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Faced with 50 miles a week of Surrey Hills grinding paste, my off road pedals (Shimano M520) typically last 6-9 months before they start to squeak enough to make me want to deal with them.
Is there anything I can reasonably do to extend their life, such as undoing the axel nut and regreasing or adjusting them - or at about £20 a set should I just consider them a consumable item like brake pads?
What do others do for pedal maintenance?
Shimano peddles require a special tool. Its not very expensive. And a vice is handy
Other than that they're an absolute doddle to service.
Definitely service.
I’d whack some grease in those - I wouldn’t consider pedals a consumable every year. Surprised about 520’s doing this - I’ve had a couple of pairs over the years (don’t have any now though) and they’ve never needed any attention at all
Last pedals i did purely because i thought they MUST need a service.
They went back together missing a tiny ball bearing i dropped. Essentially worse condition than when i started!
I normally end up chucking m520 pedals out when the plastic axle body wears to such an extent that there is loads of lateral play. (~2 years lifespan for me)
I have started upgrading to M540 in the hope that these will last longer - 2 bikes done, 1 still on 520s that will be getting changed in next 2 months
I just ordered the Shimano special tool off Amazon. 99p with free delivery, delivered next day. Loads of useful how to videos on Youtube also. GCN Tech, Park Tool etc.
I just need to get round to doing mine now.
I regrease mine when needed.
I put up with a touch of play.
They get binned when the actual clamps start wearing, and just won't hold the cleat so well.
I normally end up chucking m520 pedals out when the plastic axle body wears to such an extent that there is loads of lateral play
That's bearing wear, nothing to do with the plastic collar.
Definitely service- 5-10 mins per pedal max
Remove the pedal body by clamping the tool in a vice and using a big adjustable spanner to remove the pedal body. Don’t forget one is a left hand thread!
Check for play and adjust the bearing preload (rarely needed tbf- only if the pedal is noticeable wobbly/has axle play)
Fill the pedal body with decent grease. Screw back together. Wipe off excess dirty grease that’s been forced out.
I ride in Yorkshire all year round and have a set of 520s >10yrs old still going strong
Check for play and adjust the bearing preload (rarely needed tbf- only if the pedal is noticeable wobbly/has axle play)
I find they develop play quite regularly. You can buy a special Shimano pedal cone adjustment tool if you have 30 quid to spare, which would make it easier to adjust the locknut, but it's easy enough - if fiddly - with spanners.
One other thing worth bearing in mind, is that one of the axles is reverse thread - sorry can't remember which - so unscrews from the pedal body 'the wrong way'.
The other part that wears is the front plate the cleat presses into - they wear away until the cleat no longer stays in place. I don't think you can buy the parts separately for a sensible price, but if you have posh XTR-type pedals you want to keep going, you can always cannibalise a cheapo model for the part.
I service mine when they become notchy
No need for the special Shimano tool, i just unscrew them using some grips, leaves minimal marking to the plastic nut
Once the axle is out of the pedal body place the axle over a empty tub and remove the two lock nuts and allow the bearings etc... to fall in to the tub
Clean everything up, count how many bearings you have and then divide the total by 2,
rebuild using some grease to keep the bearings in place as you assemble, use some thin spanners to adjust the locknuts to get the play just right
Finally squeeze some grease in to the pedal body and re fit the axle, check the pedal spins smoothly and has no slack and your done for another 10 to 12 months
I've never seen the point of dissembling, new grease flushes out old, (unless things are really grim)
I’ve never seen the point of dissembling, new grease flushes out old, (unless things are really grim)
+1 for this. You can always flush the bearings out using WD40 or similar, but without dismantling the whole fiddly assembly. To be honest, contamination is going to have to be going some to find its way inside the pedal body then right to the bearing end of the spindle.
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I normally end up chucking m520 pedals out when the plastic axle body wears to such an extent that there is loads of lateral play
That’s bearing wear, nothing to do with the plastic collar.
And it’s easily adjusted out.
Quote went wrong - but hopefully you get the gist!
Thanks all, that's inspire me to give it a go. The Park video was very informative so I think I know what's required now. I'll even buy a cheap vice and the little tool, to make me do it to recoup their cost.
No need for the special Shimano tool, i just unscrew them using some grips, leaves minimal marking to the plastic nut
I've tried in the past and never managed to do it without mangling the plastic nut to buggery and throwing them in the bin. Often though I find the cleats wear out about the same time as the first service is needed, so the financial benefit of servicing them when cleats are usually £12 and rarely discounted where 520's AND new cleats are generally being knocked out for £20 is questionable.
I've got some XT ones which don't need a tool, but of course these are now on their third bike and never needed to be touched. 😁
I once tried to service a pair of xtrs and the axle snapped. Thankfully they had a 3 year warranty so got replaced.
I just stick to xts now and they just seem bomb proof and don't need any maintenance.
