The skin for a scooter is similar to the analogue for a board, differing only in shape. It can be industrial and home-made, while performing not only a decorative, but also a practical function. The material in this article will tell you why these consumables are needed, what they are, and how to choose them correctly.
What are they for?
Scooter implements the function of controlling the trajectory of movement, contributes to a quick and safe ride. It gives perfect roughness to grip the legs with the platform. In fact, this is sandpaper or granular sandpaper with an adhesive base, which is attached to the deck (consists of paper, abrasive and adhesive layer).
It is considered a consumable item and with frequent aggressive riding requires frequent replacement.
This is the smoothest spot on the scooter where they put their feet. It covers the deck, differs in small size, repeats the contours of the base, is an anti-slip sticker on the deck. It’s almost impossible to stay on a scooter without it.
Varieties
Skins are home-made and production. Models differ in surface type. It is not only rough, but also ribbed. The front side of industrial products is usually decorated with the logo of the manufacturing company. It can be located both in the center and on the side, at one of the edges.
Abrasive surfaces are small particles of hard materials of different sizes. It is called granularity, grains are glued to a paper base. Sandpaper abrasive can be different (coarse, medium and fine grained). In addition, it can be transparent and black.
The classic version of the adhesive anti-slip sticker is made in black.
However, in the lines of well-known manufacturers there are also black-and-white models decorated with a print. The subjects of prints are different - it can be light bulbs, inscriptions, stylized drawings, beautiful background images, skulls, vector and abstract motifs. Less often, sellers have modifications of swamp and gray-beige colors.
Why change?
Unfortunately, with constant use of the scooter, the skin erases very quickly. In addition, it is clogged with dirt and dust. Anti-slip pad needs timely care. The glued sandpaper is cleaned with a special eraser. This to some extent allows you to extend the service life.
It is impossible to wash it: from this it quickly becomes worthless.
How to choose?
The issue of replacing a consumable arises when the skin is erased. When buying, you need to pay attention to the ratio of paper to abrasive.
You need to purchase the product where there is less paper layer and more roughness.
When buying a pad for a child or adult scooter, you must pay attention to its size. There are frequent cases when the sizes indicated in stores are not true. For example, the standards of domestic and imported products vary.
Buying a product is better from a trusted manufacturer. Large companies care about their image, their products are of high quality and best performance. These pads are made of a material that holds the clutch perfectly. When buying, choose the preferred type of stiffness. The price of the product varies from 500 to 900 rubles.
The price of the skin practically does not differ from the analogue for the skate. Sometimes buyers take the second one, adapting it for a scooter. However, this is unjustified: at the same price, there is no sense in unnecessary work and fitting the product in the form of a scooter.
How to change?
Replacing the anti-slip pad is easy. This service is offered in specialized stores, but if you wish, you can learn how to solve the problem yourself. Consider the simplest way.
For the sticker, the skins are prepared with sandpaper itself, scissors, a ruler, a pen, a soft rag.
Initially get rid of the old coating. It is easy to remove the worn skin. It is tucked from one of the edges and carefully torn from the deck. If she holds well and cannot be removed with her hands, shears can be used.
There are times when an old skin tightly sticks to a deck. To simplify the task of removing it, you can take a rag, put it on top of the lining and iron it with an iron. This helps to remove the coating very quickly. After the skin is removed, it is necessary to clean the surface of the deck, remove the remaining glue with a prepared rag. To better clean the base, use a solvent. Someone is cleaning the deck with an iron brush.
Next, prepare the pad: measure the required length and width, prepare a template and cut along the drawn lines. Industrial scooter skin has an adhesive layer. Sticking it is not difficult. When the skin is made of sandpaper, you have to use glue. For this purpose, someone prefers to use double-sided tape or “Moment” glue.
Before sticking, you need to outline the position of the lining. She should lie flat.
After that, it is slowly applied to the deck and glued with simultaneous smoothing. The industrial product is glued correctly: it is impossible to immediately remove the substrate, this is done gradually to prevent poor-quality gluing. The adhesive base of the material is high quality. The skin is held very well. However, after it has been smoothed, you need to once again walk along the surface with a rag. Extra control does not hurt: a snug fit is the key to safe riding.
What to consider when changing?
Scooter consumables are sold in small rolls. Before sticking, it must be straightened. Being in a roll, the skin takes a rounded shape, which can complicate gluing.They straighten it after they cut it off using something heavy.
Glue the cover in an interference fit, while someone prefers not to risk it, but to trim the excess after the material has already been fixed. When gluing from the middle to the edges, it is possible to reduce the ingress of air between the cover and the deck to nothing. To reduce friction during fixation, you can put a sheet of paper on top of the sandpaper. If the template extends beyond the edges, after fixing, you can walk through them with a file (at an angle).
In the next video, you can watch the process of replacing the skins with a scooter.
