Stupid Maintenance Advice

verloren
verloren Posts: 337
edited June 2012 in The cake stop
I'm considering getting Speedplay Zero pedals and took a look at their maintenance advice, which includes this advice on regreasing the internal bearings:
Pedals should always be lubricated immediately after riding in wet, rainy or unusually dusty conditions.

I appreciate manufacturers of just about anything are overly cautious around maintenance and upkeep, but this seems outlandish to me. Anyone got similar examples?
'09 Enigma Eclipse with SRAM.
'10 Tifosi CK7 Audax Classic with assorted bits for the wet weather
'08 Boardman Hybrid Comp for the very wet weather.

Comments

  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    speedplay are pretty high maintenance though - and do need regular greasing.
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
    momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Read a Campagnolo manual.
    Practically every page warns of "Possible Death"! :shock:

    I used bold because they do :wink:
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • Redhog14
    Redhog14 Posts: 1,377
    daviesee wrote:
    Read a Campagnolo manual.
    Practically every page warns of "Possible Death"! :shock:

    I used bold because they do :wink:


    similar nonsense from Specialzed - "Risk of Serious injury and possibly Death" if you engage in extreme activities. This on an MTB manual!
    @surroundedbh
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    Yet they leave out the really important safety advice.

    Have you ever seen a sticker on a bike advising you not to rest your penis on the chain while turning the pedals? I haven't, and one can only imagine the consequences.
  • Wheelspinner
    Wheelspinner Posts: 6,711
    Redhog14 wrote:
    similar nonsense from Specialzed - "Risk of Serious injury and possibly Death" if you engage in extreme activities. This on an MTB manual!

    IIRC, it was Spesh which lost a case years ago, sued by the family of a kid who rode downhill at night, no helmet, no lights, ran a red light and got hit by a car. Judge reckoned they should have had warning notices ON THE BIKE ITSELF, and the fact they provided an owner's manual which explicitly stated the rules about helmets, lights and traffic rules was not sufficient to absolve them of some liability. Sheesh.

    OTOH, Speedplay are doing themselves out of business. If you maintain things properly they will last *much* longer and you won't need to buy replacement bearings...
    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    Wheelspinner wrote:
    Redhog14 wrote:
    similar nonsense from Specialzed - "Risk of Serious injury and possibly Death" if you engage in extreme activities. This on an MTB manual!

    IIRC, it was Spesh which lost a case years ago, sued by the family of a kid who rode downhill at night, no helmet, no lights, ran a red light and got hit by a car. Judge reckoned they should have had warning notices ON THE BIKE ITSELF, and the fact they provided an owner's manual which explicitly stated the rules about helmets, lights and traffic rules was not sufficient to absolve them of some liability. Sheesh.
    I'd be very surprised if that was true. There wouldn't be a cycle manufacturer left in business if it were.
  • Wheelspinner
    Wheelspinner Posts: 6,711
    Checked the details... not Spesh, but Derby cycles, and my memory is fading on the details, but basically I was close... Check Johnson vs Derby Cycles, 1994. Here's the summary:

    Johnson, a New Jersey high school student, was riding his bike home from work one night when he was struck by a car. The driver never saw him. The injuries were severe. Johnson wasn't using a lighting system, relying instead on his bike's reflectors. Every state requires that cyclists use headlights while riding at night. Johnson was violating state law. Nevertheless, he sued Derby Cycles (the manufacturer of his bike) because they did not print this fact in their owner's manual. A case of insufficient warning.

    While the Derby owner's manual stated that riders should use lights while riding off-road at night, it didn't state that riders should use lights while riding on the road at night. By not issuing such a specific warning, Johnson's lawyer argued, Derby gave his client the false impression that his bicycle's reflectors were adequate protection. The attorney defending the bike company argued that it was Johnson's responsibility to use a light. It was the rider's responsibility to know and obey state law. The jury disagreed: Derby had led Johnson astray. Derby had to pay. Two million dollars, to be exact.
    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • MattC59
    MattC59 Posts: 5,408
    Smokin Joe wrote:
    Yet they leave out the really important safety advice.

    Have you ever seen a sticker on a bike advising you not to rest your penis on the chain while turning the pedals? I haven't, and one can only imagine the consequences.

    I wish I'd read this post earlier !
    Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
    Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved
  • Crapaud
    Crapaud Posts: 2,483
    Quite what happens if you don't follow these insructions to the letter isn't explained ...

    2229969617_010922c200_o.jpg
    A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill
  • Giraffoto
    Giraffoto Posts: 2,078
    One of my colleagues had a label on his bike that said: "Always wear a helmet. Never ride at night" It looked official, too . . .
    Specialized Roubaix Elite 2015
    XM-057 rigid 29er

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