I have a pair of 520s on an old touring bike that are probably older than some people on here and they are still in great condition.
I went through a weight weenie period and moved to egg beaters for about a year and several repair kits and new pedals. They seem to be made of cheese compared to shimano.
I've run XT which seem to just last. I do find that the plates on the body where the rubber soles sit can wear, so then the shoe starts to rock on the pedal and they have to be binned. Might go to the M540 pedals instead next time.
The front plates seem to be about £7 here -
https://www.bikeparts.co.uk/collections/pedal-parts/pd-m980
I have the tool but I've only ever really needed it to service a 20something year old pair of M636 I bought 2nd hand.
How are people killing M520s in under a year?
Not front plates, side plates so it allows side to side rock. Those are not replaceable.
I’ll even buy a cheap vice
Get a biggun. Probably the second most useful tool after a hammer.
How are people killing M520s in under a year
How are people making pedals last over a year? The Surrey Hills is very muddy with wet clay and sand. For about 6 months of the year bikes need a wash down after every ride. With 2 or 3 20 mile rides a week in Surrey slop I can see why a cheap component like a £20 pedal gets dry or worn bearings and starts to make irritating noises before the year is up.
3 sets of XTs here, just occasionally grease them (simple lockring). They just work.
A bit of a hijack, but if you are getting vertical play between cleat and pedal, is this usually pedal or cleat wear?
+1 540s or XT will last longer than 520s
In the olden days we used to drill a hole in the outer face of the pedal, about 2-3mm, then use a grease gun with a pointy end to squidge grease through the pedal until it came out under the plastic collar. I got 10 years out of an original pair of SPDs using this method.
It's the washing that kills them, not the use.
Cleats wear. Never known the pedal retention to wear out.
Don't forget there's 2 sorts.
The really old sort with the dustcap that you lever off and use the ~£40 tool to adjust the outer cone and bearing. IIRC it's a 7mm nut and a trial and error faff with something sharp to hold the cone still whilst you nip up the nut (or buy the proper tool).
The other sort is the more recent ones where the whole lot unscrews from the pedal body for fettling.
Miles even from the 737s in 1990 you could unscrew the collar and take the whole bearing assembly out (not all tho).
I usually wear out or need new cleats before the pedal is done, so just buy new pedals since they are so cheap compared to cleats. Experience of cheap eBay cleats has not been good either.
Mine might be older than that then or not 737`s... This type:
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Irony of ironies... Good job I looked at that pedal, it was partially seized. Bloody stokeur... 😁
Heh...those are younger...not sure of the model no. 737s were the first.
How are people making pedals last over a year?
Mine are all at least a decade old I think. Quite a few sets. I have occasionally dribbled some oil into them or taken the end cap off and pushed grease into them
Maybe the old ones were better made?
pushed grease into them
Grease - or Putoline? 🙂
Maybe the old ones were better made?
I think there's something in this, they aren't as long lived as they used to be IMHO.
I used 737s when they first came out, for maybe 7-8 months, then decided I’d give them a service to check the condition inside, the original grease was (a little) dirty, so i filled the pedal body with grease, then when the axle was reinserted it pushed all the old grease out. Theose pedals needed the plastic tool to disassemble, but it came in the box.
I used a grease called black gold, it was reviewed in mbuk at around that time, was quite expensive iirc, but I didn’t service those pedals again.
I finally binned them in 2012, when i was flush enough to afford a pair of xt ones, which i still use now.
I reckon those pedals did a minimum of 80k miles, as for the first 10 years my bike was my only form of transport. They still ran freely, without any detectable play.
I doubt that modern 520s are that durable, but it would be interesting to see if anyone has done the same, ie: serviced them before they’re worn.
A mate of mine bought 737s about a fortnight after me, his were serviced at the same time, and he still has them, although they only get occasional use nowadays.
I managed to get a set of modern 520s to last 60,000 kms having serviced them once. Even then, it was only one pedal that was a bit ropey.
I tried everything on those pedals. New cleats, replaced the rubber soles on my shoes (Sidi so can get replacements) in case those were worn. Checked everything.
Bought new pedals, put them on with same shoes and same cleats, and everything was much better.
You could clearly see the side wings had a dip and worn area where the rubber soles had been.
The other sort is the more recent ones where the whole lot unscrews from the pedal body for fettling.
I still have a set from 1993, that unscrew that way.
Well after regreasing and adjusting that one up there ^ and going for a ride yesterday, that pedal is stuffed. Even though the nut/cone was nicely nipped up, the pedal got progressively rougher to the point the stoker was complaining - bitterly - continuously etc...
I opened it up and have 7 balls on the inner race and 13 on the outer plus some nice metallic grease... The races look really rough too. I've ordered some more balls (but not sufficient to put the stoker 'right'...) just to test a full compliment reassembly.
I think its next trip will be to the bin.