Ready, Set, Roll!
Building trail-ready roller skates.
As an avid rollerskater who seasonally relies on them as a mode of transportation, I’ve always found it challenging to take the skates off-road without ruining the wheels or getting bogged down. After combing through videos of show-offs ripping up dirt with a variety of home-built contraptions—most including pricey pneumatic tires—I decided to take matters into my own hands. Here’s how I ended up reinforcing ordinary roller skates, turning them into Drinking Horse–ready mini–monster trucks.
Supplies
- 3/8-inch wrench
- Small dodgeball
- Double-sided rubber tape
- Scissors
- Grip tape
- Super glue (lots)
The Wheels
To start, I pulled the bolts and washers off all the wheels and wiped everything clean. I also gave special attention to the bearings and made sure they were rust-free.
The Rubbers
To add volume, I wound two layers of the double-sided rubber tape around each wheel. I then took apart the dodgeball, cut strips from the durable exterior material, and used the superglue to double-layer them around all eight wheels (stretching them super tight).
Putting It All Together
Using grip tape, I reinforced the bottom of my skate boots to protect them from the wear-and-tear of trail skating and rocks getting kicked up. Then I screwed all the wheels back on, and the off-road contraptions were ready to roll.
Full Send
Looking down the barrel of Drinking Horse, I quickly realized that I should’ve tested them out on something more mellow, like the Gallagator, first. Yet, I lived to tell the tale. Hopefully, I’ll get a full summer’s use out of these Franken-skates before revisiting the design again this fall.
