Crank brothers pedal failure

[SleepyCyclist]

Pedal body slid off the axle - luckily was on the spin bike, so no injury. But I’ve never had this happen before and wonder if this is common or just a fluke?

Thought the lock nut had come loose - but it’s still there!

Thoughts?

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[dustyrider]

I’ve had something like that happen to every single crankbrothers product I have ever owned. Supposedly the new stuff is of better quality, but I’ll never know. Might be worth calling them up, they’re extremely well practiced in customer service.

[regularguy412]

Happened to me while ON the bike, but it wasn't a Crank Bros pedal. It was Ritchey Pro Peloton. Same thing happened. Pedal body came off. On that pedal there IS NO LOCK NUT. And it was a Brand New Pedal. Literally.

I sent the pair back for a full refund. It was my first and last Ritchey-branded product.

I almost crashed when the pedal came off, but luckily I didn't.

Mike in AR:beer:

[FlashUNC]

The eggbeaters are hot garbage.

[pasadena]

Never have had that happen and first time I've heard of it.
The cheaper eggbeaters are just plastic bushings.

Just email them and see what they can do.
They were great with me when one of mine developed a bit of play. They rebuilt both pedals for free.

[Cicli]

Not suprised. CB pedals are garbage. Trash them and go with something else.

[pcxmbfj]

Had it happen multiple times on CB road and mtb pedals.
Preventable with regular inspection and tightening.

[oldpotatoe]

The eggbeaters are hot garbage.

I sold them until the 3 or 4th warranty(loose pedal bodies soon after purchase) so dumped them..agree..junque.

[mtb_frk]

I used to carry spare pedals and the parts to fix them in my tool box to all my races and rides. Switched to xtr and have never looked back.

[R3awak3n]

I have never used egg beaters but they definitely are not know for their reliability, have heard horror stories over the years.

[Geekonbike]

I've had the same experience as everyone else that has posted here. The crank brothers stuff isn't super reliable. I had the candy and the eggbeaters. Pedal body separated from the spindle after about 600 miles.

I switched to Speedplay on my gravel bikes and haven't looked back.

[Geekonbike]

I've had the same experience as everyone else that has posted here. The crank brothers stuff isn't super reliable. I had the candy and the eggbeaters. Pedal body separated from the spindle after about 600 miles.

I switched to Speedplay on my gravel bikes and haven't looked back.

[oldpotatoe]

I've had the same experience as everyone else that has posted here. The crank brothers stuff isn't super reliable. I had the candy and the eggbeaters. Pedal body separated from the spindle after about 600 miles.

I switched to Speedplay on my gravel bikes and haven't looked back.

Say again?

:)

[Brian Cdn]

I have an older pair of SL eggbeaters that I picked up used from a forum buddy here. I've put almost 5k miles of cross/gravel/commuting on them over the last year and other than servicing them once, there have been no issues as reported. Although I do inspect daily.

[TBLS]

Agree the lower level pedals are wear items...staring at 2 worn sets on my workbench now. The ones with metal bodies wear longer...with the price of pedals near the cleat cost hard to expect more

My xt pedals lasted 20 years...if not for the financial stress of replacing 3 pair to convert back to shimano I would I would take the leap back

[Geekonbike]

Yup. Speedplay Zeros on all my bikes.

I don't really get involved in the more mountain biking end of gravel riding so not a big deal for me anyway.

I should also say that the Crank Bros I had were the lower end. Get what you pay for. Although cheap shimano SPDs are the exception. They last and last.

[SleepyCyclist]

Thanks for all the replies.

I've really liked these pedals - ease in/out, good float and mainly bc I can run one pedal system on all bikes, interchange shoes, etc. Which usually means I ride my nice bikes everywhere, even cafe runs.

My main concern is why it occurred. Seems the body rocked enough that the lock nut eventually tore through the sealed bearing at the end of the axle, allowing the pedal body to slip off. Not sure how I could check for that without disassembling the pedal periodically. I've emailed CB - will see what they say.

Other options? I'd be looking for pedal systems that allow road and mtb shoes so that seems to limit me to SPDs. Or am I limiting myself by not getting a road specific pedal?

