The day I stopped greasing pedal threads (and why it took me 5 years)

I used to always slather grease on pedal threads before installing them, thinking it was the right call to prevent seizing. Then last month a guy at the co-op in Portland told me that pedals actually need anti-seize compound if anything, because the grease can make them loosen up over time. He showed me a crank arm that had the threads completely stripped from someone over-torquing with grease. Has anyone else been doing this wrong for years or was it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_nelson432d ago

Yeah @the_jana, been there. Grease is just too tempting, hard to break the habit.

the_jana2d ago

Laughing my ass off because I literally just spent last weekend degreasing a set of pedals I installed with a heavy coat of marine grease two years ago. I mean, they weren't stripped but they were definitely looser than I remembered and I had to crank them back down after a ride. That Portland guy is probably right and I hate admitting it because grease just felt so satisfying to slather on there. Now I'm wondering how many other bike parts I've been sabotaging with my overenthusiastic greasing habits. idk maybe I should just stick to using a tiny dab of anti-sieze and call it a day before I ruin something expensive.