Old shop guy told me to stop greasing pedal threads, I didn't listen

He warned me grease would make pedals loosen up over time, but I kept doing it anyway. 6 months later I had a pedal fall off on a group ride - had to borrow a 15mm from a stranger to get home. Anyone else run into this or is it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

jasons6315d ago

Man that sucks but honestly it's a good lesson about listening to the old timers. They've been doing this stuff longer than we've been alive so they usually know what they're talking about. I've noticed this pattern in a lot of things not just bikes. People think they know better and end up learning the hard way. Grease on threads is one of those things that seems like a good idea until the constant vibration works it loose.

mason49915d ago

Wait, did you use regular grease or something like anti-seize? Because I've seen guys use either and both can cause problems on pedals. The old shop guy was right though, pedals need a tiny bit of friction to stay put. Grease turns them into a slip-n-slide and your own pedaling force just works them loose over time. Mountain bikers get this the worst with all the vibration and hammering. Now I just put a dab of blue Loctite on the threads, barely any, and torque them down good. Been doing that for years after learning this same lesson the hard way. It sucks walking home with one pedal but at least you know for next time.