taking care of speedplays

popette

After a couple of weeks using my new speedplays, they have become a bit difficult to get in and out of so I guess I need to give them a good clean/service. I looked at the instructions and it says to use a speedplay grease gun and a burner of some sort - both of which I do not have.

What is the bare minimum I should do? can you recommend a product that I can use with them?

Thanks

Eddy S

The difficulty you’re having engaging/disengaging means that the cleats need a clean and lube.

If you’ve been using them in the current conditions you probably have cleats full of grit. When they get like this it’s always worth pulling the metal plate off to clean them properly and then lube the contact points and spring (the horse-shoe shaped item) with a Teflon based lube like Finish Line.

The grease gun is necessary only for re-lubing the axles/bearings and I doubt that yours will need doing already.

My Speedplay pedals only get used on the track but I only do the axles twice a year, if that.

I think the Speedplay grease gun is worth buying but others here will tell you not to bother and just get another grease gun as long as it has the correct nipple to fit in to the grease port.

But you can’t maintain the axles/bearings without a grease gun, whatever the origin/make.

Hope that helps.

italiaandyf

As Eddy S says, if you get any dirt or muck in them you lose all the float and getting in and out is a lot harder. I went out on a club run after having them a week or so, it poured with rain and I had to walk across a soggy lawn to get to the cafe, and they got filled with mud - riding home was hard as they just didn't work the same.
I recommend getting the cafe covers, put them on when you get off the bike, and carry them on all rides.

Apply a dry lube to the springs every 3 or 4 rides (don't use a wet lube, it's more gloopy and will attract more dirt), and every few months take the cleats off your shoes and give everything a good clean with a toothbrush, and relube.
The manual says to use a thread lock on the 4 screws, hardware stores will sell this - I use loctite 243.

good luck.
Andy

duckson

Any recommendations on what grease gun to get other than the Speedplay one? Do the others come with the right nipple or does that have to be sourced seperatly?

popette

Cheers for the advise guys.

Will give them a clean & lube today.

dmb4

Did you grease the bearings before using them?

speed play pedal bearing do not come pregreased.

On the outside of the pedal there is a philips screw, just remove that and the plastic cover and injected grease, any grease gun will work. then just replace the cap and screw

neeb

speed play pedal bearing do not come pregreased.

Really?? I didn't grease mine until after the first few hundred miles, I'm sure there was some old grease in there when I did... (?)

You do need some sort of grease gun, I just bought the speedplay one as it was easy to find.

The cafestop cleat covers (or whatever they call them) are essential IMHO - it becomes second nature to keep them in a jersey pocket and stick them on whenever you get off the bike. They should really supply these with the cleats, it's a pain having to buy them separately. Consider buying 2 sets (of covers); at some point you are bound to lose one!

If you get mud or grit in the cleats you'll have to rinse them under the tap, dry them off and put some teflon based dry lube on them; just takes 30 seconds. In an emergency while out on the bike you can squirt them with a waterbottle.... As long as you put the covers on before walking off tarmac you will be fine though (and obviously you want the covers on on tarmac too to prevent cleat wear and make it safe to walk!)

If the screws holding the cleats on are done up too tightly it can make the springs stiff - you can test this (if you have tough fingers!) by squeezing them to check they move freely after experimenting with the tightness of the screws.

P.S. A little known negative point about Speedplays - they are completely useless anywhere there is snow! You instantly get a a compacted ice-cube in the round part of the cleat that makes it impossible to engage... :x

Eddy S

dmb4 wrote:

speed play pedal bearing do not come pregreased.

You are talking about the current Zero pedals???

Maybe yours weren’t but I’d disagree with your comment because the 1st time I re-greased mine, the colour of the grease changed as the old stuff was forced out.

Also, nowhere is it mentioned in the fitting instructions for the need to grease the axle/bearings before 1st use (and I’ve just checked to confirm that).

dmb4

not the current ones no, the ones I had came with a message stuck to them asking for this to be done, must have changed

dmb4

In fact it was on the frogs

on-yer-bike

My Zeros came already greased

When you flick the pedal it should only rotate about quarter to half a turn, if more, time to regrease. About every 1500-2000 miles

You need to put dry lube on the metal bits (spring) you can see in the cleat that grip the pedal, every other ride

If mud or similar gets stuck in the cleat you will find it hard to clip in. Ice will also cause problems

duckson

http://www.sbrsports.com/1011/891-491453
http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_ ... ts_id=5475

Anyone know of any cheaper suppliers of the grease gun?
How many fills of the pedal does the supplied 3oz greae cartridge last assuming thats filling completely?

Martin Van Nostrand

dmb4 wrote:

Did you grease the bearings before using them?

speed play pedal bearing do not come pregreased.

Yes, they do.

Usually speedplay issues come from improper installation. The cleat needs to sit flat on the shoe with spacers or it will twist and not engage/disengage properly.
Also, anyone with tendency to push out or in on the foot needs shims to correct this, or the pedal spring will wear prematurely.

