New pedals' bearings adjustment
#1
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New pedals' bearings adjustment
I bought some Shimano pedals, the m540. I always inspect everything really closely, so I noticed that the left pedal has very little play in it. It's only noticeable if I grab it with my fingers and rock it perpendicularly to the pedal's axle. It's not noticeable when I'm riding.
Should I adjust the bearings if the play is barely noticeable? Or is a little play normal in pedals? It's not a difficult task and no special tools are needed for this pedal, but I don't want to waste time fixing something that shouldn't be fixed!
I don't know about high-end products, but I noticed that with middle level stuff, it's better to make sure everything is working properly if you want the parts to last.
Thank you.
Should I adjust the bearings if the play is barely noticeable? Or is a little play normal in pedals? It's not a difficult task and no special tools are needed for this pedal, but I don't want to waste time fixing something that shouldn't be fixed!
I don't know about high-end products, but I noticed that with middle level stuff, it's better to make sure everything is working properly if you want the parts to last.
Thank you.
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I wouldn't have expected there to be any play. Sounds like the shaft that threads onto the crank might need it's bolt tightening up? Shouldn't take long to quickly whip it apart, even if there's nothing wrong.
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Sorry, I wasn't clear. The part of the pedal that you bolt onto the crank can be separated from the pedal casing by the bolt that's nearest to the exposed threads.
This is the part I would attempt to tighten up. Be careful because there's right and left hand threads going on with these.
This is the part I would attempt to tighten up. Be careful because there's right and left hand threads going on with these.
#5
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It's normal with the M520s, in my experience. I would think the M540s are the same. After over two years of riding 20 miles per day (including two dirty winters) the play has become no worse and cannot be felt when riding.
I would leave them alone, if I were you.
I would leave them alone, if I were you.
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This one was tight, and it was the only thing I unscrewed. I started the disassembly, but stopped when I realized that I need a 7 mm wrench to adjust the bearings. Then I thought it's a good thing I don't have the wrench, because maybe I don't need to adjust anything. So I created this thread to confirm.
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#8
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No problem. Forgot to say that I have a replacement pair (brand new still, long story) with the same amount of play - that's how I know it's no worse than when I first started using them.
#9
shimano makes a special tool to adjust the bearings. It's a good idea to open them up and get rid of the play. Cup and cone bearings need a little preload or in time they will begin to ruin the cones.
Every 5k miles or so you can pull the bearing and clean out the housing. Pump fresh grease into the housing and replace the bearing forcing the old grease in it out.
Every 5k miles or so you can pull the bearing and clean out the housing. Pump fresh grease into the housing and replace the bearing forcing the old grease in it out.
#10
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shimano makes a special tool to adjust the bearings. It's a good idea to open them up and get rid of the play. Cup and cone bearings need a little preload or in time they will begin to ruin the cones.
Every 5k miles or so you can pull the bearing and clean out the housing. Pump fresh grease into the housing and replace the bearing forcing the old grease in it out.
Every 5k miles or so you can pull the bearing and clean out the housing. Pump fresh grease into the housing and replace the bearing forcing the old grease in it out.
As an aside, this option is no longer available to me on my original set of M520s since a paceline took me straight over a piece of industrial wrapping material which bound round the left pedal spindle and destroyed the bearing cap. Hence the replacement set.
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#13
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Might be worth a go if the play isn't equal in both pedals.
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Went out and bought a 7mm wrench (I had almost all sizes except the 7mm one!). Adjusting the bearings was a breeze and took about 2 minutes. I thought it'd be frustrating.
No play now in either pedals. I didn't touch the right pedal to check if the bearings were too tight, as it spins freely enough.
No play now in either pedals. I didn't touch the right pedal to check if the bearings were too tight, as it spins freely enough.
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In my experience it's common for new, from the factory, pedals to be poorly adjusted, usually too tight. As somebody mentioned above, a little preload is good. They shouldn't be loose, but if you can feel significant "bumping" when you rotate them or they are hard to turn, you should adjust them.
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I had a brand new M520's that had play in it when I received it. It felt like there was a clicking in my bottom bracket so I needed to tighten it up. easy to fix. You need a special tool to remove the spindle of the M520 but I don't think any special tools are necessary for the M540.