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Can You Put Skateboard Wheels on Roller Skates? & How?

Fact checked by Michael Derosier

can you put skateboard wheels on roller skates

Besides the motivational factors, sports also connect in other aspects. These areas could be equipment, scoring, creativity, or the like.

Let’s have roller skates and skateboards, for example. What’s typical about them is they both use wheels to work. And when talking to players of these sports, one question that likely pops out is, “can you put skateboard wheels on roller skates?”

Can we? Yes, but only if we meet a specific wheel type. See how a side set core placement makes all these possible.

How Are Roller Skate Wheels Interchangeable With Skateboard Wheels?

skateboard-and-roller-skate-bearings-the-same

Rollerblade wheels on a skateboard? First, know that wheel core placements have three types, center set, offset, and side set.

And among these three, you can use skateboard bearings on roller skates if the core placement of the skateboard wheels is the side set type.

But why? Aren’t skateboard and roller skate bearings the same? Side set wheels have their cores plotted on one side. Such a design enables the roller to catch the axle pin of the roller skate and become installed like a natural roller skate wheel.

  Centerset wheel core Offset wheel core Sideset wheel core
Standard trucks ? ?
Penny / Ridge Trucks

Does this mean center set and offset skateboard wheels have no place on these wearables? Not necessarily. If your axles are as long as that of Penny or Ridge trucks, these core types could still work. But overall, side set cores know no axle length for roller skates.

Signs to Know if Skateboard Wheels Fit on Roller Skates

Let’s say you have put skateboard wheels on your quads. How would you know you did use skateboard wheels on roller skates rightly? There are three things to check, the wheel’s diameter, width, and bearings.

roller-skate-wheels-the-same-as-skateboard-wheels

  • First, we should ensure that the diameter of the wheels you’ll install matches the ideal diameters of roller skate wheels. More specifically, it should go around 55mm to 65mm.
  • Second, the chosen skateboard wheels should fit your roller skates if they are 30mm to 35mm. There is another way to assess in advance if the skate roller works on this footwear.

So, obtain the skate wheel’s width, deduct 24mm from it, and divide the difference by two. And such a difference gives you the clearance between the wheel-to-truck contact surface and the bearing.

  • Lastly, if your roller skates use 8mm bearings, you’ll likely achieve a perfect roller skate setup with skateboard wheels. Note that these parts vary more on roller skates. So, you’d better be lucky if the figures match the skateboards.

Which Skateboard Wheels Fit on Roller Skates?

rollerblade-wheels-on-skateboard

Roller skate wheels VS skateboard wheels, do not differ much, except that skateboard axles are lengthier than roller skates and have a few deviations. So, how do we know what skate wheels fit roller skates?

It’s simple. As mentioned, we should only ensure that the wheels’ width is about 30mm to 35mm, their diameters are 55mm to 65mm, and their bearings match that of the roller skate.

Let’s expand the discussion. Notwithstanding whether the wheel is for skateboarding or roller skates, here are a few added considerations.

  1. Beginner skaters better use 97a hard wheels when skating indoors and 85a outdoors.
  2. In size, 62mm wheels fit indoors, while the 70mm is for outdoors.
  3. For slippery skating surfaces, always use 92a to 95a.

Tips to Put Skateboard Wheels on Roller Skates

We have already confirmed that skateboard wheels fit roller skates. Is there any good way to do it? Take note of these steps.

  • First, pick the correct skateboard wheel suited to your roller skates. 
  • Use a wrench to take off the roller skate wheels.

skateboard-with-rollerblade-wheels

  • Insert the skateboard wheels through the aligned holes in the roller skates. Then, to secure them, lightly tap them with a hammer.

change-wheels-on-roller-skates

  • Tighten all axel screws. As a result, the entire wheel system will be securely fastened.

use-skateboard-bearings-on-roller-skates

  • Try out your roller skates with skateboard wheels after they’ve been installed.

roller-skate-wheel-size-chart

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use any wheels on roller skates?

Indeed, it is a cost-saving and creative way to improvise any roller for the skates or design a skateboard with rollerblade wheels. Unfortunately, that is now how it works.

Roller skates are amenable for skateboard wheel usage, but there are restrictions. These limitations are prevalent in the wheels’ sizes, hardness, bearings, axle lengths, core type, and more.

Nevertheless, if we familiarize these boundaries, we can devise a non-roller skate wheel to be like one.

Are roller skate wheels different from skateboard wheels?

We cannot say roller skate wheels are the same as skateboard wheels, still they have some similarities in design.

  1. So long as the skateboard wheels are the side set type, there’d be no difference compared to roller skates.
  2. Skateboard rollers have a broader diameter range than a roller skate wheel size chart.
  3. Regarding the size, the skate wheels are a tad smaller. 
  4. Skateboard wheels live under the environment of long truck axles, which is why some may not be side-set types.

Is it dangerous to put skateboard wheels on roller skates?

The only time installing skateboard wheels on roller skates becomes dangerous is when you’re setting up the wrong configuration. That means the hazard of using skateboard wheels on roller skating rests on you.

So, all we should do is match all these wheels, bearings, and axle sizes. From there, we can change wheels on roller skates with skateboard wheels safely.

Conclusion

Skateboards and roller skates could be two different sporting equipment. But using them guarantees the same outcome, fun, and learning. Similarly, choosing one over the other won’t tone down the thrill.

So, can you put skateboard wheels on roller skates? Working with these pieces of equipment, we realized skateboard rollers could work in roller skating shoes. As long as we know the ideal setups, we’ll get the same classic roller skating experience.

Remember, we need the right tools and parts and sufficient knowledge of what to do. By then, the process will yield well for us.

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