Are there any road pedals that use bushings INSTEAD OF bearings?
03-05-16, 05:22 PM
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Are there any road pedals that use bushings INSTEAD OF bearings?
I ride my pedals 5 days a week in sun, rain, sleet, snow, ice (and salt!). Twice a year the bearing in my right pedal explodes on a long ride and sometimes I can't dissasemble the pedal because everything inside is so ground up. YES I know I need to just start servicing my pedals before they explode (I use crank bro eggbeaters which have a cheap service kit) but I am curious what it would be like to use a pedal without any bearings? 
I have an old set of plastic pedals that have like a billion miles on them and they are still spinning freely. I assume this is due to their extremely simple design (no bearings). Are there any road or even mountain pedals that use bushings instead of bearings or is this something that isn't manufactured due to reasons that I am unaware of?
I have an old set of plastic pedals that have like a billion miles on them and they are still spinning freely. I assume this is due to their extremely simple design (no bearings). Are there any road or even mountain pedals that use bushings instead of bearings or is this something that isn't manufactured due to reasons that I am unaware of?
03-05-16, 05:27 PM
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As much as I hate to say it, your problem has more to do with using eggbeaters than anything else. Those are notorious for requiring very frequent rebuilds.
03-05-16, 05:51 PM
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Bushings are not appropriate for that application, bearincs are.
03-05-16, 05:57 PM
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Kid's tricycles often have pedals with no bearings.
Good pedals rarely need maintenance.
Good pedals rarely need maintenance.
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03-05-16, 06:49 PM
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I have definitely heard that crank bros have terrible durability but I don't understand what would make their bearings any different from a "mid range shimano or look pedal"?
03-05-16, 08:50 PM
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Time ATACs use a large polymer bushing on the inbound side and a sealed cartridge bearing on the outbound. They are extremely durable and unlike Crank Bros can go years in harsh conditions without servicing.
03-05-16, 09:49 PM
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I don't know the answer. But I've ridden nothing but Look or Shimano pedals for 30 years at 5,000 annually and never had a problem with pedal bearings. I did have issues years ago with Look springs and switched to Shimano and have zero since. I've also never done maintenance of pedals at all.
03-06-16, 09:37 AM
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FWIW: Bushing are bearings, AKA plain bearings. Cartridge or cup and cone bearings are ball bearings, the entire assembly being a bearing. The balls used in these are not bearings but rather bearing balls.
03-06-16, 10:09 AM
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It's probably not bad bearings but more likely ineffective seals allowing water into the bearings.
03-06-16, 10:55 AM
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me neither, but I work at a shop and can say that I see trash crankbros pedals 10x more than any other brand
03-06-16, 11:15 AM
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Ben
03-06-16, 02:25 PM
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