Pedal Maintenance

[p3eps]

A bit of a story here, so bare with me.

Around July last year, I bought a pair of HT Components ME03T pedals. Super light weight, good pin placement, thin profile, and I was really happy with them.

I’ve never really thought about pedal maintenance before as I always just used them until they ‘went’ and then replaced them.

In December, my pedals started creaking and cracking when under load. Being only a few months old and pretty expensive, I contacted HT about claiming warranty.
Unfortunately I bought them from Germany (pre-Brexit!) and had to return them to Bike Components in Germany. This was a massive hassle as shipping out of the EU and Covid delays meant I didn’t get them back until April… with new axels and a new service kit fitted.

They were returned from Shocker (German HT repair centre) with the axels in the wrong pedals. Bike Components asked me to return them again - but it seemed easier if I swapped them over. During this, I realised how little was in the pedal and how simple a service would actually be! Unfortunately you need a special tool kit to perform the service… so ordered a couple of service kits and this very expensive service toolkit.

I didn’t want to actually run the pedals until I got was able to service them, and since fitted have been noting every mile they’ve done. My plan was to strip and re-grease every 100 miles, and put a service kit on them just before the weather turns bad, and see how they go from there.

After about 41 miles, I stripped the pedals, cleaned the seals and re-greased as they were creaking a bit. After 2 rides (about 35 miles) the pedals started creaking / cracking as soon as I left the house. I decided to test out my new tool kit, and did a full service - swapping all parts of the service kit and re-greasing again.

The next ride, they felt great. It was a bit sloppy outside and the bike got particularly dirty over the 18 mile ride.
A week later (today) I went out again. Within about a mile the left pedal was making a really odd squealing noise, and about 10 mins later was creaking / cracking again.

I guess I’ve got a couple of questions here…

1. How often ‘should’ a pedal need serviced? How many miles between cleaning / re-greasing, and how many miles should I get out of a service kit?

2. What type of grease should I be using in pedals? I’m just using a multipurpose grease - TF2 Ultimate Bike Grease. Is there something more specific?

3. When I look at the axels, they look like new. The IGUS bushing and needle bearings are brand new… and have done about 20 miles, so why are they cracking under load?

The pedals were expensive, the service tool kit was expensive, and I have a little ‘stock’ of service kits and spare pins… so I don’t want to give up on the pedals. At the same time, I don’t want to have to be working on these after every ride - it’s just not practical when I’ve had pedals last years without any maintenance!

They lasted about 4 1/2 months when new before creaking, so the only thing I can think that’s different is the grease used?

Appreciate any insight!

 

[Hobo Mikey]

I have had my vault pedals on my bike since new and no problems apart from a couple of studs coming loose due to pedal strikes. I had a set of Shimano pedals on my old canondale for about 15 years, never serviced them and still have them if I decide to go clip in for the winter. Yours sound like they are faulty From the start.

 

[Gary]

1. How often ‘should’ a pedal need serviced?

They should run smoothly for thousands of miles not less than a hundred.
assuming you're not jetwashing the internals dry or smashing them off everything each ride.

2. What type of grease should I be using in pedals? I’m just using a multipurpose grease - TF2 Ultimate Bike Grease. Is there something more specific?

They shouldn't need a lot of grease. The bearings should be sealed and the bushings are designed to be run dry

3. When I look at the axles, they look like new. The IGUS bushing and needle bearings are brand new… and have done about 20 miles, so why are they cracking under load?

Badly adjusted axle preload or wrongly re-assembled internals.
Damaged parts
or just very poor tolerances.

those are an extremely lightweight set of flat pedals. so much so that they come with a rider weight limit.
unless you are a very light smooth rider I'd just bin them and replace with something more suitable.

 

[Gary]

just noticed you're in Scotland

so yeah. totally avoid super light components. one of the most common downsides to any super lightweight component is almost always poorer sealing and flex. and scotland being 50% Bog/ 50% rock that's never going to work out well

 

[Bomble]

What would be your recommendation for a decent flat pedal Gary?

 

[steve_sordy]

Thousands of miles to the first service, then less well thereafter, but still nowhere near 100 miles. I have two pairs of DMR Vaults (legacy from when I used to have two bikes). I've had one set for a year or so longer than the other but as they are both black with blue pins (or were), I can't tell them apart. Bushings and bearings replaced 3-4 times between the pair of them.

 

[Gary]

What would be your recommendation for a decent flat pedal Gary?

That depends on many factors and personal preference.
HT make pedals I'd be more than happy to run but some I'd completely avoid.

 

[p3eps]

They should run smoothly for thousands of miles not less than a hundred.
assuming you're not jetwashing the internals dry or smashing them off everything each ride.

They shouldn't need a lot of grease. The bearings should be sealed and the bushings are designed to be run dry


Badly adjusted axle preload or wrongly re-assembled internals.
Damaged parts
or just very poor tolerances.

those are an extremely lightweight set of flat pedals. so much so that they come with a rider weight limit.
unless you are a very light smooth rider I'd just bin them and replace with something more suitable.

