solution speedplay "blow-by" when re-greasing

[wallymann]

a well worn set of X1/X2 speedplays will invariably have grease oozing past the end-cap. the X5 has a different design with the grease port the body w/o a removeable cap.

in the pedals early life, the grease blow-by when injecting new stuff is minimal/manageable so you can get enough pressure to get clean grease coming past the o-ring as desired.

however, when they're so worn that grease under pressure freely oozes past the cap you cant get enough pressure to get the grease past all the bearings. so i've taken the step of sealing the end-cap on using RTV sealant (after thoroughly cleaning grease from the contact surfaces).

the net result is a nice seal and full pressure is maintained, to push grease toward the pedal spindle as desired. sure the cap is semi-permanent, but the net result is the same as the x5 comes from the factory. if i really need to, i'm sure i could lever the sealed cap off. but since i do regular grease freshening, they should last plenty long w/ the OEM bearings in place -- as proof, i have a pair of the original metal-bodied speedplays that are 20 years old and still have the original bearings -> and they roll smoove to this day with regular grease injections.

here you can see the copper-colored RTV sealant, i just happened to have the high-temp stuff on hand. you can probably use any sort of caulk just as well.

http://brown-snout.com/cycling/misc/speedplay-rtv-sealant.jpg

[AngryScientist]

thank you for the reminder of how completely trouble free SPD-SL pedals are. now that i made the switch, i dont miss my speedplays one little bit.

good tip though, simple and effective.

P.S. - stop beating on your bench vise.

[wallymann]

if i still had my 20-year old knees, i'd still be riding my old dura-ace/look pedals! best bearing design ever IMO -- i'm guessing the SPD-SLs are similar.

thank you for the reminder of how completely trouble free SPD-SL pedals are.

[Joel]

Timely post!

So I go to regrease my zeros over the weekend. Having a devil of a time getting the grease to go all the way through. It's wanting to squish out the overflow port and back out of the screw hole. I turned the pedal slowly but still having some issues.

After riding one pedal did have extra grease work all the way through but the other did not.

I'm planning to shove some more grease in there...but is there something else I should be doing that I've somehow forgotten/messed up?

Thanks!

[wallymann]

all you can do is lean on it. the leakage is the problem and at some point it's insurmountable unless you take action like i did. a new end-cap may help, but it might not.

Timely post!

So I go to regrease my zeros over the weekend. Having a devil of a time getting the grease to go all the way through. It's wanting to squish out the overflow port and back out of the screw hole. I turned the pedal slowly but still having some issues.

After riding one pedal did have extra grease work all the way through but the other did not.

I'm planning to shove some more grease in there...but is there something else I should be doing that I've somehow forgotten/messed up?

Thanks!

[wallymann]

there's so much pressure from the grease-gun, it just blows the RTV out of the way!

edit: i'm re-doing the right pedal and applying the RTV a little more thoroughly. the left one worked a treat.

[Jaq]

there's so much pressure from the grease-gun, it just blows the RTV out of the way!

I've had this exact problem. Tried using teflon tape wrapped around the end-cap and it didn't work so well. Might pull 'em out & try again, or perhaps us a little cotton thread, the theory being that the cotton, on absorption, might expand just enough to form a tighter seal.

Otherwise, it's time for new tools & a rebuild kit. The pedals are long overdue for it anyway.

[oldpotatoe]

Timely post!

So I go to regrease my zeros over the weekend. Having a devil of a time getting the grease to go all the way through. It's wanting to squish out the overflow port and back out of the screw hole. I turned the pedal slowly but still having some issues.

After riding one pedal did have extra grease work all the way through but the other did not.

I'm planning to shove some more grease in there...but is there something else I should be doing that I've somehow forgotten/messed up?

Thanks!

Geez...do it correctly, go to the local hardware store, buy the Torx wrench, take the end Torx bolt out, take it apart, clean, lube and put back together. Pushing grease thru the pedal is a 'half the job' exercise since a fair amount of gunk will stay around the inner roller bearing, which rides on the spindle itself.