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[andeww]

i have used them on all my bikes for the last 5 years and they are crap. I actually live directly behind their Corp office and i am positive they will ship you a free set if you reach out to them. Been meaning to switch over to Time Atacs but havent made the jump yet

[vqdriver]

Other options? I'd be looking for pedal systems that allow road and mtb shoes so that seems to limit me to SPDs. Or am I limiting myself by not getting a road specific pedal?


just get xtr or xt pedals and be done with it. they're always on sale and cost less than their road counterparts anyway.
also 2 bolt so you keep your existing shoes.

[pasadena]

You have the cheapest candy pedal there. it just uses plastic bushings with a plastic body.
They will replace it but maybe ask if they will give you credit to upgrade to a higher model.
Maybe you are a wattage monster :)

I use eggbeaters on road and mtb. You can buy Look style cleats for road shoes.

Every pedal can have problems. I've seen Speedplays explode and the rider now has new teeth and bones.
Cheap Time's snap on the regular.

Shimano is always solid and reliable it seems. Never heard of issues except they seem to set the tension to max from the factory and everyone falls over trying new ones.

Thanks for all the replies.



I've really liked these pedals - ease in/out, good float and mainly bc I can run one pedal system on all bikes, interchange shoes, etc. Which usually means I ride my nice bikes everywhere, even cafe runs.



My main concern is why it occurred. Seems the body rocked enough that the lock nut eventually tore through the sealed bearing at the end of the axle, allowing the pedal body to slip off. Not sure how I could check for that without disassembling the pedal periodically. I've emailed CB - will see what they say.



Other options? I'd be looking for pedal systems that allow road and mtb shoes so that seems to limit me to SPDs. Or am I limiting myself by not getting a road specific pedal?

[ptourkin]

Agree the lower level pedals are wear items...staring at 2 worn sets on my workbench now. The ones with metal bodies wear longer...with the price of pedals near the cleat cost hard to expect more

My xt pedals lasted 20 years...if not for the financial stress of replacing 3 pair to convert back to shimano I would I would take the leap back

I'm still using a set of the original M747.

[moose8]

I’ve been using them for a good 7 years or so and never had any real issues. I had a cheap pair of candies that stopped spinning but the egg beaters have never given me any problems. I’m not light either.

[dustyrider]

Since you like the crank-brothers pedal interface you should look at some atacs. It’s the only clipless pedal I run. No need to buy to new. I’m still using a few pairs from the late nineties, early aughts!

[Johnny P]

I've got Candy pedals and all three of my bikes and haven't had any problems.

[Steve in SLO]

A few years ago at the Sea Otter Classic (big bike race festival in Monterery, CA) Crank Bros had a double E-Z up with a number of stations where customers could do their own pedal bearing replacements, and the stations were always full. That told me all I needed to know.

[CDM]

Good luck

[rockdude]

I have eggs beater on my CX bikes and MTB. I blow through a paid or two a year. Just keep a bearing replacement kit on hand. $20 and a 5 minute job and you rolling again.

[SleepyCyclist]

Bearing replacements - no big deal.

But this wasn't a bad bearing or a loose nylock nut. Not sure why this happened - which is my main concern.

Too much play in the body allowed the nylock nut to gradually eat through the sealed bearing?

Checking the other pedal of this pair and it feels fine - no excessive axle play that could have been an indication that it's loose.

Looking at SPDs maintenance videos and the pedal body is held to the axle by a threaded portion (on the inner side of the axle) - seems much more secure. Plus you would notice if it was gradually unthreading.

But I agree with others that have been using CB for many years - I am one of them too. No complaint until now. But this failure and the unclear reason for why (or how to detect/avoid it in the future) has shaken my confidence.

[SleepyCyclist]

Found these in parts bin.
What was old is new again!

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Ordered some new xtr spds as well - though don’t know if much has changed in the actual spd interface.

[dave thompson]

Bearing replacements - no big deal.

But this wasn't a bad bearing or a loose nylock nut. Not sure why this happened - which is my main concern.

