Rebuilding Pedals
 

In recent months, I've had problems with pedal bearings on my commute bike. A right pedal became sticky (somewhat hard to turn with hands) and a few months later a left pedal seized up (very hard to turn with hands, screechy protests when turned with cleated foot). Well, I have a few sets of these pedals so I simply replaced the seizing ones. But it got me wondering -

How frequently do you have to rebuild your pedals?

Do you consider pedal rebuilds to be normal periodic maintenance done every X miles, or do you do it only when the pedal is giving problems?

How long should a good pedal last? (I have about 4K miles on each of the replaced pedals, but I buy them used so who knows the actual mileage).

It seems like pedal bearings live a pretty tough life - compared to other bearings on a bike, pedal bearings are small, don't hold much grease, are very exposed to rain and dirt, and receive high and variable loads. Plus there are people like me who never remember to service them until it is too late.

Pedals are so cheap, it's usually not worth the effort. I haven't rebuilt a pedal since the early 90s. Haven't really had a need to either, however. I usually buy Shimano M520s and they last for years and years without problems. At $30 per pair and given the longevity, they are a bargain.

Rebuild or replace decisions depend on the replacement cost and if parts are available and if special, hard to obtain, tools are needed.

I've used two major pedal systems over the years, Speedplay Frogs and Shimano MTB-type SPDs, all used just on road bikes.

The Frogs are expensive but have a lube port that let me squirt in fresh grease with no disassembly. I regreased them every thousand miles or so and they lasted over 30,000 miles a set before the bearings got sloppy enough to retire them. Replacement parts are available and simple to install but the rebuild kits are priced to make new pedals more attractive.

Shimano SPDs in various levels are fairly easy to work on but so well sealed that I only relube them every couple of years and they are cheap enough that replacing them isn't a big expense. I have thousands ands thousands of miles on mine so far and no signs of distress.

The 4000 miles you report is barely broken in for good pedals and yours must have been pretty badly abused before you got them.

I mostly use the old Ritchey road SPD (not SPD-R) pedals. These are light (why I use them), simple, with rather lousy bearings, and after reading some reviews, I think they have (had) a reputation for not lasting very long. They have been cheap enough on the used market ($20/pair) that I treat them as disposable and have a couple extra sets in the parts bin. However, the supply of these pedals seems to be shrinking, so I am thinking about finding a better model of pedal and taking better care of them.

That's been my experience with the Ritchey...probably made by Wellgo...as well. They aren't a good pedal. For the price, a $30 Shimano is much better. I hate to recommend Shimano equipment since they own the market but they do make a good product. For my non-Shimano bike, I got a pair of Xpedo which are good but they aren't as cheap as the M520

+1 Shimano's M520s are good and durable if a bit heavy and unmatched at the price. For about twice their cost ($65 at Nashbar last time I looked) the M780s are a lot lighter and better finished but not the same screaming deal.

Been using my regular shoes and Ergon Pedals , nothing to service, so I dont ..

The Time Atac's seem Fine, 1 bearing i bushing .. but I havet screwed them on in a few years.

havent touched my Campag pedals in years, either .. 1 is on the touring bike , the BMX ones on the Brompton.

A friend gave me two sets of old Shimano Ultegra SPD pedals, PD-6500, like VeloBase.com - Component: Shimano PD-6500, Ultegra

The apparent higher quality relative to the Ritcheys is striking. So is the additional weight. Well, my commuter bike is heavy anyway, so I installed the Shimanos. I'm hopeful these will be trouble-free, and they were, ah, free. I opened one up and it appeared to have fresh grease, guessing Phil's from the color. They turn like butter - clarified butter.

Saving the remaining Ritcheys for the weight weenie bikes.

I've rebuilt* the cheapo flats on my wifes bike a few times after they began to tighten up after a few rides. I figured out that I wasn't getting the lock nut behind the cones tight enough when putting everything back together. In the process I finally got a feeling of how loose to leave them so that they would be just right when I finished. I got the cones in a good enough spot and really cranked down the lock nut. I haven't had a problem since, and they turn very freely without play.

*By rebuilt I mean simply cleaning all existing grease from surfaces and balls, placing in same balls with new grease, reassembling.

I really like platform pedals for commuting but then I need boots in winter and my commute isn't too long. The MKS lambda are the best platform pedals I have ever used.

I've rebuilt pretty much everything on a bike at one time of another but I seldom rebuild pedals.