MTB pedals on a road bike?

(Mark) wrote:

Ted, Grease is certainly NOT a satisfactory substitue for an
anti-seize compound. Being a mechanic by trade for 30+ years, I've
seen other guys use regular grease to coat threads on bolts, etc., and
seen these same bolts snap, or strip whatever they were threaded into
further on down the road. (Especially with dissimilar metals)

You might think grease is better than nothing, but in most case gives
absolutely no improvement vs nothing at all. Read up on this.

Are you talking about bicycle applications, or "mechanical"? It's
been my VERY different experience that grease will be adequate for
just about anything on a bicycle (and will certainly be better than
"nothing" if only in preventing creaking noises). I do recommend AS
when installing ti or aluminum bolts (hate to hear that *pop* and see
the puff of smoke from the galling otherwise).

Really, does it pay to cheap out for a $3 tube of Anti-seize? As
mentioned before too, constantly changing out Pedals over, and over
isn't a good idea either. Mark

I make it a point to take my pedals off once every couple years. ;-)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Mark wrote:

Ted, Grease is certainly NOT a satisfactory substitue for an
anti-seize compound. Being a mechanic by trade for 30+ years, I've
seen other guys use regular grease to coat threads on bolts, etc., and
seen these same bolts snap, or strip whatever they were threaded into
further on down the road. (Especially with dissimilar metals)

You might think grease is better than nothing, but in most case gives
absolutely no improvement vs nothing at all. Read up on this.

Really, does it pay to cheap out for a $3 tube of Anti-seize? As
mentioned before too, constantly changing out Pedals over, and over
isn't a good idea either. Mark

Ted Bennett wrote
There's no need for anti-seize here, as ordinary grease will do the job
just as well, is cheaper and is already wherever bikes are worked on.

Anti-seize may indeed be useful in fixed joints, but a pedal-crank joint
is not fixed. Red iron oxide rouge is commonly found there in the case
of steel pedal spindles, indicating the movement. There has been a lot
of discussion of this, and other faults of this joint.

I'll stand by my statement. Grease in a moving joint will do the job
just as well as anti-seize, as demonstrated by the lack of pedals that
seize into cranks. The far more common problem is fretting of the
surface of the aluminum crank, leading to cracks around the threaded eye.

--
Ted Bennett
Portland OR

"Peter Cole" wrote in message news:DEQec.27857$xn4.49892@attbi_s51...
"Russell Seaton" wrote

Road pedals are
superior for actually pedaling.

How so?

1. Larger pedal surface to push against. Pressure spreads out more
and far less likely to feel the smaller SPD or Frog or ATAC cleat
through the sole of the shoe. Stiff shoes help, but do not solve the
problem. I have a pair of Carnac road shoes with their UCV3 sole, and
a pair of Carnac mountain bike shoes with their UCV3 sole. Same sole
on both shoes except the mountain bike shoe sole has plastic lugs
glued to the bottom. Both were $200 or so shoes in the late 1990s.
Their top of the line shoe at the time. On long rides of 80 plus
miles I can feel the SPD cleat. On long rides of 180 miles on the
Time road pedal, I can't feel the Time cleat through the shoe.

2. Less slop between the cleat and the pedal. On SPD pedals and
cleats, you can pull your foot up and feel a little slop. Its not a
zero clearance fit. On my Time pedals and cleats, you cannot pull up
and feel any slop. SPD and Frog and ATAC are designed for mud and
slop. They have to accomodate a little slop between the cleat and
pedal. There has to be some room for this slop to go and still allow
the pedal and cleat to interface.

3. More secure grip between pedal and cleat. I can yank my foot out
of my SPD pedals and have when I was ready to fall. I cannot rip my
foot out of my Time Equipe pedals and do fall over. Road cleats such
as the Time or Look have a large cicumference for the pedal to grab
onto. And fairly large hooks on the front or back of the cleat that
the pedal grabs onto. More surface area is being grabbed by the pedal
on road cleats. In contrast an SPD cleat has about 1/2 inch of cleat
circumference in front and 1/2 in back for the springs to push against
and grab. I prefer my Time pedals in a sprint.

