Anybody clean their pedals?
06-25-19, 04:38 PM
#1
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Anybody clean their pedals?
I feel like that's too OCD, even for this place. Prove me wrong. Pics or it didn't happen.
06-25-19, 07:17 PM
#3
Non omnino gravis
I do. Spray 'em with cleaner, hold a microfiber under, blast with compressed air. Tryin' to make 'em last as long as I can.
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06-25-19, 07:20 PM
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I will wipe them down maybe two or three times a year. I grease them once a year, and that's such a messy job that I pretty much have to clean them after I'm done. And then I usually lube my cleats every ~300-500 miles, and sometimes it's easier to lube the pedal interface rather than the cleat...at which point, see previous re: messy job, and so I have to clean them.
06-25-19, 09:12 PM
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You folks are making me feel better about my sickness.
06-26-19, 02:34 AM
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Nah, nothing special. Just a Sonicare brush system for the dirt, micro-tweezers and a microscope for the stuff that gets stuck, some Armor All applied with a fine cloth made from last year's Rapha jersey. And overhauling with new bearings and grease once a week.
Kidding. I clean my pedals maybe once a year or when I can't kick the dried clay off after three weeks of trying. They only get properly cleaned when I overhaul them, which might be every couple of years.
Kidding. I clean my pedals maybe once a year or when I can't kick the dried clay off after three weeks of trying. They only get properly cleaned when I overhaul them, which might be every couple of years.
06-26-19, 07:37 AM
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Although I’m now on Garmin pedals, I rode my last Dura Ace pedals from 2005-2018 and never took them apart or greased them. They would get sprayed with soap and water when the bike was washed that’s about it. I still have them in a box and though scraped and well used they still spin as nice as the day I bought them. Love those pedals!
06-26-19, 07:43 AM
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if they have cleats it might make practical sense to clean & lube them periodically
06-26-19, 08:10 AM
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I spray them down when I'm washing the whole bike.
But one time I was getting a pedal squeak that I couldn't figure out so I took them off and hot waxed them. Solved the problem, cleaned the pedals pretty good too and now they're a little more rust resistant than before. I've done a couple wet rides and the springs that usually show some surface rust are still wax coated and protected. Not that I'd recommend it necessarily, but it's something.
But one time I was getting a pedal squeak that I couldn't figure out so I took them off and hot waxed them. Solved the problem, cleaned the pedals pretty good too and now they're a little more rust resistant than before. I've done a couple wet rides and the springs that usually show some surface rust are still wax coated and protected. Not that I'd recommend it necessarily, but it's something.
06-26-19, 09:01 AM
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I ride and like Time Expresso pedals. I wash them as part of a regular bike wash because they do get creaky if I don't keep them clean and lubed. YMMV.
06-26-19, 09:49 AM
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Sometimes my son wipes down my bike. I guess it's when it's too dirty and it embarrasses him to be seen riding with me/ Possibly he wipes the pedals too, but I don't know.
However to my memory, in the last ten years the only time I sort'a cleaned my pedals is when I took them off to put on another bike.
However to my memory, in the last ten years the only time I sort'a cleaned my pedals is when I took them off to put on another bike.
Last edited by Iride01; 06-26-19 at 10:03 AM.
06-26-19, 09:55 AM
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I clean my XTR trail pedals regularly. If the shoe-pedal interface area around the cleat is dirty, they squeak. I give them a deep clean about once a year when I disassemble and re-grease them.
06-26-19, 10:11 AM
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I have never cleaned or touched my Shimano SPD pedals. But reading this thread here makes me think I need to start paying attention to them...
I did try to re-grease Mrs. NoWhammies Speedplay pedals, but I obviously wasn't putting enough force on my grease gun because the grease just came squirting back out at me...
I did try to re-grease Mrs. NoWhammies Speedplay pedals, but I obviously wasn't putting enough force on my grease gun because the grease just came squirting back out at me...
06-26-19, 10:30 AM
#18
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I've been riding a lot of dirt and gravel roads lately. And even in the summer this is a wet place, it starts to dry out but there are patches of mud.
Yesterday I had time to give the bone a good cleaning. Made the drive trail sparkle. I had never cleaned my pedals before, but I had all the tools in hand.
Yesterday I had time to give the bone a good cleaning. Made the drive trail sparkle. I had never cleaned my pedals before, but I had all the tools in hand.
06-26-19, 10:37 AM
#19
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I'll hit the pedals with a pressure washer at an automated car wash place after a muddy CX race.
06-26-19, 11:02 AM
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I didn't remove any wax, just let the pedals hang and drip until they were cool. The first clip in pushed the wax out of the way, it didn't even feel different. These were Shimano SPD pedals/cleats.
What's interesting is that the older pedals that were a little rusty seem to retain the wax much better than I would expect based on waxing chains. As in the smooth surface of the chain will eventually shed the wax coating but the texture of surface rust pulls the wax in and makes it much harder to remove. Sorta like waxed cotton I suppose. Downside is that it's obvious the covered rust on areas other than the springs is still growing, albeit much more slowly. I didn't have any new pedals to wax but I will in the future, it seems to work very well and even better on a pedal without any rust.
Here's an example, a couple months ago I did a gravel ride that ended up with 2 hours of heavy rain. Lots of grit and my bike was an absolute mess afterwards, covered with dirt and sand. Here's what the pedals looked like afterward. Normal surface rust on the contact surfaces but the springs, screws and other areas that did not physically touch my shoes are still covered in wax and don't show any new corrosion.
What's interesting is that the older pedals that were a little rusty seem to retain the wax much better than I would expect based on waxing chains. As in the smooth surface of the chain will eventually shed the wax coating but the texture of surface rust pulls the wax in and makes it much harder to remove. Sorta like waxed cotton I suppose. Downside is that it's obvious the covered rust on areas other than the springs is still growing, albeit much more slowly. I didn't have any new pedals to wax but I will in the future, it seems to work very well and even better on a pedal without any rust.
Here's an example, a couple months ago I did a gravel ride that ended up with 2 hours of heavy rain. Lots of grit and my bike was an absolute mess afterwards, covered with dirt and sand. Here's what the pedals looked like afterward. Normal surface rust on the contact surfaces but the springs, screws and other areas that did not physically touch my shoes are still covered in wax and don't show any new corrosion.
I am going to do this! Next time I fire up the crock pot to do chains I am doing pedals. Awesome
06-26-19, 11:10 AM
#21
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The Rapha jersey part is sublime.
Thanks.
-Tim-
06-26-19, 06:47 PM
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I had never bothered but today I was wiping the bike down with a damp cloth after a ride and figured what the hell. Gave both pedals a quick once over and you know what? They looked exactly the same after I was finished as before. But I don't ride in the rain or off road so they don't ever really get very dirty.
06-26-19, 09:51 PM
#24
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Great! The only tip I have is the pedals need more time to come to temp to keep from getting that thick coating of wax that happens when hot wax hits a cooler object. I can drop a chain in and pull it out in a minute or so, I had to leave the pedals in for around 5-7 minutes before they were up to temp and as hot as the wax. When I pulled them out and let them drip there was only the slightest sheen of wax that obviously became thicker and more visible as it cooled.
I ask out of ignorance. Not trying to challenge.
I have no idea how hot wax is vs what the drop point of the grease inside the bearings might be.
-Tim-
