eschlwc

which pedal (left or right) is more likely to fail due to the nut and cone loosening after overhaul?

i forgot.

i just overhauled a cheap pair that had no lock washer nor flat sided axle. it was like surgery trying to get it tight and adjusted properly. i think i got it, but i'd like to know which to keep an eye on.

gonna start a miyata 312 rebuild thread soon. it's lookin' sweet.

OldsCOOL

I've had left sides tighten. So, I'm guessing the opposite side of that?

CliffordK

NEITHER Just get the cones good and tight.

I repacked the bearings in a pair of SPD pedals about 1500 miles ago... so far, so good. Smooth, or smoother than new pedals. I do, however, keep my cleat pedal tension set tight, and wonder if the cleats might not be quite as grippy new pedals would be.

When you pedal forward, say on the right side, you are effectively turning the pedal counter-clockwise. So, if the adjustment is on the outer cone, I would think you would in effect be turning the outer cone counter-clockwise too, and thus in effect be loosening the outer cone on the right, and tightening the outer cone on the left.

So, if your right pedal turns counter-clockwise, why do you tighten the right clockwise? This is a bit more complicated, but apparently has to do with precession. See notes here:
Everyday Scientist » why is the left bike pedal left-hand threaded?
forces - Why are bicycle pedal threads' handedness left on the left and right on the right? - Physics Stack Exchange

I'm not sure whether the cones are also subject to precession, in which case the effect may be opposite. However, I'm going with my initial assumption of the right loosening and the left tightening assuming the adjustable cones on the outside.

rootboy 

Neither. If you use good pedals.

cradom

Not to hijack but... I have some aluminum Wellgo's with a plastic plug/cap. Are these removable to service the bearings?
Similar to these: Universal Cycles -- Wellgo 944 Pedals

Pars 

All of the ones I have seen have been. Look closely and there might be a small slot to stick a screwdriver in to pop it out. Getting them out without marring can be an issue however.

eschlwc

no hijack, as those might be the same as my original post.

i bought them used with clips/straps for $10, so thought they would work for this budget build. but the cones were adjusted way too tight. i asked the guy if they were serviceable, and he said no. rats. oh well. at home, i pried the cap off with a small screwdriver and noticed the lock nut was accessible, so i gave it a shot.

the only problem was a big one: i found no toothed lock nut nor axle designed for one.

but it was too late now. i repacked the bearings, and through trial and error, i managed to get the nut and cone tight again. using the small screwdriver to fix the cone in place while using a socket (with screwdriver attachment) on the nut helped secure the two together. then i removed the screwdriver and tightened the nut (and now its secured cone as well) toward the bearings using a wrench with the socket. so it had to be a little loose to begin the process.

it was a lot harder without a lock washer to keep the cone in place.

if the pedals revolved feely, i wouldn't have risked it. good luck.

eschlwc

wow. great post. thanks.

the right was what i was thinking too. just wanted to be sure.

eschlwc

yikes. i'm guessing that left you stuck somewhere.

that's the problem, isn't it?

good vintage pedals are always the hardest to find. a couple times, i think i've found a great set, and something was inherently wrong.

people probably just throw out old ones, thinking they're too much trouble to bring back to life. but i actually enjoy the process ... at least when the lock washers are in good shape and the axle doesn't crumble when removing the lock nut.

CliffordK

I've repacked my old Campy pedals before. It has been a while. If I manage to pull them out of retirement, I'll need to do it again. I remember them being a pain getting everything shoved into the hole.

Many of the new Shimano SPD pedals are designed so you pull the pedal housing off of the spindle. Then work on the spindle, and finally screw the housing back onto the spindle. It was quite an easy process if one has the right tool.

OldsCOOL

Didnt strand me but I suspect it slowed me down and made it more difficult to make a PR run on a little 13mi TT course that day.

Ol Danl

I've bought some Wellgos that looked like decent platform pedals, but because the axle didn't come with a toothed washer/ slotted axle, and the access to the nuts after removing the plug was very small, I could not adjust them. How much did they save in making them that way? Obviously, they intended for them to be thrown away, rather than serviced.

eschlwc

the campy road pedals i had were really easy to overhaul because the cone flats were accessible with a cone wrench. so you could keep the cone fixed with that thin wrench while tightening the nut using a socket. it was just like adjusting a hub.

but most pedals i've seen don't allow a tool to easily fix the cone in place, making a lock washer all the more important.

Salubrious

I've had good luck servicing Lyotards and also those British pedals that show up on British 3-speeds.

Dave Mayer

Left cones tighten to the point where it destroys the balls and the cone and then the ball race. Then the left pedal locks up and unwinds itself.

I had this happen on a long mountain bike ride in the middle of nowhere. I made the mistake of overhauling my pedals a week before, and I did not get the cones and the locknuts tight enough against each other.

Save yourself this risk and the painful fussy work of pedal overhaul. Punch a small hole in the dustcap. Inject grease using a grease injector tool (that rhymes with 'fun') until the old nasty grease is pushed out on the inside. This will take you less than 5 minutes, and the insides of the pedals will be as clean as if you took it all apart and reassembled.

If the pedals are really good, such as the old Campy Record pedals, they will already have a grease port. Best wet weather pedals ever.

eschlwc

^ i think i've read that before from you. but that option sounds like a terrible idea to me and doesn't jive with my sensibilities as a proper mechanic. as i said before, overhauling components isn't "painful" nor "fussy," given they're serviceable. i've overhauled all the pedals (and then some) on all the bikes i've rebuilt.

if i had pedals that were not serviceable, i would just spray some oil in there until i found a better pair.

CliffordK

That is probably the advantage of the "new" design used on the Shimano SPD pedals, and perhaps other models.

You pull the pedal body off of the spindle, then you have good access to all of the bearings and lock nuts. I think it was even designed so that the little bearings wouldn't fall into the wrong spot.Very simple repack. Then, you have good access to tighten the lock nuts back down.

As far as just squirting in new grease, perhaps it will help. The reason I repacked my bearings was that one side was a little loose when I got the pedals (maybe the other side was tight?) Anyway, just shoving in more grease wouldn't fix that. Furthermore, a good cleaning can't be beat.

My Campy pedals lost one of the bearing covers. I've now picked up a replacement, but a cleaning and repack is the next step to get them back on the road. I won't just slap a little grease in and call it good.