Which Pedal?

[onrbikes]

While the topic of pedals is fresh, help me out.

In the last 4 years have gone through more pedals than I care to remember but some are as follows.

Shimano M324 about 10000km
MKS 580 about 5000km
Wellgo R120B about 9000km

Now the issue is always the same. Because there is no real way to maintain or grease them, they’ll inevitably, self destruct. I get more mileage out of my car components that do a hell of a lot more distance, hauling more kg’s.

I’d like to see a pedal with a grease nipple, feeding a hole down the shaft centre that can grease both bearing areas. Many state they are serviceable but that usually is only means the outer race, not the inner. To do the job properly, requires a special tool, that is more expensive than the pedal.
I am seriously considering getting it though, because when I have had  a go at regreasing or fixing the play, found the pedals seriously lacking in grease. Maybe grease was too expensive. Then came the issue of tightening the two lock nuts together while maintaining the correct bearing play, with a screwdriver and socket.
 
A couple of years ago, when a pedal destroyed itself China, even the local bike shop there stated it wasn’t worth his time to repair or grease the pedal. Just buy another set.
After coming a few times, and more close calls am now starting to move away from being clipped in, and have even tried a few flat eggbeaters. But I do like to have both.

Is there a bullet proof pedal out there? One that can actually be serviced.

[JimK]

I'm pretty sure that the MKS Sylvan Touring pedal has loose ball bearings, i.e. can be serviced. 

[Danneaux]

Hi Fred!

The Shimano PD-M324 pedals can indeed be serviced. Here's the Shimano PDF for dis/assembly: http://www.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/EV/bikecomponents/PD/EV-PD-M324-1972A_v1_m56577569830608609.pdf

...and here is a link to a CTC thread on how to service them without the need to purchase the TL-PD33 toolset: http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=40070&start=15
This may help also: http://forums.mtbr.com/tooltime/servicing-shimano-pd-m324-pedals-850717.html
If you need the TL-PD33 toolset, SJS Cycles has that: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-tl-pd33-pedal-cone-adjusting-tool-prod20063/?geoc=us Given the £44.99 price, it might well pay to buy another pair of pedals.

Most other Shimano SPD pedals are easily serviced provided one has the required Shimano "wrench" to remove the plastic retainer that holds the axle-bearing "cassette" in place in the pedal body. It is called the "Shimano TL-PD40 Pedal Axle Removal Tool" and is widely available online, including from SJS Cycles here: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-tl-pd40-spd-clipless-pedal-axle-removal-tool-prod5968/?geoc=us

Basic instructions here: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/spd-pedal-overhaul

Best,

Dan.

[martinf]

Most of the old-fashioned quill/toeclip pedals are user-serviceable, and good-quality ones last a very long time with me. I picked up several good second-hand pairs very cheaply from my LBS about 15 years ago when most people moved over to SPD and other "clipless" pedals. Longest-serving pedals are Mikashima steel cage quill from the 1970's, with about 45 000 kms of use since I bought them second-hand. Deore XT MTB pedals from the early 1980's (designed for toeclips) are also still going, with 35 000 kms use.

MKS Sylvan quill seem to be a good quality/price compromise that are still available new, but they do need a special tool (which I have) to get the dustcap off.

With most pedals I don't bother dismantling often. For routine lubrication I just drill a very small hole in the outer dustcap and inject grease through that until some comes out on the crank side. More leaks out near the crank in the next few hundred kms. I wipe that away and regrease from time to time.

[il padrone]

Any of the Shimano pedals that have an axle fitting like these (mostly their clipless models)






.....are the easiest pedals around to service.


You don't need a grease gun, just the special plastic removal tool.





Take the pedals off, use the tool to remove the axle and bearing, pack the axle space in the pedal with grease, re-insert the axle bearing cartridge, and screw back in. All the old drty grease  will be forced ot throgh the bearing ports until the new grease is all that comes out. Cleaned and lubed bearings

Shown here: http://youtu.be/OXfrmkOTicM  -  note: for a routine regrease I would not bother with pulling the cartridge apart, never have done this and the original pedals (now 20 years old) are still running quite OK.

