Sharing pedals between bikes

Any issues having one set of pedals and swapping them over between 2 bikes when needed? Probably once or twice a month at most. Would it cause premature wear to the threads on either the pedals or the cranks?

Nah, ’tis a PITA though.

I do it on my gravel bike, clipped in when solo and doing a proper ride and flats with trainers for when family riding.

Shimano pedals I find quite easy to take on/off but it’s still a royal pain in the butt.

My Look Keo road pedals….no way would I even contemplate doing this.

It will wear the crank threads (not the pedals) prematurely and then there’s the risk that you accidentally cross thread one every time you do it. I wouldn’t.

Nope, just not worth it. As for having SPD’s, I have a pair of “Trainers” that are SPD for casual riding, and don’t look out of place like pukka bike shoes.

Is there a risk of transmitted SPD’s?

Hmm guess I’ll stump up for a second set of vaults then.

Plenty of roadies swap pedals all the time, anyone with Favero or Garmin power meters, anyone who rides track on a hired bike. The hire bikes at velodromes will be getting the pedals changed every time they’re ridden as most places ask you to bring your own pedals.

I used to keep my bike in my room under the bed with the pedals off at uni because the shed’s weren’t all that great. Meant the pedals came on/off every ride.

My Look Keo road pedals….no way would I even contemplate doing this.

Why?

It will wear the crank threads (not the pedals) prematurely

I’m entirely unconvinced.

a) it’s a fairly big coarse thread.

b) you use lube, otherwise it just creaks all the time.

c) Precession, the cyclical action of pedaling is constantly moving the threads sufficiently that if they weren’t left/right handed they would loosen and fall out.  The movement and force involved in that is far higher than nipping up the pedals with a 5 or 6 mm hex hey.

d) see above, the real world example of hire bikes at velodromes, they probably get the pedals swapped multiple times a day.

cross threading

Only if you’re ham fisted.

Don’t bother. When I was trying to switch to flats I used to keep swapping pedals. It is a PITA and I did end up damaging the thread.

Just put a cheap set on one bike? I think cheap (Nukeproof) £20 pedals work fine nowadays.

It will wear the crank threads (not the pedals) prematurely and then there’s the risk that you accidentally cross thread one every time you do it. I wouldn’t.

If you’re ham-fisted and mechanically unsympathetic, then this may apply, otherwise you’ll be fine.

Thread wear might become a problem, if you do it a hundred times a day. Not crossthreading is just a matter of basic competence and a tiny amount of care, you don’t need both, either one will do, but people do still manage it. Finding a tool that suits you does help- a big plastic p-handled allen key is ideal ime, one that you can whack against the frame without ill effect.

Mostly it’s just kind of a pain in the bum. It’s such a trivial thing to do but even so, if one of my bikes has pedals on and another doesn’t, I’ll just pretty much never ride the one that does. Same reason I went off spd pedals, I like my bikes to be just ready to hop on and go. It doens’t have to be that way of course and you might not have as much psychology as I seem to.

The other thing though is that really good flat pedals can so cheap as to make it pretty much irrelevant. I’m on Thinkrider pedals from Aliexpress, £12 a go and they’re imo better than my Vaults were, but if you want a brand then the HT PA03A is as good, and still cheap.

Swap them on my TT bike, road bike, and gravel bike from time to time.

– Power meter pedals (road cleats) get swapped from TT to road bike

– road bike – use mtb pedals in winter on the road bike as I’ve only got winter mtb boots, and sometimes the power meter pedals if I’m using triathlon.

Never a problem. If they don’t thread in by hand, just don’t be a gorilla and try to force with a spanner or Allen key!

And (as with many walks of life) lube before screwing.

The thread will only wear if they’re not tight enough – there’ll be negligible wear due to tightening/untightening. I always start the thread by hand. I must’ve done thousands over the years as a mechanic – only ever cross-threaded once on a kid’s BSO with poorly cut threads

“It will wear the crank threads (not the pedals) prematurely ”

I don’t agree. Grease the treads, keep them clean and start the insertion by hand turning.

