25 Aug 2025

DIY Rollerblade top buckle fix

I haven’t used my rollerblades for ages, and when I tried them recently, one of the top buckles broke. Plastic doesn't age well.

Since I’m not really into rollerblading, I had no idea if that is easily fixable. Especially given that the buckles are attached with rivets.

But after a quick look on the internet, it looks like it is.

Removing the broken buckle

Removing the rivets is quite easy, in fact. I used an electric screwdriver/drill with a 4.5 mm drill bit (for metal).

It’s not because it’s easy that you can’t get hurt, remember to wear appropriate protections (gloves, glasses…). Drilling metal always generates metal shards.

Spare parts

After successfully removing the rivets, I went to my local roller/skateboard shop. In this case: Nomadeshop.

A pair of replacement buckles and screws (instead of rivets) cost around 12 €.

Assembly

And then it was just a matter of screwing the buckles to the rollerblade.

The new buckle being the same size as the old one, I kept the existing receiver at the other end of the buckle.

That was quite an easy fix.

What I should have thought about is that if the buckle’s plastic broke because of old age, maybe the rest of the roller’s plastic parts will soon too. And in fact, after taking a few shocks, one of the boots started to break too 🙁. But so far, they are still usable.