Pedals/cleats squeaking like crazy...Ideas?

[OtayBW]

I have some Campy Record pedals that absolutely 'squeak - squawk - squeak' like crazy. It's distracting to me and very noticable to those I ride with. I keep the cleats/pedals clean, but I do put on a moderate coating of grease around the front/sides of my cleats each ride to make it tolerable. I believe the cleats are positioned correctly (were set up by a qualified fit guy and I have plenty of miles on them, so no alignment issues that I can detect). Spring tension is moderate to light.

Mine are these, but ~3 years old:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j42/zelmo_2006/Campy_REC-Pedal.jpg

I like the pedals, but I'm stumped. Any idears? :confused:
Thanks.

[regularguy412]

I have the same pedal. I purchased them in mid-2006. Within the last year, mine have started the same squeak. I've put a coating of grease in several different places to try and determine where the squeak is originating.

I get the best results from applying grease to the underside of the toe-section of the pedal. For me, the metal-to-metal parts that 'click-in' at the back have not been contributing to the sounds.

This is my first pair of Campy pedals/cleats. I've always used Look Delta or the Shimano equivalent in the past. Historically, I've found that cleats/pedals go through a squeak phase after a few months of use. Since I click in and out with my right foot for stop signs, that side seems to start squeaking first. Usually, after a few weeks of squeaking, the sounds go away. So far, that has not been the case with this pedal system. The sounds have been ongoing since late last fall. I'm hoping I can get them through the squeaks to see just how long the actual cleat lasts. Seems a bit of a waste to change out a cleat that works perfectly well, just because of an annoying sound.

Mike in AR:beer:

[RonW87]

Armour All?

[rustychisel]

what are the cleats made of, metal and nylon? Shoe polish, that's all you need to know. (maybe)

[jemoryl]

When I had some squeaking from plastic to plastic contact I cleaned the surfaces up and gave them a light dusting with talc, which seemed to solve the problem. May not work for the Campy pedal, but not hard to try.

[David Kirk]

I'd try a rubbing a bar of soap on the offending areas. It's stays in place and does not attract dirt.

Dave

[OtayBW]

Interesting ideas here:

Soap is interesting - I have some beeswax and might try that as well.
May try to buff the cleats up a bit.
They're made of some kind of dense, gray plastic.
Armor All may be good (thought I'm a '303 Protectant' kind of guy...)
Mike in AR: it's interesting - I've actually found the source/squeak area on mine to be coming from the front and sides of the cleat - not the bottom (facing ground), but up under the cleat (facing sole).

I'll try some of these. I appreciate y'alls help. This thing can be maddening when you're slogging up a long climb.

[tch]

....but BBD noted that Look cleats squeak b/c of the metal "dust" that accumulates on the cleat. I started lightly sanding the blackish dust off the front and the squeaking disappeared. No lubricant -- just rough up the cleat surface a bit where it interfaces with the pedal. Worked for me.

[Dekonick]

a wax candle - rub it on the cleat. Do it before every ride or when you notice a squeak starting...

Works wonders with look pedals. Probably the same deal as a bar of soap...

[bronk]

I've had the same squeak problem with the same pedals for a couple years. Not addressing the root cause but I shoot the pedal and cleat with WD-40 before each ride to stop it.

[William]

I've had the same squeak problem with the same pedals for a couple years. Not addressing the root cause but I shoot the pedal and cleat with WD-40 before each ride to stop it.


NO WAY MAN!!! I TRIED THAT ONCE.......

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1223/720231300_1da9749313.jpg?v=0



William ;) :)

[bzbvh5]

Take a screw out of the shoe, greese the threads well. Replace the screw. Repeat.

[jemoryl]

I'd be wary of using WD-40 or other petroleum based lubricants. It is hard to predict how it will affect plastics in the long-term. Wax sounds like a good idea.

[OtayBW]

AND THE WINNER IS.........................

(None of your) BEESWAX!

Really surprised me. I cleaned the cleats/pedals out really well, and then deployed the BW. A little difficult because of all the nooks and crannies, but I wound up shaving off small pieces of BW and pressing them in where needed. Didn't take much, and in fact, I would have guessed that there wasn't enough in there, but it worked perfectly. Nairy a squeak; barely a squawk through today's ride. Now, we'll see how long this lasts....

Thanks for the tips.

[alancw3]

the dry lube or tdl,

http://www.bibbtool.com/blaster-tdl-the-dry-lube-p-5052.html