How to Install Bearings in a Scooter Wheel

This guide will teach you how to install and remove bearings from wheels with a metal core, commonly used for scooters, without any specialised tools.

If you have previously inserted bearings into skate wheels, you might know this process to be fairly straightforward. Bearings are often pushed in with fingers and removed using an ordinary skate tool. This ease is due to skate wheels generally having a plastic core. However, this is not the case with scooter wheels, which have a metal core, making the bearing installation more challenging since the metal does not allow any flexibility.

Consequently, for fitting or extracting bearings in your scooter wheels with a metal core, some tools will be required. While special tools are available, they are quite costly. Therefore, we provide a method to accomplish this without any specialised equipment. Nonetheless, we advise using high-quality professional tools to avoid potentially damaging the bearings during the process.

Guidance on Installing Bearings in Metal Core Wheels

Required Tools:

Axle bolt with screw
5 additional or old bearings
Hex key

Steps to Install Your Bearings:

Use an axle bolt along with 5 extra or old bearings to press the bearings evenly into the wheel's core, thereby minimising damage.
If the bearings fit very snugly, employ a metal washer (minimum diameter 22 mm) on both sides of the bearings. This helps distribute pressure and decrease the likelihood of damaging the bearings.

Guide for Removing Bearings from Metal Core Wheels

Tools Needed:

Axle bolt
Hammer

Procedure to Remove Your Bearings:

Start by positioning the spacer (located between the bearings) centrally, so that the axle cannot pass through.
Strike the axle with a hammer (which should be aligned from one side to the other) to push the bearings out the opposite side.

Note: Using a self-centred spacer might lead to bearing damage during removal.

In our video, we demonstrate using a spacer without a flange (not self-centred). This method simplifies removing the bearing and reduces the damage to it.

If a self-centred spacer is being used, a screwdriver should be used to tap around the inner ring of the bearing to extract it. This approach can easily damage the bearings.

Explore our comprehensive guide on Buying Bearings to understand all the essentials you need to know about bearings.