, maybe not aluminium — lace eyelets, buckles, axles. Unscrew your wheels and take the bearings out. Your axles are important here. At the very least you should remove the wheels from the frame, otherwise the bolts, axles, and nuts may rust and freeze together.
After being in the oil for a while, you can transfer them into a Ziploc baggie. A really last resort is to submerse the bearings in water — if you have no better alternative this will at least keep the air out and limit rust from forming.
But this is not the best method. You will still need to conduct maintenance as outlined above. Sealed bearings with grease can also be an option for rainy days, but will only help up until a point. With the slippery surfaces your feet can slide away from each other, causing you to stretch out and fall. To prevent this you must keep your feet as close together as possible. Your ability to push is also reduced in these low friction conditions, so you can try to push down on your skates instead of out.
With a shorter stride you can go for higher frequency. Your strides should be kept short and smooth. You will want to keep your weight more centred over the non-stroking skate so if that one slips as you push, you have a better chance of recovering your balance. Push less, keeping your legs in and bending low, taking the corners slow and giving yourself more time to brake. When a bend comes up reduce your speed, and take it like a beginner or downhiller. Adopt a neutral position with two feet stable, bending your knees keeping them flexible, maybe even hands at knees.
For this reason, it is necessary to clean them immediately to prevent your skates from rust within hours! Here are steps for quick washing skates guide:. Remember to remove your bearings from the frames or else your axles, bolts and nuts will freeze and rust together! You can also use oil to immerse the bearings to avoid them being exposed to the air. With these methods, your skates will be maintained enough to use for a long time! This is mostly about the wheels. Before skating, check the bearings carefully to make sure your wheel will spin smoothly.
Noticeably, hard wheels up to grade 85A are not highly recommended to skate in wet as wheels are always made from polyurethane rubber which can harden in the cold. So, for the best skating in rain, the advice is you should get wheels around 70A. Perhaps it will be not good for speed, but for rollerblading under, it is the best choice! There are some brands specializing in specific wheels for rain that you can refer to such as Labeda, MPC. Furthermore, there are some other tips to skate safely that you may need to know.
Although the tips below are useful to help you prevent from dangers when skate under rain, there are still notes that you have to keep in mind. Even the most skilful skaters are likely to fall in the harsh conditions, so take it easy and carefully consider whether it is necessary to skate under rain!
If an accident takes place, not only may it hurt yourself but also others will be injured. Seems pretty scary, right? We are sure you will never want it to happen! So, unless you are skilful and well-prepared to skate under rain, it is not worth a try! Life is a challenging adventure! Hopefully, with these tips above, you will find it possible to skate under this harsh condition, and perhaps, you can also master this challenging skill!
It does not matter whether you can roller skate under the rain or not! Whatever your answer is, after this article, we expect you have found your best answer to the question How can you roller skate in the rain?
Damage To Your Skates Your skates, especially your bearings, will be first damaged by the dirt and grime from the wet road. Difficulty In Turning And Stopping Turning when skating in the rain will invite falls if you are careless. Carefully Observe These Dangerous Surfaces Small imperfections in the streets or pavement will be fulfilled by water after rains, which will smooth the surfaces effectively!
Clean Your Bearings Immediately After Skating In Bad Weather After skating under the rain, your skates will be collected with water and dirt, which will damage your metal bearings! In addition to preparing your equipment, you should also be physically ready as rollerblading in the rain may put more stress on your muscles. Choose your wheels carefully and wisely.
Using hard wheels on wet roads may turn up to be a terrible idea. Always prefer softer wheels for rollerblading in the wet because they provide a better grip on the wet pavement. You should know that skating in the rain may badly damage your skates. Your wheel bearings will be constantly subjected to dirt, grime, and grit. Continuing skating in the rain without proper maintenance or replacement of the bearings may cost you manifold.
Check for white lines when you skate in the rain. Water tends to fill any tiny imperfections or interstices on the road or wet pavement. This action effectively smoothens the surface thereby creating less friction. As a result, you are likely to slide sideways when your rollerblade wheels glide against the wet ground [ source ].
