Technical question: How to service pedals

What with all the fun going on, i forgot that one of the reasons i joined this forum was to get advice on technical matters!

I have a few sets of old pedals, which are a bit to very rough in operation, that is, they don’t spin freely on the axle. I notice some of them have a nut on the outside end, but it’s recessed into the body, so inaccessible with a spanner. Are they like hub axles inside? I assume I’d need a socket set. If so, what size, or are they all different? I’ve normally just replaced pedals when they’ve worn out, as they’re relatively cheap, but if they can be serviced at all, then they might be ok for spares and town bikes.

Very much depends on the make/model. Some aren’t servicable at all. Crank Brothers stuff can be maintained and there are bearing/bushing kits available.

If they have an end cap take it off and fill the endcap & gap in axle with grease. This should squeeze grease into the pedal when endcap put back on, will serpantly help them if they use bushings or loose bearings.

The likes of Time and Crank bro’s have replaceable cartridge bearing & bushing. You’ll need a long reach socket to get to the nut, usually 10mm but IIRC I got a set covering the 9-12mm range from halford for not a lot of money.
For CB and time…Undo the end cap, remove the nut, pull the pedal off the axle (usually easier to do this by leaving it on the crank arm) and you have access to the bearings. For CB you can buy service kits with all the new bushings, bearing and seal. For Time pop down to a local bearing supplier and get replacement ones for pennies.

easiest way is drill a hole in the end cap and squirt grease through.

dissembling them is a fankle and only for the adept.

Ah, these are just simple caged flat pedals, mostly. There is a pair of DMR pedals as well which seem really rough. i’m wondering if the bearings are like those in hubs, with cups and cones, and if they are actually serviceable, or just not worth it?

On a friend’s bike the other day, one pedal actually seized up, and wouldn’t turn. Luckily there was a bike shop nearby so we bought a new pair, but the seized one feels like the cones have tightened themselves up somehow. Weird. i had a look at it, and removed the plastic cap, and it looks like there’s a small nut, a washer, and another nut or cone. I would be good to be able to service them for spares rather than throw them away, as it’s such a waste.

Yes they are C+C. You won’t be able to get spare cups or cones though so there’s a limit to what you can do.

You can get a bit more life out of them though.

That’s what i want, cycnic-al. Rather than just throw them in the bin. I have at least 4 pairs which could be re-used for basic duties.

One pair appears to have sealed bearings. I imagine these may be harder to deal with?

You’ll struggle to get the bearings out and what you can do to them otherwise is very limited.

ok, those I might leave/take to a bike shop to see if anything can be done. Theothers, I’d like to be able to service them if possible. The seized tight one would need a socket; what size or are they all different?

prob all different. Actually replacing cartridge bearings will make a big difference of course.

Hmm, maybe i should get a small socket set, as I only have a fixed arm and one or two sockets. I’m assuming the nuts are maybe 10, 11 or 12mm? But if they differ from pedal to pedal, safer to just get a range of sockets?

Actually replacing cartridge bearings will make a big difference of course.

Can they be bashed out like wheel bearings? Or would that destroy the pedal?

I find I need to service mine annually and can buy a bushing kit for them (Straitlines).

I had assumed that sealed bearings didn’t need anything doing to them? My Funn’s have been going for a few years without any tlc!

OP I don’t know I’m afraid. I wonder whether the expense would be justified.

Mk1 DMR V8s have a 12mm locking nut you will need a socket to undo (and a fairly low profile one, not all my sockets are skinny enough to fit).

Sod it, saves me typing it out:
http://steveukmtb.wordpress.com/dmr-v8-pedal-overhaul-cup-and-cone/

My V8s are over 10 years old thanks to regular servicing (and an allergy to mud).
Contrary to opinions above, it’s a piece of piss.

Cartridge bearings can be difficult to remove without the correct tools. As they tend to be pressed in, it is easy to damage the holding body by failing to pull them out straight.
Having said that, if your pedals are knackered what have you got to lose? 😀
Always buy replacement bearings from an engineering shop rather than a bike shop. They will be the same but a fraction of the price.

If you google your make you should find a service guide online somewhere??
If they are not cartridge bearings they are probably not worth the effort sadly.

Not sure you need a socket set for bikes tbh…borrow one from a mate when you do?
Pedals ar ethe only things I can think off…probbaly even an adjustable is fine for less bling bikes than are usual on here

Cartridge bearings are not serviceable, you just replace them.
The whole point of servicing is so that you don’t have to replace parts.
That’s why I bought V8s with serviceable bearings as opposed to the “superior” V12s with non serviceable cartridge bearings on one side of the pedal and a poxy bush on the other.

Ps. OP: I have successfully managed to lose the end cap of my pedal between popping it out to check the nut size and posting on here.
Arse!

i’m sorry you lost your end cap. I think i have the V8 pedals as they appear to have a similar nut arrangment inside like the others.

Thanks for the advice. I will take the pedals down to Hlafords to get the right sized sockets. i’m sure servicing the pedals is a lot better than throwing them away, even if they re not perfect.

V8s run forever* if you adjust them correctly when new, then fill ’em full of grease, and top up the grease regularly with something like Castol CL.

I threw away the supplied syringe and now use a much larger syringe with clear hose and a brass nipple to screw into the pedal grease port.

*not actually tested this yet