loctite on pedal thread

[Andy_R]

There's a fascinating(yawn) article on Wiki all about the seeming black magic that is precession. This explains why pedals will self tighten. You can't defy the laws of physics, Jim.

 

[MikeW-71]

My brothers boys bike had a pedal bearing seize solid. Then as he rode along, the pedal repeatedly unscrewed itself until he managed to free up the bearing enough to make it turn.

If your pedals are coming loose, you have a knackered bearing. Fix bearing or replace pedal and it will be sorted.

 

[young Ed]

My brothers boys bike had a pedal bearing seize solid. Then as he rode along, the pedal repeatedly unscrewed itself until he managed to free up the bearing enough to make it turn.

If your pedals are coming loose, you have a knackered bearing. Fix bearing or replace pedal and it will be sorted.

paypal funds now cleared i can organise postage for a very very kind member on here sending me their spd-sl pedals and shoes!
Cheers Ed

 

[Profpointy]

despite what others have said, I really would not bollock them up tight, nor worry about a torque wrench. Just do up by hand and nip them up a bit with a spanner. If they are undoing, then something else is amiss eg metric pedal in 9/16 crank - or knackered bearings, or knackered threads.

 

[tyred]

I've only ever seen pedals unscrew when the thread is knackered.

If the pedals weren't put on tight enough in the first place, they won't unscrew but the fretting action will knacker the thread very quickly. They need to be tight enough to have no movement - one hand on a standard sized spanner should be enough.

 

[Nigeyy]

Two thumbs up from me.

The problem is when you've never tightened something before you may not have an idea as to how much is too much (or too little). My best guess is to have clean threads and then tighten to finger tight, and then 1/4 to 1/3 turn on the spanner. This is based on you don't know how tight finger tight is to someone.

FWIW I don't use a torque wrench on my pedals as I haven't got an attachment to do so -but never had a problem with a pedal coming off unintentionally nor intentionally when I wanted to remove one (at least with the ones I've put on).

despite what others have said, I really would not bollock them up tight, nor worry about a torque wrench. Just do up by hand and nip them up a bit with a spanner. If they are undoing, then something else is amiss eg metric pedal in 9/16 crank - or knackered bearings, or knackered threads.

 

[Dangermouse]

Plumbers tape.....don't laugh, just wrap a small amount around the threads and it will hold perfectly, also it wont lock in place so removing will be tough but not as hard as shifting a pedal that's bonded in with locktite

 

[Sharky]

Plumbers tape.....don't laugh, just wrap a small amount around the threads and it will hold perfectly, also it wont lock in place so removing will be tough but not as hard as shifting a pedal that's bonded in with locktite

I've heard of this before, also for use in bottom brackets to stop them squeaking.

 

[steveindenmark]

I'm with you Dangermouse.

Ed a bit of white plumbers tape will probably do the job. I have never used a torque wrench on a bicycle and I have 8 of them, all in good condition.

If you are going to use a torque wrench, make sure you know how to set it up correctly. You can do more damage than good.

Steve

 

[Dangermouse]

I've heard of this before, also for use in bottom brackets to stop them squeaking.

And it stops water getting to the back of bearings in the BB so really a good alternative to the very expensive greases on the market, and again easier to remove if it has to come out

 

[youngoldbloke]

And it stops water getting to the back of bearings in the BB so really a good alternative to the very expensive greases on the market, and again easier to remove if it has to come out

PTFE tape. Got me thinking ...... anyone used Fernox LSX on bottom bracket threads?

 

[Profpointy]

I'm with you Dangermouse.

Ed a bit of white plumbers tape will probably do the job. I have never used a torque wrench on a bicycle and I have 8 of them, all in good condition.

If you are going to use a torque wrench, make sure you know how to set it up correctly. You can do more damage than good.

Steve

Well i'm well impressed 8 torque wrenches - i've made do with 2 after selling my 3/4 drive one - but never used any of em on my bike.

..... i'll get my coat...

 

[mickle]

There's absolutely no need for loctite, PTFE tape or torque wrenches. The technique used in bike shops is this: Apply grease to the threads of the pedal and then tighten the pedal with a pedal spanner. Tight, not finger tight. Actual tight.

If it's your own cranks install pedal washers to save them from the pedals.

I've seen lots of new bikes return to bike shops with pedals which have unscrewed enough to fall out - taking half of the crank thread with them. This is invariably caused by bike inexperienced shop employees fitting the pedals by hand and then forgetting to put a spanner on them. The universal rule is 'don't fit pedals if you're not going to finish the job'.

I like the idea that you can tighten pedals hand tight and they'll never unscrew, but I don't have the courage to risk wrecking a pair of cranks to find out.

 

[young Ed]

Well i'm well impressed 8 torque wrenches - i've made do with 2 after selling my 3/4 drive one - but never used any of em on my bike.

..... i'll get my coat...

that's what i thought first!
we have 3..... i think!
one 3/8" and one 1/2" the same as the 2 socket sets we have
never used on a bike though
Cheers Ed

 

[young Ed]

a tip for buying torque wrenches:
buy quality ones from a good well known brand such as silverline or clarke or so and spend a lot of money on it! we have one from tool zone i think it is (not a known brand and cheap) and i torqued the engine head bolts on a vehicle and the wrench was dodgy much un known to us and it sheared one of the bolts! luckily it was my own vehicle not someone elses so we just swore about it and then decided to leave it rather than drill it out and tap the engine head etc etc, too risky!
(we refers to me and my dad)
Cheers Ed