Pedallers - do you service your pedals?

Nope, for the £24 a pair, if they wobble/die i throw them in the bin and buy new.

I've serviced Burgtec and DMR Vault Flats.  Get bearing / bushings via a bearing supplier if only a couple of bits needed as much cheaper.  DMR recommended a special tool, but I managed without.

shimano I have regreased without disassembly. I once took a pair apart but its a right fiddle. If it has an end cap take that off, fill the space and cap with grease and push the end cap back on - that will force grease into the bearing and repeat this until fresh grease appears at the other end

But in general shimano pedals are like cockroaches - pretty much indestructible and when did you last service a cockroach?

DMR Vaults, yes, often. It's normally grease and bushings 9nly.

SPD, yes, if the bearings are loose, I have the tools. If bearings are okay, I'll half fill the body with grease and purge by refitting the axle assembly

I use Time pedals pretty easy to service, I don't like disposing of things that can be fixed easily

Even the cheapest ones will last longer if you make sure they’re full of grease.
I don’t have to buy pedals very often.
For me, spd pedals eventually wear out via the bits you clip into, rather than the bearings.

spd pedals eventually wear out via the bits you clip into, rather than the bearings.

+1 for shimano. In my case I've sometimes got to this point without ever servicing the axle. And they take plenty long enough to wear the bindings out anyway.

Personally I reckon the cheaper ones with the wide axle last a lot less long than the thin axle xt level ones, but maybe they're just the ones that need the occasional service.

shimano pedals are like cockroaches

So basically this.

I've a a pair M520 that don't wobble, and have never been serviced in the 20 years or so I've owned them. I'm not going to start now!

I once squirted some grease into some DMR V8's, never done anything else to a set of pedals though.

Well, apart from spraying Shimano SPD pedals with GT85 or something after a wash...

I've got the little tool (TL-PD40) for removing the axle/bearing unit it's only a couple of quid, plus a couple of little spanners for adjusting/disassembly the bearings/cones that's all you need unless there's some other tool I'm unaware of(?). A vice to hold the tool in is a good idea along with something to put all the loose bearings in if your fully disassembling/stripping/greasing the pedal...

It's not too faffy/difficult but not a job I'd want to rush at for fear of losing a BB, and you need to spend a wee bit of time just getting the cone adjustment right to avoid having it too tight or too loose the last thing you want is to goose a pedal because you rushed...

I'll happily take the M324 pedals off you for a fiver OP if you want, I could use them on the Spin bike we keep in the garage. 😉

If bearings are okay, I’ll half fill the body with grease and purge by refitting the axle assembly

This has always been my approach to Shimano pedals.

I'm halfway through servicing my plastic Burgtecs.
Getting the bushing out is proving a challenge.
If I paid full price for the service kit, it'd barely be worth it.

Hi @cookeaa - the YouTube video I was basing my comments on was this:

and the tool was this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221604285280

Could well be that it's not as fiddly or expensive as I'd thought, though probably too fiddly for my fat fingers and fading eyesight 🙂

I fitted the pedals and I'll see how I get on!

I've regreased my XT's a couple of times, just 'because'. They don't seem to need much work TBH.

My Look road pedals were greased when I got them via ebay (used Carbo Pro's) and haven't been touched since.

I've never needed to re-grease some Campag Record Carbon Look pedals - just super smooth like new even 30 years later.

I've exclusively used xt level spds for the last 15years, and pd m540s prior to that.

Minor adjustments to bearing cones required every so often and a re-grease/purge as described above by others once in a while. I've systemised that to annually, but thats just because my maintenance regime requires it.

The clip always wears before the bearings. One can buy the spares to rebuild them, but my pedals are absolutely battered by that time anyway, so I don't generally bother with that and just buy new pedals.

Averaging about 5-6 years per set.

Interesting, doesn't look like you need the special tool (TL PD33) for the M324 just a pedal spanner, or a soft jawed vice, and a couple of sockets (and some patience, maybe a torch), but I can see how that tool would make life substantially easier...

I reckon I could do it without and/or maybe even fashion my own tool(?)

The 324's look different to most Shimano pedals. The cup and cone are generally very easy to service, they're a little bit fiddly if you fully strip them but a magnetic pick or screwdriver helps get the ball bearings out and the grease holds the ball bearings in place when you rebuild.

My flat pedals that run on bushings get a good squirt of grease adding every 6 months or so. They always seem to have a bit of play but I just live with it.

I used to use CrankBrothers Candys/Mallets so yes I used to service my pedal a lot. Monthly for greasing and bearings bushes on a regular basis.
Now I'm on Bergtec's a lot less so.
Grease them maybe every three months and bushes seem to last well over a year.
This is riding four or five times a week and spread over a few different bikes.

I regrease and adjust the bearing preload on m520 maybe once a year or when theres play though the preload bolts are tiny and fiddly... takes about 5mins so no biggy some of those adjustable plumbing wrenches (or a pair of pliers) and a piece of card work if you don't have the plastic tool.

Yup,it's a nice job if you have the time,a bit like doing cup and cone hubs(remember them) 😆 🤣

I grease my Unite Instincts. Easy to get grease in the end cap, and easy to get the pedal off the axle (just need a socket that isn't too thick-walled.

Bit of play in them now so can either replace the bushings (which are expensive to source in small numbers), or let them get worse and send them in for a £20 full refresh which isn't much more than the service kit (bushings, bearings, and seals). Delivery cost both ways on top probably skews the equation though.

I ride Shimano pedals. I’ll die before they do.

I force extra grease into my flat pedals whenever they get really wobbly. Never fails

Seems wasteful to just chuck pedals out when the bearings need a bit of love. With Shimano SPDs it doesn’t happen often, but it’s also not particularly hard*

*I haven’t used those specific pedals, perhaps they’re fiddlier than average.

I ride Shimano pedals. I’ll die before they do.

I've killed Shimano pedals. Nukeproof pedals have lasted me longer. They outlast my bikes too. Only serviced one set because they started making a significant noise and were flopping around on the axle. New bearings and clip thingies. Probably should do the axles soon too.

Shimano fan here too, who also fills with grease.

I replaced the bushings and bearigs on my "Exotic" flat pedals when I saw how much the replacements had gone up in price.

Yes, but I’m so much of a lud I’m still using onza ho spds. Luckily I have a cheap socket set where one of the sprockets is long enough, thin enough and the right size to let me do it.

Run times. The springs wear out before anything needs servicing. About 10 years at a guess.

@DrJ

I have that tool and I used it once back in about 1997, if you live near me (KT7) you are welcome to borrow, and yes it was fiddly