Atom 700 Conversion
 

Other than buying an entire pedal, does anyone have a source for getting English threaded axles for the Atom 700? I'd like to convert mine from French thread.

Thanks!

The Atom 700 pedal has been out of production for many years, so I doubt there are many spare axles around. I suspect buying a new pair with English thread might be your best option.

You should be able to get away with screwing them into an English-threaded crank. I did that for a while, and I didn't ruin anything. Make sure they're tight but not too tight. Sorry I can't quantify what those terms mean.

Or maybe use some shim material? Plumbers tape?

That seems like a really bad idea, given that French-threaded pedal spindles are a fair amount narrower in diameter than English (though it is convenient for tapping French-threaded crank arms to English thread). Sure, use lots of layers of plumber tape, but they'll fall out in short order and probably munge up the threads while they do.

Or get a pair of beat up pedals and swap the axles.

I did that with a set of Lyotards - bought a set of 23s that had a cracked footbed for the axles.

Also, there could some commonality in the axles. For example Lyotard 23 and 45 use the same axles - sorry, but I don't know much about the Atoms

Atom 700s are pretty nice pedals. Best bet is what others have said which is to find a pair in decent shape or a beat up set that you can steal the axles from. Otherwise just find a pair of campy' NR pedals. They look good on any vintage bike and the atom 700s are pretty much a campy copy (as were a lot of high end pedals back in the day).

Atom 440 pedals were more common than the 600s and 700s. Don't know if they had the same axles or not. I may have some 440s but can't recall for sure. They were used on a lot of Raleighs. The 440s, I think came in two widths which would mean two axle lengths. The 700s came in at least two widths as well -- they made a cute little track pedal.

I like the Atom pedals, but they are not as well made as the Campagnolo pedals of the era -- not by a longshot. Not nearly as well made, in my opinion, as the MKS Sylvan road pedals of today. But, I like them anyway.

As for being a Campagnolo copy, I don't know. Pedals of not so different design existed as early as the 1880s, according to the quill pedal museum.

Problem solved! I snagged a pair of Campy Record (1037) pedals in what appears to be nearly, like new condition, not a single scuff mark. Recently overhauled to boot. They even came with the toe clip bolts. Good old Craigslist!

Spidel Atom 700 Pedals
 

Atom/Maillard produced a number of different versions of quill style pedals in the 70's and early 80's. They also marketed some models under the Spidel brand which was a consortium of French component makers.

Atom was their economy brand. The spindles and cups were usually case hardened and wore out quickly on the later versions. The 2nd generation Atom 600 pedals were throw away models - There were no lock nuts - the spindles were peened over so they couldn't be serviced. The first time we saw those was in the late 70's. It was a WTF moment??? A bike we sold came back with worn out pedals after very few miles!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...df3e674025.jpg

The Maillard/Spidel 700 pedals with the black alloy cages were decent quality. Not Campy level but as good as the top MKS pedals back then.

The last iteration of the Maillard/Spidel 700 pedals were very well made and had labyrinth seals on the spindles to keep dirt out and grease in. The spindles were as smooth as Campy's. They were good enough quality that those pedals were standard of Peugeot's Pro 10 and PY10CP models in the early 80's.

I just sold this pair of almost NOS Spidel (Maillard) 700 alloy cage pedals.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8c30c3b648.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d21ecd1840.jpg

[MENTION=188405]desconhecido[/MENTION] Atom 440 pedals were completely different, pretty clunky with steel cages and so-so quality. They had pressed in dust caps too. In the same cheap price range, Lyotard 460D pedals were much better and lighter too.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ef45665242.jpg
verktyg :50: