anybody use these yet?

GoldenMotor.com

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
Skateboard wheels are free if you look.
They last you long time...
Just make sure the skateboard wheel is a one piece affair. Some cheapies are like retreads. There is a thin rubber coating over a plastic core. When you try to cut a groove it them for the chain they come apart.

One piece polyurethane skateboard wheels are great, but if you buy them new they'll cost more than 5 bucks. Find a neighbor kid who has a skateboard. He might have old wheels he'd be happy to give away. I got eight wheels from a neighbor's son. Free!

Tom
 

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
7,194
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0
Maine
Examples of "cheapie retreads" - I got the whole skateboard new from wallyworld for like $12, so I was a touch disappointed but not surprised lol

I spun 'em down on a lathe so they didn't come apart, but they're defo crap - the original bearings in particular are really bad (I'd never give such a board to any kid), but as they're just idlers/redirects for a recumbent I replaced the bearings w/quality ones I happened to have & used them anyway...



The inner core is a hard plastic compound w/air pockets which amplifies the vibration from chain clatter, the outer just some cheesy soft plastic & really easy to peel... I suspect they'd not last twenty minutes scrapin' asphalt.

Nevertheless, for super inexpensive idlers they work well enough so any decent set of skate wheels too worn for a board would be awesome indeed - I bet any local bike/board shop would have a pile of them they'd love to be rid of. As ya can see in the pic, just pull the bearings and use a nut, bolt & washers to chuck it up in a lathe/drill press or even a hand drill with the cutter in a vice or whatever (carefully ofc lol), it's really easy.