pedal grease

twaimkit

Hi. Changing pedals on bike tomorrow but was wondering if someone could tell me what type of grease/lubricant I should use when putting new pedals on. Thanks.

Canis Lupus

twaimkit wrote: »

Hi. Changing pedals on bike tomorrow but was wondering if someone could tell me what type of grease/lubricant I should use when putting new pedals on. Thanks.

Anything really. I've used lithium grease. Just pop into any bike shop, they should have a tube of something cheap floating about. You only need a tiny bit for the threads.

C3PO

I think it's worth using "anti-seize" paste on pedal threads and I only tighten lightly too ..... getting seized pedals out of a crank is a pig of a job!

DaveyDave

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Anything really. I've used lithium grease. Just pop into any bike shop, they should have a tube of something cheap floating about. You only need a tiny bit for the threads.

Good to know, I'll be putting some new pedals from Santa on and wasn't sure if the grease I had would do, just got a random tube of it from the LBS. Don't even remember what I was doing to buy it

twaimkit

Thank you all for the replies. Much appreciated. Time to go and get the grease and get down to it:)

Al Wright

Screw the pedals in tight, particularly the righthand (chainwheel crank) one, if the spindles have shoulders they are usually M15 spanner size.
If the pedals are not tight enough, the righthand side tends to unscrew usually resulting in damaged threads in the crank.
(One would expect that pedalling tightens in the pedals, but this is often counteracted by the effect of flexing under load causing the spindle to unscrew)

twaimkit

Al Wright wrote: »

Screw the pedals in tight, particularly the righthand (chainwheel crank) one, if the spindles have shoulders they are usually M15 spanner size.
If the pedals are not tight enough, the righthand side tends to unscrew usually resulting in damaged threads in the crank.
(One would expect that pedalling tightens in the pedals, but this is often counteracted by the effect of flexing under load causing the spindle to unscrew)

Thanks for the advice.unfortunatley i wasnt able to get them on properly( i think they seem abit loose)the first time so will have to try again on my days off and will follow what youve advised and hopfully have more success

doozerie

I used to use Weldtite Lithium Grease for a while to grease bolt threads. It was cheap and cheerful and readily available in bike stores. It sucked though, which I only started to realized when I went back to undo some of the bolts I'd used it on. It seemed to have dried out, or something, and behaved more like glue than grease when it got to that stage. Perhaps that particular cheap grease is useless as an anti-seize grease, perhaps lithium grease generally isn't great for that purpose, I don't know, but I stopped using that particular one several years ago and I've never looked back.

As regards tightening pedals, I personally don't tighten them much at all. As already mentioned, tightly fitting pedals can be a complete nightmare to remove. I've snapped the jaws off one decent 15mm spanner, and picked up more cuts, scrapes, and bruises than I like to think about when trying to remove pedals that have decided they didn't want to ever be separated from their crank. A good grease (or anti-seize compound) on the pedal threads helps of course, but I've found that pedals ilke to tighten rather than loosen in the cranks in use. Each to their own though, I've certainly seen fairly high torque figures listed by manufacturers for various pedals/cranks but I just ignore them - I've had no problems yet, but then again anecdotal evidence isn't very convincing in itself so that's not a strong argument for anyone else doing likewise.

piston

Lithium grease and it's like are cheap greases designed for things like the kingpins on an old Austin Cambridge, greased regularly on a mileage schedule rather than left for years and years. They have a cheap base, often just soap mixed with oil. The oil dries out and leaves the soap and it will provide no lubricating properties whatsoever. it is also prone to washing out with water.

Vaseline will do fine for pedal threads and even bicycle bearings as they don't heat up much in use and it won't dry up as quickly and has better water resistant properties than lithium grease. Molybdenum grease would be better, or a dedicated cycle grease like the red Weldite.

Canis Lupus

twaimkit wrote: »

Thanks for the advice.unfortunatley i wasnt able to get them on properly( i think they seem abit loose)the first time so will have to try again on my days off and will follow what youve advised and hopfully have more success

That doesn't sound right? What you mean by loose?

twaimkit

Canis Lupus wrote: »

That doesn't sound right? What you mean by loose?

