So you have had your Mellow for a few months or even over a year. You two have grown close. You can count on your Mellow. You don’t even check the bus schedule anymore because you rather ride the 5km than wait. You have gotten a hold of eco mode and dabble in pro mode when the road is open and no one is looking. Those silent nights where you feel this is the future as you roll along with a silent rocket under your feet. Well, your little rocket is riding rough roads, through storms, sand, cobble stone and many other forms of use and abuse. You have almost reached the 1000km mark and you ask yourself, "What to do to maintain the quality of ride and life of your little friend?". A lot of interesting solutions can be found by ingenious owners, so we asked them what is their trick to keep their Mellow riding endlessly. Below are a few of their suggestions.
Wheels:
Wheels will wear, lose a piece on the edge and cone if you slide a lot. After a 1000km grab a fresh set to get your grip back. If you are looking to chill the lumps and bumps upgrade to 90mm wheels. Plus, they will last longer since the have more urethane. Many owners prefer the 90mm to the 80 and admit to not being able to go back to 80’s after riding on 90’s. Grab a fresh set at the Mellow Shop. (Remember, never spin your motors when the wheels are removed. This will cause damage that is not covered by your warranty.)
Bearings:
We recommend you change your bearings especially if you roll in a wet place like our hometown of Hamburg. If one is stuck or simply making some odd noises it could be broken so it won’t hurt to replace it. Just pop them out using your skate tool. Go to your local skate shop for a set of new bearings. Swiss Bone Reds will work for a standard decent set but many users choose to match the quality of the drive with the best bearings Bones makes which is their ceramic line. Be aware that only a sealed bearing will withstand water when riding on wet roads. You choose what is best for you here.
Bushings:
Bushings are what maintain the bounce and reactivity of your trucks between turns. They will eventually loose their bounce over time so after 1000km it could be a good idea to replace them especially if you prefer stiff trucks and tighter turns. You can always explore different bushings hardness and brands to discover the ride feeling that works best for you and your deck from brands like Riptide.
Check out this maintenance video from the past that illustrates how to change your wheels, bearings and bushings.
Rattle:
Rattle is a major battle. Tighten all your screws and bolts on your board and wheels without hindering the spin of your bearings. A place where some rattle can be born is in the battery compartment. Since it is swappable battery that is not screwed down like with most e-skates and uses a click-in/click-out system that is susceptible to rattle between the battery and the drive. The improvement kit that consists of replacment pads was created to counter this. You can always contact us for a kit that contains replacements for all the frame pads if you loose one. With time it seems that the drive case can be eroded a bit so padding beyond the improvement kit was used by many owners. Below are some examples of different solutions created for reducing rattle on the battery.
Buy the rubber roll on the left here. Buy the pads on the right here.
Remote:
Some owners suffer from a sticky remote, whether from wear or residue collecting inside. Some Mellow owners say that this teflon spray works great if you are in a sticky situation with your remote.
Super Seal:
It seems that through wear some of the boards water-resistance will be put to test by riders that insist that on riding in wet conditions. If you don’t want to risk your board ending up at the repair centre for a couple of weeks due to water damage the less water the Mellow is exposed to the better. As an obvious risk of corrosion from salt, avoid riding in the winter on roads that could have been salted or paths where sea water can collect. After riding through wet conditions, remove the battery, keep it facing down, wipe out the USB and power ports then place it facing down to dry. Your board should be then stored horizontally with the nose facing down to avoid water collecting on the drive. Ocassionally removing the drive from the board and wipe the deck and drive down would be most recomended, especially after a very wet ride. Below is an example of a pad that reinforces water-resistance which can be request from us.
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There you go. These were a few upgrades and a few DIY improvement tips we collected from our owners that kept them riding past the1000km. Try them out. Stay in conversation and keep exchanging with other owners in the Mellow Skateboard Owner Facebook page here. Keep Riding & Stay Mellow!
