New bike pedals with grease ports

[Number_35]

When cycling, I'd thought, for the past few weeks, that the L side sounded a bit "crunchy", very much like a loose bottom bracket.

However, per the paint matchmarks, it had not backed out at all.

So then I checked the L pedal - and found it falling apart. The central bolt (axle?) had snapped.

It's branded MEC, so a house brand from Mountain Equipment Co-op, similar to REI in the U.S.

Fortunately I remembered that the L pedal is LH-thread, and had no trouble removing it.

Went up to my closest LBS (on a different bike) and bought a pair of DMR pedals. (It says DMR in small normal print elsewhere on the box. The logo looks more like upsidedown JWC to me.)

Anyway, the new pedals felt stiff out of the box, but came with a small (too small, as it turned out) syringe of grease. You remove a tiny recessed-hex threaded plug, and inject the grease into the small orifice. I had to refill the syringe perhaps four or five times, but got both new pedals greased.

Rode 20 km this morning - the new pedals feel pretty good. They loosened up nicely with the new grease.

 

[UG_Passat]

Speedplay pedals have a grease port that requires periodic flushing of the grease. Wal-mart marine grade grease works fine

 

[doublebase]

The last three pairs of One Up pedals I’ve purchased needed to be returned within three rides, wore the bearings out that quickly. Friend bought a pair and same thing. $120 pedals.

I’m now running crankbrothers Stamp 3, magnesium size large. $100-$130. Love these things. Haven’t killed them yet. The older version had the grease ports, the newer ones are sealed. Doesn’t matter, no pedal lasts me much more than a year. But they are rebuildable.

And I can usually get 6-12 months out of Race Face Chesters. Composite pedals, $60...they used to be $45 at one point. Great pedals for the money.

 

[Number_35]

The last three pairs of One Up pedals I’ve purchased needed to be returned within three rides, wore the bearings out that quickly. Friend bought a pair and same thing. $120 pedals.

I’m now running crankbrothers Stamp 3, magnesium size large. $100-$130. Love these things. Haven’t killed them yet. The older version had the grease ports, the newer ones are sealed. Doesn’t matter, no pedal lasts me much more than a year. But they are rebuildable.

And I can usually get 6-12 months out of Race Face Chesters. Composite pedals, $60...they used to be $45 at one point. Great pedals for the money.

Thanks, good to know. I figure the MEC pedals were made by the low bidder somewhere. I can't remember what I paid for them.

I plan to grease the new ones every 1000 km or so, or sooner if they stop turning smoothly - time will tell.

 

[buck91]

I’ve rebuilt a handful of pedals… real PITA with tiny loose ball bearings and inaccessible cone lock nuts…. That said the ubiquitous shimano m520 and m540 pedals seem to last forever anyways…

 

[MRC01]

The Shimano M540 are serviceable, and they can last forever if you keep the bearings clean, properly adjusted & greased. Mine are over 20 years old with many thousands of miles and still spin like new. Of course I service them every couple years or so.

 

[JHZR2]

Looking at the shimano PD-EF202 and 205 pedals for serviceability. I am not sure if they have a grease port but likely serviceable bearings.

OP can you post a photo of the greasing setup?

 

[zzyzzx]

The Shimano M540 are serviceable, and they can last forever if you keep the bearings clean, properly adjusted & greased. Mine are over 20 years old with many thousands of miles and still spin like new. Of course I service them every couple years or so.

I have (maybe the same ones, or similar ones) that you can take apart with some sort of proprietary plastic Shimano adapter to a 1" hex. I don't use the Shimano adapter because I found an actual metal wrench made for this not made by Shimano.

 

[Number_35]

Looking at the shimano PD-EF202 and 205 pedals for serviceability. I am not sure if they have a grease port but likely serviceable bearings.

OP can you post a photo of the greasing setup?

There's a small threaded plug with a hexagonal for a small hex key. It's toward the L side of the pedal's central shaft.

The pedals came with a small syringe of grease. I refilled it several times with Mobil 1 grease - you can see the red grease oozing out at the shaft.

 

[UG_Passat]

Looking at the shimano PD-EF202 and 205 pedals for serviceability. I am not sure if they have a grease port but likely serviceable bearings.

OP can you post a photo of the greasing setup?

 

[nthach]

Speedplays used to have a flush grease port. Not the new Wahoo versions. Else, most Shimanos are greaseable - you need to take the pedal apart.