I supposed i thought that they would have to be stiff enough not turn over so it would be easy to clip in unlike the toe clips. I tried again last night before work but no joy so i think at this stage il be happier to get the experts put them on the first time.. At least that way i know when i fall off it will be my own fault:) Thanks for the reply.

Doozerie and piston thanks also for input and it will be useful to have in the future when i eventually do a bit of bike mainteneance.

Canis Lupus

twaimkit wrote: »

I supposed i thought that they would have to be stiff enough not turn over so it would be easy to clip in unlike the toe clips. I tried again last night before work but no joy so i think at this stage il be happier to get the experts put them on the first time.. At least that way i know when i fall off it will be my own fault:) Thanks for the reply.

Doozerie and piston thanks also for input and it will be useful to have in the future when i eventually do a bit of bike mainteneance.

Eh? Unless I'm misunderstanding you you're saying the pedals spin? That's perfectly normal. Sure if the pedal didn't rotate how exactly do you expect to cycle? They're not supposed to be stiff.

If you're just switching to clipless it just takes practice to clip in/out. The pedals won't fall off the cranks, they self tighten. Absolutely no need to take your bike into an LBS to install pedals.

el tel

So it seems that rather than a compound to stop the threads of the pedal spindle from fusing with the threads of the cranks, the OP is looking for a means to prevent the pedals from spinning so freely about its axle. In that case in can recommend, in order of increasing effect,: dirt, cyanaoacrylate, epoxy, welding.

twaimkit

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Eh? Unless I'm misunderstanding you you're saying the pedals spin? That's perfectly normal. Sure if the pedal didn't rotate how exactly do you expect to cycle? They're not supposed to be stiff.

If you're just switching to clipless it just takes practice to clip in/out. The pedals won't fall off the cranks, they self tighten. Absolutely no need to take your bike into an LBS to install pedals.[/QUOTE

Done and dusted. Thanks i was concerned they might fall out while cycling. As it was first time changing pedals a second opinion was handy and they were almost right. Again thanks for advice and now for an evening of clipping in and out.:)
El TEl- thanks for input il keep the welding idea in the back of my mind for the future!!:)

el tel

Twaimkit,

here's an article I think you might like:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/tour-de-france-tech-thor-hushovds-yellow-cervelo-s5-30891/

Read down about Alberto Contador's pedals!

"...and most impressively, even the nearly inertia-free Speedplay Zero pedals will whirl for a couple of seconds if you nudge one with your finger".


Obsessive stuff!

doozerie

el tel wrote: »

"...and most impressively, even the nearly inertia-free Speedplay Zero pedals will whirl for a couple of seconds if you nudge one with your finger".

Which, funnily enough, is in complete contrast to Speedplay's own recommendations where they state that if the pedal rotates freely you need to add more grease. Either Speedplay err very far on the side of caution or Contador gets through a lot of bearings, possibly both.

twaimkit

el tel wrote: »

Twaimkit,

here's an article I think you might like:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/tour-de-france-tech-thor-hushovds-yellow-cervelo-s5-30891/

Read down about Alberto Contador's pedals!

"...and most impressively, even the nearly inertia-free Speedplay Zero pedals will whirl for a couple of seconds if you nudge one with your finger".


Obsessive stuff!

interesting indeed El Tel i now know what to put on my cristmas wish list from santa as a stocking filler:)

Canis Lupus

Just cos I feel mean Feel free to come back and tell us about your first clipless related fall. It happens to everyone eventually

twaimkit

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Just cos I feel mean Feel free to come back and tell us about your first clipless related fall. It happens to everyone eventually

Il even try to include pictures to satisfy the apetite;) havnt fallen yet though so i hope i dont disappoint

twaimkit

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Just cos I feel mean Feel free to come back and tell us about your first clipless related fall. It happens to everyone eventually

Well clipless going well so far. No Falls and noticing a bit of extra power and basline k/hr improved but my strava segments probably wont improve much until i'm 100% compfortable with them:). HAve to say im sorry i didnt swap over sooner. Thanks again to all for advice given