Pedal Bearings

Pigeon Reaper

My Shimano 530 pedal bearings appear to be worn out as they have play in them. Can these be serviced effectively or do I need to replace the whole pedal?

piston

I have no experience of this particular pedal but most pedals will come apart in my experience. They have normal cup and cone bearings, like a hub or an old style bottom bracket but on a smaller scale.

Look for a removable cover on the outside edge of the pedal. Pop it off (or possibly it unscrews) and you should find a lock nut. Remove the lock nut and the washer underneath it. It can be tricky to find something to grip the cone to unscrew it but narrow nosed pliers should do in most cases. I would do this over the top of an old biscuit tin to catch anything that drops out.

When you have the cone unscrewed, the loose balls bearings should drop out and the pedal body will slide off the spindle. Clean the bearing surfaces well, put it back together with fresh grease and the correct number of new 1/8" balls. Set the pre-load on the bearings, unlike a hub, a pedal bearing can be adjusted until it binds ever so slightly, it's considered preferable to having clack pedal bearings.