I do it with my Garmin PM ones.

Having fancy pedals and cranks really does make you careful when swapping them!

DrP

I do it all the time, never had an issue.

Top tip for loosening pedals:

1. Point crank arm for the pedal you are loosening towards front wheel

2. Foot on pedal

3. Allen key in back of pedal

4. Pull up with the Allen key and push down with your foot.

Used to do this when swapping flats between bikes.

surprising how often I’d turn the right pedal the correct way to loosen, get some resistance, and then figure I’d got it wrong and tighten it further 🤦🏻‍♂️

as has been said it’s not a problem as long as you’re careful aligning the threads, use some grease, and torque correctly. It is a pain though and less hassle to get more pedals or settle on specific pedals for specific bikes.

It will wear the crank threads (not the pedals) prematurely and then there’s the risk that you accidentally cross thread one every time you do it. I wouldn’t.

Not being an engineer how does this compare to putting your bolt through wheels in and out a couple of times a week to pop your bike in and out of the car to head out for a ride or having a couple of punctures a month?

I mean if it’s an excuse to replace a frame and fork and swap the cranks over then maybe that works …

I’ve always shared mine and never had a problem with threads. Always use an hex key and pull them in. Grease when needed.

I do it all the time, have done for years, no problems.

I always pick pedals that can be swapped using a pedal spanner though, why the hell manufacturers make some that can only be removed with Allen keys is beyond me.

come to think of it the only time I’ve had a problem was a pair that were Allen key specific, they were too tight and the key rounded the hole and I had to remove the entire crank and get them drilled out.

I’m often changing pedals between bikes as I switch between flats and SPD’s depending on mood and where I’m riding. I can’t say I’ve ever cross threaded them and never seen a crank thread wear out. I always make sure the threads are greased and properly tightened.

The only issue I can see is if you can be bothered to do it.

I always pick pedals that can be swapped using a pedal spanner though,

Same. It’s a doddle and I can’t see a problem with changing them regularly

I’ve done it for twenty odd years and have never had a problem with either pedals or cranks.

In fact, I’d say doing it leads to fewer problems. I’ve got one set which lives on the commuter bike and they always seize in because they don’t get swapped often enough! The other two (little XTR XC pedals and big Saint DH pedals) get swapped around all the time between the other bikes no problem.

Isn’t the primary thing here just that it’s a hassle you don’t have to endure for the sake of spending 30 odd quid on another set of pedals regardless of whether you will cause microscopic damage to the molecules of your crank threads of whatever?

Yes, you can change them, and unless you’re careless, it shouldn’t be a problem – certainly once or twice a month – but it just seems like something you don’t have to have in your life for a relatively small expenditure.

Sod’s law says that the one time you suddenly have trouble removing a pedal will be when you’re  hungover and ten minutes late for a meet-up with mates already and just want to get out of the door. At which point you’ll probably write off your cranks after using a 10-foot extension bar to accidentally not spin the pedal in the wrong direction…

Maybe I’ll stick with sharing for now then, I’ve never cross threaded anything yet (but there’s always a first time I guess). Always hand tighten at first and spin the cranks backwards once engaged until they need tightening up properly. Always have a dab of coppaslip on the threads as well. As for why I would want another set of vaults – I’ve been through a few pedals, always come back to the vaults so will be sticking with them, seem to be the optimum amount of concavity, grip and size for my feet.

I often take pedals off to avoid damage on car racks when you’ve more than a couple of bikes plus if travelling and renting I take my regular pedals…my guess is rental shops are swopping pedals weekly

Grease and don’t overtighten

@thisisnotaspoon +1

My four bikes live inside my van on a pull out tray. I could leave the pedals on, but it’s too much tetris head scratching, so I take them off.

Big 8mm Allen key lives on the tray.

Takes 30s for each pedal. Threads get a lick of grease every now and then. No need to tighten pedals to the nth degree.

Is there a risk of transmitted SPD’s?

Wahey!