How many pros ride SPD road pedals? Shimano sponsors many riders but
I don't recall their SPD road pedal being much of a hit in the pros.
They developed the SPD-R to fix this problem with no one liking their
SPD road pedal. Then they developed their Look style pedal to fix the
problem of nobody liking their SPD-R road pedal. But they are still
using the SPD for mountain bikes. If the SPD was superior on the road
to regular road pedals, the pros would use them. Their fame and
fortune is made by winning. If a pedal can help, they will use them.

And if the SPD style of pedal and road pedals are equal for road use,
then you would expect to see an equal number of Shimano sponsored
riders using their road pedals and an equal number using their
mountain bike pedals in the pro peloton. And with Time sponsored
riders you would expect to see an equal number of riders using the
Impact/Equipe pedals and an equal number using the ATAC pedals. And
with Speedplay sponsored riders you would expect to see an equal
number of riders using the Zero pedals and an equal number using the
Frog pedal. If mountain bike pedals and road pedals are truely equal
for road use, there is no reason for pro riders to favor one over the
other. Shimano and Time and Speedplay and others would pay them the
same either way. But they aren't equal for road riding. And I would
guess the pros use road pedals over mountain bike pedals on the road
because of the three reasons listed above.

On 14 Apr 2004 17:26:59 -0700, (Russell
Seaton) wrote:
"Peter Cole" wrote in message news:DEQec.27857$xn4.49892@attbi_s51...
"Russell Seaton" wrote
Road pedals are superior for actually pedaling.
How so?

1. Larger pedal surface to push against. Pressure spreads out more

This is a solution to a problem many/most people don't have.

2. Less slop between the cleat and the pedal. On SPD pedals and
cleats, you can pull your foot up and feel a little slop. Its not a

A personal preference, at most. I've never noticed any slop, even
when using $20 SPD pedals (and their cleats) on hard-soled road
shoes.

3. More secure grip between pedal and cleat. I can yank my foot out
of my SPD pedals and have when I was ready to fall.

Sounds like a mis-adjustment. The only combination I have which
allows me to yank my feet out (and I've tried hard, standing still,
braced against the wall) is some very worn Shimano spd cleats on the
aforementioned $20 generic spd pedals, with said pedals adjusted to
their lightest tension. No problem with newer cleats, tighter
tension, or the same cleats in a different pair of pedals (at
lightest tension).

I cannot rip my
foot out of my Time Equipe pedals and do fall over.

Wow, I should put those road pedals I have back on the bike, for
this exact reason. I prefer to fall over in emergencies.

How many pros ride SPD road pedals?

Pros tend to have different priorities than non-racers.

If the SPD was superior on the road
to regular road pedals, the pros would use them. Their fame and
fortune is made by winning. If a pedal can help, they will use them.

That's if a pedal can help win races. Others have different
priorities.

I have a pair of road pedals that are going to go on a bike I intend
to use for TTs this summer. Apart from making use of stuff that's
collecting dust, the only reason I will is because they're slightly
more aerodynamic. I'll still come in last, but I ought to be faster
by a whole millisecond...

And if the SPD style of pedal and road pedals are equal for road use,
then you would expect to see an equal number of Shimano sponsored
riders using their road pedals and an equal number using their
mountain bike pedals in the pro peloton.

That's a quick way to lose a sponsorship. You ride what they want to
sell, or they sponsor somebody else.

Besides, as I said, their priorities are different. They don't need
to walk into a store to buy a powerbar or water. They don't need to
put a foot down on the ground at a traffic light without skidding.
They don't need to click in and out often, and try to flip the pedal
each time to do so, all while dodging automotive traffic. They don't
need to find parts to repair a broken pedal at the nearest LBS. They
don't need to put their foot back in the pedal after accidentally
stepping in some roadside dirt. The list could go on forever.

If mountain bike pedals and road pedals are truely equal
for road use, there is no reason for pro riders to favor one over the
other.

For non-pro-racing use, they're not equal. Mountain bike pedals are
more practical for most non-racers. Some people do need to solve
specific problems, and find that road pedals solve those problems;
but support or slop are fit issues, not "superior for pedalling".
Road pedals are slightly more aero; and very expensive road pedals
are a few grams lighter than $20 mountain pedals.

The $20 mountain pedals are on sale for $17.49 right now, and listed
at 345 grams per pair. At nearly any price point, mountain pedals
are likely to be lighter than equivalently priced road pedals.
--
Rick Onanian