Overheard a shop kid say you don't need to grease pedal threads and it bugged me all day

I was at my local co-op in Portland last week helping a new guy build up a old Fuji frame. He was about to thread the pedals in dry and I stopped him. He said "they're self-tightening, it's fine" but I've pulled apart too many seized pedal spindles over the years to let that slide. A little anti-seize or grease on the threads costs you nothing and saves a headache down the road, especially on aluminum cranks. Has anyone else run into stubborn pedals that were put in dry?

2 comments

2 Comments

piperr5815d ago

Is it really that hard to just dab a little grease on the threads, or do some people just enjoy making future-me's life miserable? I swear, those dry-pedal folks must think WD-40 is a breakfast condiment or something. I pulled a set of pedals off a old Schwinn last month that were basically welded in from being installed bone dry. Looked like the crank arms had been through a war. A little smear of anti-seize would have saved me an hour with a breaker bar and some colorful language.

aaron70815d ago

Grease on pedal threads is one of those things where you learn the hard way or you learn from someone else's pain. Pulled a set of Shimano pedals off a old Trek last year that were installed dry by the previous owner. Took a pipe wrench and a lot of swearing to get them loose, and the aluminum threads on the crank arm came out looking like chewed gum. A little dab of Park Tool grease or even basic anti-seize is cheap insurance. If you're building bikes for customers, that's the kind of thing that keeps them from coming back with a cracked crank arm a year later.