Too much play in the body allowed the nylock nut to gradually eat through the sealed bearing?

Checking the other pedal of this pair and it feels fine - no excessive axle play that could have been an indication that it's loose.

Looking at SPDs maintenance videos and the pedal body is held to the axle by a threaded portion (on the inner side of the axle) - seems much more secure. Plus you would notice if it was gradually unthreading.

The special Shimano tool needed to take them apart for maintenance is something like $2.99 and widely available.


But I agree with others that have been using CB for many years - I am one of them too. No complaint until now. But this failure and the unclear reason for why (or how to detect/avoid it in the future) has shaken my confidence.

I service my SPD and SPD-SL every year (they’re both similarly built internally) and I can say categorically that they WILL NOT unscrew themselves and are as durable as hell!

[Mark McM]

But this wasn't a bad bearing or a loose nylock nut. Not sure why this happened - which is my main concern.

Too much play in the body allowed the nylock nut to gradually eat through the sealed bearing?

It looks to me like a faulty design. These pedals (and a few others) use very small radial cartridge bearings to handle lateral loads. As their name implies, radial bearings are intended to handle radial loads, and have much less capacity to handle side loads. As can be seen in the photos, the tiny cartridge bearings were basically ripped apart, with the inner race remaining on the spindle and the outer race remaining in the pedal body.

[SleepyCyclist]

It looks to me like a faulty design. These pedals (and a few others) use very small radial cartridge bearings to handle lateral loads. As their name implies, radial bearings are intended to handle radial loads, and have much less capacity to handle side loads. As can be seen in the photos, the tiny cartridge bearings were basically ripped apart, with the inner race remaining on the spindle and the outer race remaining in the pedal body.

Thanks - your description sums up why I'll be moving to something else (spd's in my case). The CB pedal body to spindle attachment has left me uneasy after this failure. What other pedal systems use a similar design?

Shimano's design appears to be very different with the inboard spindle threaded to hold the body. In some pictures it looks like a lock bolt. I wonder how that is held onto the spindle if it is a separate piece?

[dave thompson]

Thanks - your description sums up why I'll be moving to something else (spd's in my case). The CB pedal body to spindle attachment has left me uneasy after this failure. What other pedal systems use a similar design?

Shimano's design appears to be very different with the inboard spindle threaded to hold the body. In some pictures it looks like a lock bolt. I wonder how that is held onto the spindle if it is a separate piece?

I’m not very good at describing this but the pedal spindle assy (#1) is held together by the outboard bearing race and locknut on the small end of the spindle much like a hub is. There is virtually no lateral play in the spindle. The lockbolt (#2) is deeply threaded into the pedal body which holds everything secure and keeps the bearing grease in place. It’s a pretty simple, effective design.

[SleepyCyclist]

The old Dura Ace SPDs worked fine - but quickly realized why I had switched. Feels like the cleat/pedal interface is not very tight. I'm not talking about the lateral float, but more of a vertical looseness. If I pull up on the upstroke, I can feel the cleat click back down on the downstroke. Becomes bothersome very quickly.

Got the new XTR SPDs - better, but still noticeable vertical play during the stroke if I pull up on the upstroke.

These are with new cleats. Everything is tight. Tried both the fixed and multirelease cleat. Both shoes (Sidi Genius and Dominators) with same results.

Is this normal for SPDs?

[chiasticon]

A few years ago at the Sea Otter Classic (big bike race festival in Monterery, CA) Crank Bros had a double E-Z up with a number of stations where customers could do their own pedal bearing replacements, and the stations were always full. That told me all I needed to know.hah. fair enough. it's worth noting though that they are the most popular off-road pedal in the states. in my experience, at least.

i have used them on all my bikes for the last 5 years and they are crap. I actually live directly behind their Corp office and i am positive they will ship you a free set if you reach out to them. Been meaning to switch over to Time Atacs but havent made the jump yetI like the new gen of ATACs but they do have the issue of the spring retention pins backing out. I've super glued mine in and so far, so good. ATACs are nice when you don't like other people riding your bike. nobody runs 'em.