notsoimpossible

I'm attempting to restore a 70s Gitane tandem. The forward left pedal is missing the dust cap and has quite a bit of sideways play in it. There don't appear to be threads for a new dustcap, but the end of the spindle has some shallow rounded notches in it. Is this how the cap would attach? If so, what are my chances of being able to fix it? Also, is it possible to overhaul these pedals?

The dust cap on the other pedals says "Made in France" and "Eclair," and they are almost certainly French threaded as one says G and one says D. If at all possible I want to repair it because all 4 pedals match, and french pedals seem to be hard to find - I don't want to replace all 4.








Thanks for your help!

CliffordK

Can you tell if the end of the pedal spindle is threaded, or otherwise see if the parts are meant to come off? It looks to me that it may be peened, although that could also be from wear.

Finding an exact match for the dust cap will be difficult, and may involve buying identical pedals (English if necessary), or perhaps more battered than yours. Or maybe a generic would fit (glue?)

Anyway, if it was me, I'd work on the locknut and cone a bit. If they seem accessible, then hunt down a new dust cap. If not, then toss the pedals into the scrap bin.

dim

I had a pair of those fitted on an old French Bike (possibly a Gitane .... there was a decal that stated 'Tour De France')

I was cycling one day through the city and the R/H pedal fell off.... the thread on the crank was messed up and the LBS said that it would be a costly repair as new cranks were also needed.

I sold the bike soon after. You can find pedals/cranks etc in good used condition, and for cheap on ebay France. Just ask the seller if he will ship to you before bidding

gaucho777 

Not much you can do with these once they develop some play. The cap is a press-fit, but the cones are not meant to be adjusted. A poor design. Here's how I addressed the problem with another similarly peened "unserviceable" set of French pedals: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...le-pedals.html

notsoimpossible

Thanks for the responses!

Upon closer inspection, the end of the spindle appears to have a hairline fracture running through it - not something I want to mess with. It looks I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get some new pedals. Off to ebay I suppose.

CliffordK

The crack may be part of the manufacturing process. It depends on what it looks like. You're talking about the outer end, right?

But, you'll have to judge whether or not you need access to the bearings for your repair, and if you do, whether it can come apart and be reassembled.

Look up notes on retapping French to English. Apparently it is an easy process.

noobinsf 

These look like dead ringers for Lyotard 36 pedals (maybe not *exactly*), which are very much serviceable. Ebay.fr should have what you need, but like dim said above, just confirm shipping first.

notsoimpossible

No, the crack I found was in the exposed end of the axle. I wonder if something hit the pedal hard enough to knock off the dust cap, and also cracked the axle at the same time. Probably best to replace.

I read about retapping, but the cranks are steel. I thought retapping wasn't an option for steel , but please correct me if I'm wrong.

CliffordK

I'm not sure why it wouldn't be. Taps can cut steel just fine.

cyclingarri

I have a pair of these exact pedals and have been crazy looking for info. on how to service them. I lost both dustcaps and fond that weird end that I tried everything to take apart.. What did you end up doing? Final answer what are they called?

juvela

Eclair is the brand name. While they somewhat resemble the Lyotard model 36 outwardly there is no connection and no parts in common.

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Grand Bois

You are wrong.

notsoimpossible

Well since mine were cracked, I went on a hunt at the local bike co-op, dug through a giant bin of old pedals, and managed to find an old french set in decent condition. The sold them to me for $10

On the set I kept, I just trickled some penetrating oil into them until they spun freely, then some more viscous chain lube, and cleaned them up best I could. Not ideal I'm sure, but good enough for me.