[Dave Whittle Thorn Workshop]

As above the Shimano Saint ones don't even need a tool just a big spanner http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-saint-pd-mx80-flat-pedals-prod29777/

[onrbikes]

Looks like I been going down the wrong path with serviceable pedals

The next pedals I buy, may be the last one and last forever.

Thanks

[Tiberius]

As above the Shimano Saint ones don't even need a tool just a big spanner http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-saint-pd-mx80-flat-pedals-prod29777/

A thumbs up from me for these pedals.....I have a set on my MTB. Lovely high quality kit with plenty of grip, and serviceable.....

[phopwood]

I have some speedplay frogs they are not even a year old yet, so I can't comment on how long they will last, but they have a grease port and very easy to re grease.

http://www.speedplay.com/pubs/instructions/grease.pdf

I have only re greased mine once using a standard cycling el cheapo grease gun.  Very easy.

All that said I used SPDs for years and re-greased them regularly.

Peter

[Pavel]

I have to say that I am tired of all these products with sealed bearings and next want a loose bearing set of pedals.  I know the advantages of sealed bearings but I really dislike how stiff the pedals are and that they rotate in place rather than rotate loose.  Anybody else with that dislike?

I am currently exploring the idea of ditching the Shimano spd clip in system in favor of regular shoes (with a stiff sole) along with a set of Power Grips.  This has me looking for a new set of pedals, and I'd love to have a recommendation on a fairly light set that spins nice a free, so I always know by muscle memory how to get in, rather than having to look down.  Any Ideas?

[Danneaux]

Pavel,

I'm still real happy with my Shimano Click'r T-400 double-sided SPD pedals. The same pedal in an SPD/platform combo is the T-420 pictured here: http://www.bike24.com/p259550.html You can read about my journey to find them here: http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=6943.0

Unlike other SPD pedals, the return springs offer 60% less resistance to release -- and I have mine turned to minimum at that. I've now put upwards of 18,000km/11,000mi on mine and have never (not once!) had them release in any "drive" situation, yet they release almost instantly when I wish in any direction thanks to Shimano multi-release cleats. It is like having neodymium magnets attached to my shoe soles instead of cleats. Best of all, I have none of the debilitating knee pain I got from virtually every other brand/model of clipless pedal.

The bearings use loose balls and can be serviced by pulling the "axle cassette". Regreasing is easy and takes seconds, assuming you've bought the cheap plastic tool required to undo the works.

Shimano's Click'R series is aimed at novices and the indoor spinning market, but I have found them durable and well-sealed for my use. The guts are the same as the ever-popular Shimano M-324, and the T-700 series offer XT-level innards, but of course they lack wrench flats and so were out of contention for me (they were also no smoother in my tests). The goofy-looking plastic surround has proven durable and is a nice place to carry fore-aft pedal reflectors which are noticeable to closing car traffic at night. Oddly, my T-400s tend to flip horizontally when not in use, but with double-sided entry, it has not been a problem. If I can find them to stand on, I'm in.

My other bikes use SunTour Superbe Pro road quill pedals and I use them with one of my ancient pairs (I have several pairs in back-stock) of Detto Pietro Article 74 road cleats from waaaay back in the day. I use them with toe clips and straps. Most of the toe clips are CatEye nylon, having broken numerous KKT/Kyojuto, MKS/Mikashima, and Christophe clips. The CatEyes just keep going, no matter how hot or cold. I take the XXL size for my size 45 Dettos, as the CatEyes are sized small. The SunTour Superbe Pro pedals have a unique cage spacing so the shoes used on them won't work on other pedals without a cleat adjustment. The pedals do hang nicely for entry and there is a "flip-tab" at the rear. They run forever on extremely smooth sealed bearings (deep-groove Conrad type *and* roller-bearings) and so are self-orienting due to gravity and therefore offer consistent entry. One pair of mine has well over 32,000 miles of service and is still as new without any roughness or excessive play, though they have never been serviced. Another pair is catching up at 28,000+ miles. I have...um, six pair. Love 'em.

I have used PowerGrips, but found them lacking in some ways. The material is quite stiff, and if crimped tends to stay deformed (a person *will* step on them at least once). If you use them with different shoes or as your shoes wear, they will need to be adjusted. Adjustments were not so fine as I wished, nor as handy as pulling up a toe-strap end. I also found they ultimately put a lot of uncomfortable pressure on my outer metatarsal heads (the outside ball-of-foot) and that hurt after riding awhile.

