Does a wet bag causes wheels to crack?

[Gefiltefish 9]

I am a big guy (260 lbs) and use Labeda Asphalts on an indoor waxed wood surface.

I am not having wheel wear problems, but am having a problem with cracking. In the past I played once a week and always aired out my equipment after use. Now I am playing three times a week and my bag really does not have much time to air out. I have noticed wheel cracking getting worse and worse and think that the wetter bag may have something to do with it...

I use a one-compartment bad, so its in there with wet gloves, shin pads, etc.

I am thinking of buying a Shock Doctor blower & bag or maybe just a bag with external skate pockets.

Anyone been in the same circumstance as me?

[#96 0]

I don't know if moisture is causing your wheels to crack. I mean, they're plastic/rubber right? Those types of materials usually repel water.

What a wet bag will do is cause your bearings to prematurely corrode/rust.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

I'm not a roller hockey guy (strictly ice) but I can tell you that constant wetness will cause the materials in your wheels to break down. Combine that with the abuse your wheels take and its a recipe for diaster. I highly reccomed you either take your stuff out of the bag each night and get a rack or at the very least open up your bag to let out the moisture and dry off your skate wheels.

Or.. perhaps they are cracking due to the stench in your bag from you never letting your gear dry out. Could go either way! :D

[westcoastsniper 0]

yeah, gotta air that shit out, wheels are expensive; polymers and stuff are reactive to humidity and moisture, specially warm wetness.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

Oh, and another thing... don't go wasting coin on a shockdoctor bag. Take the time when you get home to hang up your gear in the garage of basement. If you dont haver that space THEN maybe try a shockdoctor bag.

[Gefiltefish 9]

Thanks everyone... This topic is pretty old and I never updated... I skipped the Shock Doctor bag and just started airing stuff out like people said. I always did do that, but my problem was that I would sometimes have a 9:30pm game on a Sunday night (home at 11pm) and then a 6:30pm game (have to go straight from work) the next day... Therefore, the bag itself, skates, gloves, pads, etc would still be wet as it only had a 7-8 hours to airout. I spray everything in Stinkout (my gear never smells!), which adds to the moisture problem.

I have noticed slightly less cracking since I started taking the skates out of the bag. The drier winter air has also seemed to help.