Commuting - Shimano pedals: pieces of poo-poo?

I had the shimano version of the "campus pedal" sold at performance bike and nashbar (shimano PD-M324). Bought them from nashbar in december. Had less than 200 miles on them and the left one started making a popping noise. Upon further inspection last night, grease was oozing out of the spindle on both pedals.
Not cool. Anyone else have problems with these? Now i have to return them to nashbar. I bought the cheaper campus pedals from performance to replace them. Should have them in a couple days... :(

I got the Shimano 6610, and they work beautifully. So sorry to hear you had a bad set! :(

why would grease escaping be bad? i can understand the popping thing being annoying but i have never seen anything (that should be greased) with too much grease...

i would wipe off excess grease and ride on. (but i am guessing you would too so i must be missing something). my girlfriends new ultegra hub had some grease coming out of the seals after a few rides as well (i was glad they put so much in that some was forced out).

never had a problem with shimano pedals.

Are you sure that the popping noise isn't a loose cleat on your shoe? Or, maybe something going on with the BB or crank arm?

I've been using a pair of those pedals for two years and have had zero problems with them. No popping sound. No oozing grease.

I think most "campus" pedals are poorly made, which is unfortunate.

in my expecience SPD style pedals are the best for commuting bc they are lowmaintence and dont clack as much as other brands. While i have not had any problems with shimano brand specifically, I find that you can get a pedal of the same quality for half the price with "house" brands like performance and wellgo. the performance is exactly the same, however the seals may or may not be as good. But what does it matter? it's something you use daily, and at that price you can afford to throw it out after a few years.

I have these pedals on both of my commuters, and I've had no problems. I have not noticed grease, either. Are yours the actual Shimano pedals or generic nashbar/performance versions? My Shimano ones feel alot more solid than the old generic ones I had (but I didn't have any problems with the old generic ones, they seemed cheap).

why would grease escaping be bad? i can understand the popping thing being annoying but i have never seen anything (that should be greased) with too much grease...

Because when you have previously wiped off the excess grease and it continues to ooze it probably means a busted seal. And eventually the grease will run out which means your bearings are no longer protected from dirt and grime leading to certain failure. And the popping was really loud. Annoying and obviously not right. I could feel it through my shoe.

At first i feared it might be my phil wood hub but also noticed I could feel the popping through my shoe. I also thought it might be the cleat but it didn't matter if i was clipped in or not, or where my foot was placed over the pedal. If i only pedaled with the right foot and stuck my left out in the air the noise would stop. Pressure and rotation of the pedal was causing it. Finally took of the left and replaced it with another pedal and all was quiet. Rode in today with different pedals and it was quiet as a mouse and smooth as butter.

Again, these were the SHIMANO PD-M324. Every product will have some duds. I was just wondering if mine were the only ones.

that definitely sounds like a defective pedal to me!

if you need a cheap replacement pair (all i have are double-sided) let me know!

i am making the switch to times, to see if they really are better.

... Again, these were the SHIMANO PD-M324. Every product will have some duds. I was just wondering if mine were the only ones. Mine are about a year and a half old. Black stuff oozes out of mine too but don't make any unusual noises.

Good Luck,
d.tipton

that definitely sounds like a defective pedal to me!

if you need a cheap replacement pair (all i have are double-sided) let me know!

i am making the switch to times, to see if they really are better.

Say max-a-mill, how many of those "cheap replacement" pairs of SPD pedals do you have? ;)

(Trying to jump on the clipless bandwagon for cheap :D)

I use the same style of Shimano pedals for daily commuting, but I am not sure of the model number. Had them since 2001. No problems, no oozing, no noises.

I echo the sentiments of the other users who have had no problems with the mechanics of the pedals. Definitely a bad pedal.

My better half has the same pedals from Performance and has had no trouble at all. I've put thousands of km's on the standard SPD-style pedals from Performance (that's right, the cheapies) and again, no trouble.

grolby, PM