Pedal Bearings?

[Lt. Dan]

So, the bearings in my Time ATAC Pedals are starting to develop play

I took everything apart and re-greased. That should get me by for a week or so, but I think it’s time to source some new ones… Suggestions on where to buy them?

[hozn]

I had a friend who replaced his Time Atac bearings (and he actually gave me a couple extra sets), but he said that the bearing replacement generally “didn’t help” — something about it being a pain to change them and the pedals were worn out in some other aspect. That wasn’t very helpful.

My Time Atacs that I’ve used forever (but I guess not put that many miles on) also developed play recently. I decided I’d pony up the $23 to finally make the switch to Shimano SPD pedals (PD-M520). I actually prefer less float, though the first time I rode them off-road I did get a little rock jammed into the pedal and thought, “wow, that sure never happened with Time Atacs; I guess there is something to reputation for mud clearance”.

So, sorry, that wasn’t a very useful response. If you find the bearing replacement does work as you hope, let me/us know, as I’ve got a box filling up with Time Atac pedals that could use some love. (The plastic variant is not so impressive, almost as bad as Crank Bros durability.)

[ginacico]

Another Time ATAC fan!

When I do a general Google search, a lot of the sellers that come up are from England or abroad. They’ll usually ship internationally, but it might take awhile.

In the states I like
http://www.backcountry.com/
http://www.jensonusa.com/
https://www.coloradocyclist.com/

I’d prefer to buy from LBS, but find most don’t carry them. Any clues are welcomed.

REI does have the replacement cleats.

[hozn]

@hozn 124211 wrote:

I decided I’d pony up the $23 to finally make the switch to Shimano SPD pedals (PD-M520). I actually prefer less float, though the first time I rode them off-road I did get a little rock jammed into the pedal and thought, “wow, that sure never happened with Time Atacs; I guess there is something to reputation for mud clearance”.

So, recently I noticed that my left SPD pedal makes a bit of clunking noise and moves a little on the axle (I assume those are related). Almost 7k miles on the pedals. Ridden on the normal commute and off-road — in snow, rain, whatever.

I’m sure I could ride them for a lot longer, but I hate noises so I ordered another set. (Actually this time I tried the $40 PD-M540 (XT) model. I’m sure that won’t last twice as long as the $23 PD-M520, but since the cost is still relatively cheap, figured I’d see if there’s any difference in longevity.

I’m very happy with the Shimano pedals. I was expecting to have problems with them getting jammed up with snow, but didn’t notice it to be any worse than Time Atacs (i.e. whacking the pedal with my boot dislodged packed-in snow).

So, these have lasted longer than my Time’s and while I’ve gotten Crank Bros pedals to last 6k miles, that required regular grease servicing and one bearing kit, so these are the best MTB pedals I have used. I only regret that cleat and pedal “momentum” kept me from switching to SPDs sooner.

[ginacico]

I’ve got the same clunking noise and axle movement that hozn reports. I fretted over it with the mechanics at Spokes until we’d determined it was the pedals. And now that I’m fully convinced it’s not the drivetrain or something disastrous, I’m determined I will wear out those pedals completely before I switch to the new set.

I went with Time ATAC MX12’s from Planet Cyclery to replace my current MX4’s. Same style with a lot of foot support except significantly lighter. I figure as many rotations as I spin every ride/day/week the weight might make a difference…. heavier on the wallet though.

I considered the switch to SPDs as well, especially since the cleats will work on my shoes, but decided to stick with what I know (perhaps that’s what you mean by “momentum”?). The ATACs have worked flawlessly for me so far on both bikes and I’m comfortable with the anatomy/geometry match-up. They’re still sitting in the fancy box for now, but check with me in 7k miles to see how they hold up!

[Lt. Dan]

At the recommendation of people, I’m currently trying some road pedals(speedplays), but I miss my ATACs so much, that I’m tempted to put them back on for commuting, and running the others for my distance rides

[hozn]

I will say that the one thing I did notice when switching to SPD is the smaller platform for when I am just pedaling around the neighborhood with the kids, or practicing wheelies on the street Of course, with SPDs I have the option of dual-sided pedals if I cared enough. But anything over a couple miles I would just wear proper shoes — so it doesn’t really matter.

[dkel]

@hozn 143190 wrote:

I will say that the one thing I did notice when switching to SPD is the smaller platform for when I am just pedaling around the neighborhood with the kids, or practicing wheelies on the street

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12133[/ATTACH]

So, these SPD pedals I got on a lark just as I was finishing building up the Soma (because orange), and they have a much larger platform than the SPDs I run on the Straggler. I haven’t ridden them any significant distance in street shoes, but the times I’ve just jumped on without putting on the bike shoes, they’ve been surprisingly serviceable. If anyone wants to know what brand they are, let me know…for now, I’m too lazy to turn off Le Tour and go downstairs to look. :p

[hozn]

Good point! I should probably have gotten some larger platform SPDs for the commuter. I guess that is another plus: there are a bazillion SPD-compatible pedals out there in different form factors.

[dkel]

…and different colors!

[dkel]

And SPD-compatible, not necessarily official SPD-branded, to be accurate.

[mstone]

@hozn 143179 wrote:

So, recently I noticed that my left SPD pedal makes a bit of clunking noise and moves a little on the axle (I assume those are related). Almost 7k miles on the pedals. Ridden on the normal commute and off-road — in snow, rain, whatever.

I’m sure I could ride them for a lot longer, but I hate noises so I ordered another set. (Actually this time I tried the $40 PD-M540 (XT) model. I’m sure that won’t last twice as long as the $23 PD-M520, but since the cost is still relatively cheap, figured I’d see if there’s any difference in longevity.

Yeah, they sound shot. I tend to not worry much about power transfer, but bad pedal bearings can suck a lot. One of the nice things about shimano’s higher lines is that they’re easier to service (no special tool). Just take apart, clean, & regrease (without removing the bearings).

And as long as we’re talking about pedals I’ll add my usual plug for the PD-T780 for commuter/utility bikes. Wonderful pedal, works great with sandals if you’re out with the kids and don’t want to wear the dorky shoes.

[Judd]

@mstone 143196 wrote:

And as long as we’re talking about pedals I’ll add my usual plug for the PD-T780 for commuter/utility bikes. Wonderful pedal, works great with sandals if you’re out with the kids and don’t want to wear the dorky shoes.

Do the PD-T780s tend to flip to one side or the other? I looked at these as I was buying my third pair of M540s because they would provide a little more versatility to wear not-cycling shoes in the winter. I’d be clipping in most of the time though and was worried I’d have to hassle with flipping them to the clip side all of the time.

[mstone]

@Judd 143216 wrote:

Do the PD-T780s tend to flip to one side or the other? I looked at these as I was buying my third pair of M540s because they would provide a little more versatility to wear not-cycling shoes in the winter. I’d be clipping in most of the time though and was worried I’d have to hassle with flipping them to the clip side all of the time.

The t780s (and the a530s) are designed to hang vertically in such a way that if you push forward with your foot you end up clipping in and if you push it backward you end up on the platform. So with clippy shoes you start with the edge of the pedal closer to the front of the foot and with flat shoes you start with the edge more in the middle of the foot. Becomes pretty automatic.

[Author]

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