Some surfaces can particularly become more dangerous to skate on during the rains. Try to stay away from those painted lines you find on a cycle path. Also, avoid oily patches or oil spills in parking spaces, grates, and metal plates.
Wet concrete also gets extremely slippery when it rains. You may find wet asphalt to be a good surface for learning to powerslide. However, you should learn about the dangers posed by different surfaces before you plan to skate on them when they are damp. Cobblestones are primarily dangerous. You should roll over them at slow speed with your feet slightly spread, to absorb the bumps.
The marbled ground is another super dangerous surface to roll on. Keep your body centered as you glide over them. Never push to the side and always move straight. Avoid sharp turns. You may sometimes witness autumn leaves spread all over the ground. They hide holes, branches, rocks, sewer grates, and other uneven surfaces. After rains, the leaves may become more slippery. Keep your speed under control, and maintain a stable posture. Keep rolling with both your feet on the ground. Shift your weight slightly towards the back.
Ideally, you should immediately clean your skates after rollerblading in the wet. Your bearings and other skate components collect a lot of mud, grit, and water when you skate in the wet. That tiny debris and water may damage your skates. The water may reach through your bearing shields and rust out your bearings within hours. Every other part that is metal, including the buckles, axles, and lace eyelets are likely to rust. Therefore, you should take apart your skates to clean every component that may get affected by dirt and water after a skating session in the wet.
Unscrew your wheels to take out the bearings. Quickly unscrew all components. Put them in rubbing alcohol for a while to remove the water. Immediately re-lube the components because washing with rubbing alcohol also removes the lubricant. If you cannot unscrew every component, at least consider removing the wheels from the skate frame so that the bolts, nuts, and axles may not rust or freeze together.
If you are running out of time, quickly submerge the bearings in some oil. This simple step will help displace the water off the bearings and also prevent direct exposure to air.
Transfer the bearing to a Ziploc baggie after keeping them in the oil for some time. However, you cannot keep maintenance completely off-the-books. Alternatively, you can keep a pair of bearings sealed with grease to be used for rainy days. It may help you avoid the maintenance cycle for a while.
In any case, never forget to air-dry your roller skates or use a crumpled paper inside them after every training session. Prefer to skate in a straight line. The slippery surface will tend to slide your feet away from each other. As a result, you may stretch out, stumble and fall.
You can prevent the fall by keeping your feet close together as you move forward in a straight line taking shorter smoother steps. Keep pushing down on your skates without moving sideways. Never try to push too strong. Maintain shorter stride, for higher frequency. Keep every step short and smooth. Balance your weight towards the center, primarily over the non-stroking skate. This stance will provide you a better chance to recover your balance if you slip as you push forward.
Keep your legs in and bend low. Move across the corners slowly to give yourself more time for applying the brake. Never take bends as you do on dry land. Avoid crossing over the skates as they may slip when you shift your center of balance towards one side. The action will eventually push down your skates.
A better way is to reduce your speed at bends and approach it like a beginner. Maintain a neutral position keeping both your feet stable. Bend your knees a little but keep them flexible.
You may put your hands at the knees. This stance will maintain a low center of gravity. Employ the half-step technique wherein you use your outside skate to push during the turn, keeping your inside rolling skate on the ground. Never make sharp turns on wet ground. Another core danger of rollerblading in the rain is to hit the brake. Every braking method you have ever learned will seem less efficient to stop on a wet ground. The back wheel of your skate tends to aquaplane in the wet when you use the back brake.
This is because the rainwater forms a thin layer between the road and your skate wheels that reduces traction. To properly hit the brakes, you should maintain a lower body posture and apply strong pressure on the brake. Try to look further ahead to foresee obstacles even before they arrive. A surprise obstacle is nastier on the wet ground. Give yourself the required time to stop. If you are going downhill in the rain, test your braking ability beforehand.
Keep a slow pace at the top of the hill. Hillslopes can be even more disastrous with hidden oily zones.
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