French threaded SPD pedals?
04-08-21, 03:08 PM
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French threaded SPD pedals?
Did they ever exist? Maybe not MtB style but maybe those little onesided touring jobs.
I just received a very nice bike but it has the dreaded French threaded cranks.
for everyday road riding my shoes are all set up with SPD cleats.
id keep the cranks if i could find pedals that were practical.
I just received a very nice bike but it has the dreaded French threaded cranks.
for everyday road riding my shoes are all set up with SPD cleats.
id keep the cranks if i could find pedals that were practical.
04-08-21, 04:41 PM
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Might could have someone drill and put helicoils in the cranks of the proper thread and direction. But you might just find an entire crank for about the same money as it'd cost for the helicoils, depending on various stuff.
People that have installed a lot of helicoils in the past might be cheaper. A person that only does it occasionally might need or want more tooling and therefore might charge more.
People that have installed a lot of helicoils in the past might be cheaper. A person that only does it occasionally might need or want more tooling and therefore might charge more.
04-08-21, 04:49 PM
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You'll never find SPD pedals w/ anything other than 9/16" thread.
04-08-21, 05:54 PM
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It is fairly easy to re-thread French 14mm x 1.25mm cranks to 9/16" x 20tpi. Of course you will need a left-handed tap for the left crank eye. People have suggested to just force pedals in but that is a bad idea IMO.
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04-08-21, 06:35 PM
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I have probably done over a hundred of these conversions. For best results, pull the cranks. Hold each one in a bench vise protected by aluminum or plastic soft jaws.
Use a set of long tapered pedal taps, like the ones made and sold by Hozan (but if all you have is pedal plug taps, those will work, with caution)
Use a carpenters square on the inner crank face to make certain the tap is started off at a 90* angle. Use some sort of cutting fluid that works well for aluminum, like ATF.
Take your time, and don't get confused on the directional threading on the different arms. Back off the tap every few turns to allow the chips to clear.
I do think there might have been some Look pedals, when they first started making them, in French threading. You'll never find a pair as easily as re-tapping the cranks.
04-09-21, 09:08 AM
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Y'all are probably correct about just getting them tapped to 9/16" x20tpi. I was thinking that they used the same direction threading on both arms. But I looked and found out I was apparently.... confused for a milder word.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html
Pedals
Older French bicycles used a different, smaller diameter where the pedal screws into the crank, 14 mm x 1.25 mm.The vast majority of French bicycles imported into the U.S. used standard 9/16" x 20 tpi crank threading, but if you find an older bicycle that was bought in France, you may run into this problem. The French-thread cranks can be tapped out to 9/16". This is much easier (and more worth the trouble) with aluminum cranks. Start the taps from the inside of the cranks, so any possible thread damage occurs where it doesn't matter. French pedals will often be marked "G" (Gauche=left) and "D" (Droite=right).
04-09-21, 10:06 AM
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Or replace the crankset and sell the French threaded one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-Strong...YAAOSwpUlgNs5a
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-Strong...YAAOSwpUlgNs5a
