Inline Skate Stars

Can You Roller Skate in the Rain?

Can you roller skate in the rain? Wondering whether you can roller skate in the rain? While it’s possible, it may not be a good idea. I cover details in the rest of this guide, and you don’t want to miss out. So, read on!

Can you roller skate in the rain?

Roller skating is fun. There’s no doubting it. There are also plenty of places and surfaces you can roller skate on. But it would be best if you never took your safety for granted.

A wrong choice of skating surface can get you injuries. You don’t want it to come to that. Do you? Skating on dry surfaces is the only way to have an exceptional roller skating experience.

You’re probably asking, ‘can you roller skate in the rain?’ Yes, you can roller skate in the rain. But this doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Roller skating can be a dangerous sport, and wet surfaces promote roller skating risks such as falling and injuring your head, wrist, knees, elbows, or the butt.

I cover details in the rest of this guide, and you don’t want to miss out because your safety depends on it. So, I urge you to read till the end. Let’s dive in!

Can You Roller Skate in the Rain? Risks Involved

Roller skating in the rain is by no chance a good idea. It would help if you only considered roller skating in the rain when you have to.

The risks are too many, and they outnumber the benefits. Overall, it’s not worth it! Here are the associated risks if you decide to roller skate in the rain.

1. Wet and Slippery Surfaces

Roller skating is best done on dry concrete, rubber, plastic, wood, or asphalt surfaces. These surfaces offer more traction, enabling you to skate stress-free without the fear of falling.

But wet surfaces can ruin the fun because they’re more slippery and provide no traction. Roller skating after a downpour is not a good idea since your chances of falling are high.

Even worse is roller skating while it’s raining. The risks are multiplied, and you’re likely to fall flat on your nose and get injuries.

2. Stopping is a Hurdle

Stopping is a crucial technique in skating. It helps you slow down when roller skating fast or stop instantly during an emergency.

Roller skating stopping techniques depend on friction, which slows down the wheels while in motion. Wet surfaces are slippery, making it harder to stop or slow down.

Common roller skating stopping techniques T, toe, and plow stop. They’re easy to learn and the most beginners friendly.

The risk of falling and injuring yourself increases when you can’t apply these stopping techniques. Too bad!

3. It’s hard to Make Turns

Roller skating turns such as cross-overs are crucial when negotiating corners. They help you turn while in motion without slowing down.

They work best when roller skating on a dry surface. Unfortunately, it’s a hurdle to pull them off when skating in the rain since the surface is wet.

It’s worse when doing cross-overs since you have to lift one foot and cross it over the other. Cross over require a lot of skill. But even with all your prowess, pulling it off on a wet surface is a hurdle.

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4. Damage Roller Skate Bearings

Roller skate bearings are mostly metal. Only a few are plastic. The metal reacts with water in the presence of oxygen to form rust.

What is rust? You’re probably asking. Rust is the common name for the chemicals resulting from iron reacting with oxygen and water.

It’s the last thing you want in your roller skate bearings since it affects precision and roll-out. Rust locks bearing balls, inhibiting their ability to rotate and cause motion.

You can clean and grease the bearings in less severe situations, and everything will be fine. But it gets worse in more severe cases when you don’t attend to your roller skate bearings on time.

This is usually two or three days after roller skating in the rain! A rule of thumb is to clean the bearings immediately after roller skating and store them in a cool and dry place.

More Reading>> What Are Roller Skate Bearings?

5. It’s a Hard to Create Propulsion

Skating is about creating propulsion through pushing and gliding. You need a dry surface for smoother propulsions and regroups, which can be hard to come by when skating on wet surfaces.

Other than the risk of falling, you can’t roller skate fast. Nothing can be more boring and frustrating than skating at a snail speed. It’s not worth it unless you want to skate at low speed.

How to Roller Skate in the Rain

Roller skating in the rain isn’t safe. But if you decide to do it, it’s crucial to stay safe to avoid injuries and damage to your roller skates.

Here are cool tips on how to roller skate in the rain if you must!

Moderate Your Strides

The surface is already wet and slippery. Skating fast isn’t a good idea because you risk falling. It’s best to moderate your strides by creating slower propulsions.

Apply T and Toe Stops to Slow Down

You can use the t and toe stop techniques though they won’t be as effective as skating on a dry surface. Overall, it’s worth it than being vulnerable because you can’t stop!

Do Slow Turns

While cross-overs are more dangerous on wet surfaces, you can still do them at a slow pace. But remember to do cross-overs when you’re good at it.

Another alternative is the parallel turn. It’s better than crossovers and will help you turn easily.

Stay Low while Skating

Staying low is crucial for all skaters because it helps transfer your body weight to your toe balls. This helps prevent falling on your back and hurting your tail bone.

So how do you pull it off? It would help if you used the recommended skating posture. Your knees should be bent slightly and above your toes. Lastly, your shoulders should be over your hips.

Avoid Pools of Water

Pools of water on the road or skating surface increase the chances of falling and hurting yourself. Think about it! Unless you’re familiar with that road, you don’t know how deep the pothole is.

It’s best to avoid them entirely for your safety.

Wear Protective Gear

Protective gear goes a long way when skating. The recommended roller skating gear includes a helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, and knee pads. You can also wear a hip pad for your butt protection.

Use Soft Wheels for More Traction

Soft wheels give more traction and are suitable for outdoor use. You’ll want soft wheels you can use whenever you go roller skating outside. Alternatively, you can buy roller skates exclusively for outdoor use.

More reading>> Can You Roller Skate Outside?

Carry an Umbrella

An umbrella helps greatly by shielding you from the rain. So, you always want to have one for emergencies. Assuming rain catches up with you while roller skating in the streets, you can easily shield yourself using an umbrella.

More Reading>> Can You Roller Skate on the Road?

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Clean Roller Skates, Wheels, and Bearings after Use

Cleaning roller skates occasionally is a good practice. What’s more, it’s more crucial after roller skating in the rain.

Dirt gets into the bearings while some stick on the wheels’ surface. If you allow them in the bearings longer than necessary, they’ll make the bearings to malfunction.

New roller skates can be costly, especially when you’re on a budget. The best solution is to clean your roller skates, wheels, and bearings immediately after skating in the rain.

You can use solvents like Citrus cleaner to clean the bearings, then lubricate them with Horace Whitlock’s Clock Oil, Oust Bearings Speed Clean Kit, and Liberty Oil.

You can also use a window cleaner like Windex and some paper wipes like CLOROX to clean the wheels. A mild soap solution also works if you don’t have a window cleaner.

Can You Roller Skate in the Rain? Wrapping Up

Roller skating in the rain isn’t a good idea since it increases your chances of falling and injuring your head, elbows, wrists, knees, tail bone, shins, and ankles.

It also damages your roller skates and roller skate parts like bearings. Please avoid roller skating in the rain unless you have it.

In that case, you should moderate your strides, apply the T and toe stops to slow down, apply slow parallel turns, avoid pools of water, wear protective gear like a helmet, and use soft wheels for more traction.

This way, your safety is guaranteed. You don’t want to pick injuries while having fun skating. Do you? This complete guide is what you need for safe skating.

That’s it for today. I hope you found this guide helpful!

Navick Ogutu
Navick Ogutu

Navick is a full-time freelance writer, blogger, and internet marketer. By day, he creates content for multiple sites including inlineskaterstars.com. Over the weekend, he goes out skating with friends.

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