See this article (scroll to bottom).

http://beta.velonews.com/article/85518

crankycrank

That Speedplay grease gun is waaaay over priced. You can get what's called a mini grease gun at many automotive tool/supply stores. Just make sure it has a needle type nozzle to fit in the hole in the pedal. Should be around £8-10. Also some of the lubricant biggies such as Finish Line sell a grease pump that screws on to their grease tube and is not too expensive. If you know of anyone in the medical field or someone who uses syringes, ask if they can smuggle you a spare and use as a grease injector. A little more difficult to use but hey, it's free!!!

leozak

Can you use Finish Line Grease Gun on Speedplay pedals instead of using the Speedplay over priced grease gun ??

DKay

Just use a plastic syringe instead. Cheap as chips off ebay.

pinarellokid

I use a plastic syringe also, never had any issues

Click the pic to watch the video

Essex Rouleur

Use this for the pedals:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weldtite-Teflon ... red+grease

and this for the cleats:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255223

wishitwasallflat

Essex Rouleur wrote:

Use this for the pedals:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weldtite-Teflon ... red+grease

and this for the cleats:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255223

Beg to differ - use Rock an Roll Super Web Grease on these and any other bearings and any dry lube on the cleats.

sandyballs

DKay wrote:

Just use a plastic syringe instead. Cheap as chips off ebay.

+1 will not try to recommend a grease, but cheap plastic syringe does work perfectly.

macleod113

Wow! scrubbed my cleats with a large firm toothbrush last night and degreased them. what a difference on my commute this morning. so much easier to clip in. i've been so focussed on the pedals i forgot to keep the cleats clean. so if you havent already, give them a scrub people unless i am the only dumbass :-)

wishitwasallflat

I find mine need cleaned out every 4-6 weeks (more if I have had to step in mud or dirt) I find a squirt through of WD40 or GT 85 followed by a few drops of dry lube is all that's needed though. Bit quicker and easier than stripping down and cleaning them.

on-yer-bike

Speedplay grease is marine grease and I also use it for the BB and headset. Pedals come full of grease when new. To the OP: be very particular about keeping your cleats free of debris it has been known for a riders foot to get stuck on the pedal. So when you go for a pee in the woods try and stay away from the muddy bits. Use dry lube as often as you can.

neeb

With speedplays I pretty much consider the cafe stop covers to be a necessity. Keep them in the jersey pocket and put them on whenever you are off the bike. Becomes second nature after a while. I've had the cleat get stuck on the pedal due to grit in the mechanism, and it's not pleasant... The thing to do in this situation of course is to keep cool and unclip on the other side, but it's surprising how this doesn't occur to you at the time unless you have run through the scenario in your head first - most people always unclip on one side or the other..

crankycrank

This^^^ I agree with everything neeb mentioned and in addition to that Speedplay cleats can put dents in wood and soft floors so if you don't want to get banned from friends and relatives houses or shops use the covers. 8)

damocles10

crankycrank wrote:

This^^^ I agree with everything neeb mentioned and in addition to that Speedplay cleats can put dents in wood and soft floors so if you don't want to get banned from friends and relatives houses or shops use the covers. 8)

This is so true...my wooden floors are pitted now.....you can track my movements by looking at the floor.

Speedplays, I have Zeros and X series, are really good - I have never greased them though - I replace them every 4 years and they do thousands of miles. I only time I couldn't clip in was on a very wet gritty ride where the flint was obstructing the metal springs on the cleat......the cleat lasts around 6 months and it's usually the metal springs that snaps.

neeb

While we're on the subject of greasing speedplays, is there any way of doing it that is efficient and non-messy?

What is supposed to happen is that you squirt the grease in the grease port (after removing the screw) until it comes out the other side of the pedal.

What always happens instead is that the pressure of the grease pushes the little cover at the front off, and grease preferentially squirts out the front... You push the cover back in (which causes more grease to squirt all over the place) and repeat several times, until eventually if you are lucky you get a decent amount of grease out the back... :x

pinarellokid

The grease you are using is too thick, that's why that happens

neeb

pinarellokid wrote:

The grease you are using is too thick, that's why that happens

Using speedplay's own marine grease. But yes, it is very thick.

the_cyclist_of_catan

I'm going to recommend Keep On Kovers over Speedplay's own covers; they stay on the cleat permanently, so as well as not needing to remember to take them off at the end of a cafe stop (I can' tell you how long it took me to get that routine fixed in my brain), you also have added grip on your feet when you unclipping during a ride - so no skidding along on the metal plates (which should last a lot longer as a result).

pilot_pete

pinarellokid wrote:

The grease you are using is too thick, that's why that happens

Support the bike and push hard with your grease gun to hold the cap in as you pump the grease. All that happens is the old grease comes out the other end. Pump until clean grease appears that end and them use kitchen towel to clean off the excess. Works for me.

PP