kirke

I have a set of Time ATAC Alium pedals that are about 8 months old. Use them on a daily commuter.

For a couple weeks now the pedals have been sqeaking pretty badly, at first it seemed only under high pedal forces, but now they squeak if I just turn them with my hand while the bike is stationary.

I would assume that these pedals should have sealed bearings?

I thought about just dropping some chain lube in the pedal spindle area, as the sound does not really sound like a bearing problem, but rather a plastic squeak, like maybe a seal or something?

So, should I just drop some lube in there, or should I think about trying to overhaul the pedal?

Anyone else experience this issue before?

TimeTravel_0

just squirt a few drops of lube into the springs -- most likely and in my experience, it's the springs and not the bearings.

simplify

Well, I was going to agree that it's the springs (very common occurrence), but then I saw the part about how they squeak now when you turn them by hand when you're off the bike, and the springs would definitely not be doing that. The seals should be soft rubber, so it's probably not those. It's unusual for there to be noise coming from inside (especially after only 8 months), the spindle is usually well-greased and the bearing is a small, sealed unit out on the end of the spindle. They're not difficult to take apart, to regrease the spindle and drip some oil in the bearing. The bearing is replaceable, too--it's a common size sealed bearing unit.

You could certainly start by dropping some lube into the spindle, to see if that makes a difference. Wipe away any dirt, carefully lift the rubber seal near where the spindle screws into the crank, and try a few drops of lube to see if it has any effect.

kirke

Thanks for the replies. Yes, its definitely not the springs as I can hear the sqeaking only when spindle turns. Simplify - I will try your suggestion first and see if that helps. Thanks!

Panthers007

Failing that - do an overhaul. Sometimes they come bone-dry and/or go out of adjustment. My rule-of-thumb is to always overhaul pedals before use.