Jack here again! Here is a practical blog that you can refer too when your scooter is giving you a bit of grief not being dialled like it should.
If your scooter starts rattling or your bars feel loose, it’s usually a sign something needs tightening. Keeping your scooter properly tightened helps it ride smoothly and prevents unnecessary wear on your parts.
In this guide we’ll show you how to tighten a stunt scooter properly and which parts you should check regularly.
Tools You’ll Need
Most stunt scooters will require Allen keys and a Spanner or socket set to tighten.
Common sizes include:
-
5mm Allen key
-
6mm Allen key
- 13mm Spanner or socket
Some setups may also require a socket for the wheel axles as they may be hard to reach with a spanner.
Tighten the Clamp
The clamp holds your bars securely in place.
To tighten it:
-
Use the correct Allen key for the clamp bolts, make sure it is inserted all the way in before tightening as this avoids rounding
-
Tighten the bolts evenly, it is a good idea to tighten each up a bit at a time, instead of one and then the other.
-
Make sure the bars stay straight by tapping the side of the wheel, if it stays straight, you're ready to go!
If the bars twist when you land tricks, the clamp is usually the first thing to check.
Tighten the Compression
If you hear a deeper / hollow sound from the front of your scooter, the compression may be loose. Another indicator of this is bar rock despite the the clamp is tight.
To tighten compression:
-
Loosen the clamp bolts and remove the handlebars
-
Tighten the compression bolt going into the top of the forks - Note, this bolt does not need cranking tight, it needs to be tightened to the point the fork can spin freely but has no play, over tightening can cause a stiff spin
-
Re-install the handle bars and align them with the front wheel
-
Re-tighten the clamp bolts
This removes play in the headset while allowing the bars to spin smoothly.
Tighten the Wheels
Loose wheels can cause rattling and your bearings to wear quicker than they should.
Check that:
-
the front axle is tight in the fork
-
the rear axle is tight in the deck
-
the wheel still spins freely
If the wheel feels stiff, loosen it slightly until it spins smoothly.
Final Thoughts
Checking your scooter regularly only takes a minute or two and helps keep everything running smoothly. Tightening your clamp, compression and wheel axles will prevent rattles and keep your scooter feeling solid.
If you want to watch us put on together, check out our Scooter Assembly video!