I’ve probably been going overboard with the grease - pumping enough in so that it squelches out. Is that a bad thing other than a waste?
Axle pre-load? What is that?

I’m pleased to say these have only had a few minor dings, and are still in pretty good condition.

I’m within the weight limit of the pedals (when geared up), although not by much to be honest. I did wonder about swapping the titanium axles for the steel axle, as they don’t have a rider weight limit. The titanium ones still look like new just now though, so I’m not heavy enough to have damaged them yet.

I’ve just stripped them down, and the grease is still clean and there’s still loads of it there. You can see how much is on my towels / still on the axle.

I use a mains pressure hose most of the time to wash the bike, but do have a Bosch Fontus battery powered pressure washer. I use it on a setting that’s probably less powerful than my mains hose - where it’s coming out as a shower type spray rather than a direct jet.

Yes, Scotland… and riding a lot in some particularly manky conditions.
If these sort of pedals aren’t going to work round here, then I may have to change them… but I want to know how they lasted about 4 1/2 months the first time, and are lasting 1 or 2 rides now?!
If I could get 4 months out of them per £12 service kit - then I’d probably be ok with that.

 

[RustyIron]

Axle pre-load? What is that?

For real? Preload is the adjustment that affects whether your pedals run nicely, or blow up... whether they run quietly, or make noise.

I've been running Shimano's for quite a while. I don't actually do a "rebuild," as Shimano's have loose bearings and their a pain in the ass. I just stuff more grease into them every 500 miles. Everyone else I know does NOTHING to their pedals.

Perhaps it's not the pedals making the noise.

 

[p3eps]

For real? Preload is the adjustment that affects whether your pedals run nicely, or blow up... whether they run quietly, or make noise.

I've been running Shimano's for quite a while. I don't actually do a "rebuild," as Shimano's have loose bearings and their a pain in the ass. I just stuff more grease into them every 500 miles. Everyone else I know does NOTHING to their pedals.

Perhaps it's not the pedals making the noise.

Yes, for real! As mentioned in the first post - I’ve never touched pedals maintenance wise. I just put them on the bike and ride. If they make a noise or have issues, then I’d replace them.

The only possible adjustment I can see is how tight I do the nut up that holds them all together. Is this the pre-load?
I’ve been doing it pretty tight - so maybe that’s the issue?
Last night, I left it a bit looser so the pedals spin a lot more freely. Is there a specific torque these should be?

 

[RustyIron]

The only possible adjustment I can see is how tight I do the nut up that holds them all together. Is this the pre-load?
I’ve been doing it pretty tight - so maybe that’s the issue?

Yes. Preload is a negative clearance introduced into the system to make the bearings work properly. Too little or too much preload is a problem. Both can result in premature failure of the bearing.

Keep in mind that the size of a contact point of a ball on a flat surface approaches zero. The pressure at that point approaches infinity. We ask a lot from those little steel balls.

A primary concern in bicycle design is weight, so manufacturers tend to use the smallest parts possible. Small parts coupled with maximum load leaves little room for error. You really want to take the time to make sure they're maintained as well as possible.

I can't tell you the specifications that HT has defined, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are no specs available. If it was me, I'd take it apart one more time and check the bearings and races for pitting. Assuming all is well, slop it up with the grease you were using and reassemble. Tighten up on the preload nut slowly. With your hand on the pedal and axle, wiggle it around, feeling for play. Tighten the nut some more and feel as the play decreases. Keep going until the there is no play. If you tighten it too much, you'll feel drag. Zero play and no drag is what you're looking for. Spin the pedals some more, as the play might increase as the film of grease becomes thinner. Once you've determined that you have the nut adjusted to the perfect spot, you can tighten it down one RCH more, to provide preload. If the preload nut is a nylon locknut, you're done. If there is another nut to lock the first, then tightening it will affect preload. You'll have to work that out. When you're done, there should be no play, and just a little drag. If the rotation feels lumpy or gritty, maybe you damaged the bearings in the past from excessive preload.

 

[p3eps]

Yes. Preload is a negative clearance introduced into the system to make the bearings work properly. Too little or too much preload is a problem. Both can result in premature failure of the bearing….

Thanks for taking the time to explain.
I’ve actually dug out the box and found the manual - which details the servicing procedure. When changing the service kit I watched a YouTube video rather than referring to this as it showed how to use the tool kit and what each one does.

Anyway - in the manual, it states the torque for this is 10Nm. I have several torque wrenches, but the 8mm bit I have won’t fit. I guess I’ll need to get a spanner style crows foot bit rather than a socket.

For now, I’ve done exactly what you suggested - made sure it’s loose enough to spin without too much effort, but that it has no play. It does have a nyloc nut on the end, so is quite easy to find that point.

 

[Jackware]

..you can tighten it down one RCH more, to provide preload. .

What's RCH ?- I can only find a rude meaning when I Google it.