Hello all, first post here.

Can anybody give me a definitive answer to this question?

I replaced the plastic pedals on my MTB a while back with new metal pedals, and they didn't seem to spin freely - I didn't feel any "drag" or anything like that, and they turned smoothly, but the pedal would only spin two or three times before coming to a halt. I wasn't sure whether this was normal or not so I stripped and re-greased them with some plain white lithium grease from Weldtite, but this did not change anything. If I loosen the cone I can get the pedal to spin for much longer, but of course the pedal then feels loose on the axle, and there is a risk that the bearings could fall out. Am I doing something wrong, or are the pedals just meant to be like that?

NOTE: In each bearing race there are 13 ball bearings; when the bearings are installed they do not form a complete circle, there is a small gap, but this gap is not big enough to accomodate an extra bearing. Is that normal?

Any help you guys could offer on this would be greatly appreciated!