As with all these things, it is an individual choice and what works for one person often won't for another. I'm a spinner, and need to be firmly attached to the pedal to make that work at high revs. More efficient for me also as I can pull back and up and also kick forward and not just push down. A masher has many more options and tends to do better with platform pedals than a spinner can.

All the best,

Dan.

[Pavel]

Very nice write up Dan, as usual.  I like the spd system very much except for the fact that it is not quite as easy to get into without paying attention as some but that is a minor thing.  It does bug me that the pedals I use ( the Shimano A530 and M540) both have pretty molasses like bearings.  I'd like something a lot more free feeling, where if it is weighted it would stay on the same side throughout a slow turn of the cranks.  I'm thinking about, and getting excited about, turning my Thorn RST into a fixie.  I can't really say why, because until a short while ago I had distain for fixies and fixie riders, outside of a track bike at a Velodrome, but somehow I've gotten bitten by the idea of it.  My confidence level however has me thinking that something other than spd's may be in order, in order that I don't make a full fool of myself the first time out.    And besides, what happened to the good ol' days where loose bearings were so much fun.  We could make the bike run 50 % faster just by using light  oil in lieu of grease (so we said) and loosening them to just before we ruined the races.  Then pressed bearings ruin another great fetish.

[Danneaux]

Thanks for the kind words, Pavel. 

We could make the bike run 50 % faster just by using light  oil in lieu of grease (so we said) and loosening them to just before we ruined the races.

It is possible to carefully pry off the seals from shielded bearings, then wash out the old lubricant and repack with even light oil of one wishes. The bearing clearances are pre-set, so no risk of ruining the races unless the oil runs out and then one just has to press in a new bearing.

I used to actually use the little metal clips on the center of Campagnolo hubs...the ones that covered the holes drilled in the middle -- to relube my hubs with oil, on one go-fast bike intended for that use.

Ah, the good old days that only get better with Time and Memory! 

Fixies are tremendous fun, but don't run one without at least a front brake unless a) you're truly hardcore and b) you're not in heavy traffic. I'm wishing for another Fixie and am looking to make one from the 1972 Windsor Professional hanging in my rafters. With care, I can still preserve the Campagnolo Nuovo Record components if I regain my sanity and wish to convert it back to 10-speeds once again.

Clawing this a bit closer to topic, I've found free-running bearings and gravity-leveling pedals really useful for Fixed riding, along with clips and double straps (Ould Skül) or (!) the truly dangerous Cinelli M71 Death Pedals™: http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=pedalmuseum.clipless

All the best,

Dan.

[mickeg]

I think that the PD40 tool (photo posted above) will open up the A530 pedals.  I have not had a problem yet with my M324 pedals, but I recently bought a pair of A530 pedals and I like them too.

I have to say that I am tired of all these products with sealed bearings and next want a loose bearing set of pedals.  I know the advantages of sealed bearings but I really dislike how stiff the pedals are and that they rotate in place rather than rotate loose.  Anybody else with that dislike?

I am currently exploring the idea of ditching the Shimano spd clip in system in favor of regular shoes (with a stiff sole) along with a set of Power Grips.  This has me looking for a new set of pedals, and I'd love to have a recommendation on a fairly light set that spins nice a free, so I always know by muscle memory how to get in, rather than having to look down.  Any Ideas?

My Ritchey V4 steel pedals might have plain ball bearings in them, they are a double sided SPD pedal.  I have Ritchey cleats on some of my shoes, Shimano on other shoes, they appear to be interchangeable.  But I do not know if the V4 pedals are available any more.  I have not opened them up, so I can't say if any special tools are needed.

If I sound confusing here - around home I use double sided Ritchey SPD pedals on my bikes, but on tour I prefer the M324 (or maybe the A530) pedals so I can use plain shoes too.  So, I use both types of pedals.

Ritchey made a one sided SPD pedal that used different cleats, so avoid that if you want your old Shimano cleats to work.

[StuntPilot]

Similar to the M324 pedal from Shimano there is the T780 ... also designed as a touring pedal.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/pedals-cleats/shimano-deore-xt-pdt780-double-sided-spd-clipless-trekking-pedals/

Includes integrated reflectors. I think it is serviceable too?