A while back, I began a blog (Ripstick Repair – Gasket) about a gasket that appeared to be coming out of the gadget that attaches the wheels to the under belly of my Ripstik “G” Grind Caster Board. I mentioned how I was going to
“take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about dipstick assembly, investigate if I could fix it myself, and share the adventure with you.”
Well, though much later than I originally expected, this is a continuation of that blog.
I was able to easily remove the bolt that held the wheel assembly to the board and confirm that the problem was / is a bad washer looking thing-a-majig, that sits on top of the bearings (click on images below to enlarge pics), and apparently, allows the wheel assembly to rotate. As U can see, it appears to have stretched and bent.
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I compared the assembly with a broken Street Surfer board that I have, hoping I could use the washer from it. Unfortunately, Street Surfer boards do not appear to enable this part to be removed, at least not easily. As you can see below, Street Surfer boards have a round head attaching the assembly, and not a square head bolt like on the Ripstik (see above pics). 
This makes it more difficult, if not impossible for customers to replace it themselves. The extent to which the Ripstik‘s can be easily replaced may actually be a competitive advantage, since the ability to fix this type of thing should be a purchase consideration. So with “washer looking thing-a-majig” in hand, I headed to my local hardware warehouse to find a replacement, so I could quickly fix my board and get back to doing what I love to do. Unfortunately, they do not carry those types of “washer looking thing-a-majigs”. [SAD FACE] These appear to have a slight lip on both sides, possibly to hold the bearings in place as they rotate around. As a result of the above, I reached out to the folks at RAZOR (makers of “Ripstik” brand of caster boards), for help on where to get replacement “washer looking thing-a-majigs”. The good news from RAZOR:
“The washer you are looking for is sold as the entire caster not just the washer. You can purchase this part at our shop site at www.razor.com or by calling our support center at 866-467-2967 Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm PST.”
[HAPPY FACE]
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