Clipless redux (Candy pedals)

[nuthatch]

I didn't want to hijack Shewhobike's thread but this is sort of related...


Any of you Candy users ever had the left pedal unscrew itself while you pedal? Today, I looked down and the pedal was attached to my shoe but not attached to the crank! :eek: I love my Candy pedals - this is the only wacky thing they've ever done. Maybe I haven't got the left torqued down tight enough?

[shewhobikes]

Ruh roh, that sounds freaky! :eek: No advice from this newbie but your instinct sound correct, that something needs to be more righty-tighty!

[SadieKate]

That's really weird. Pedals should self-tighten and left pedals are threaded the opposite of normal. It is actually lefty-tighty on the left side.

Double-check the threading. If the threading is backwards, you shouldn't even have been able to thread it onto the crank. Hubby just added that if something is wrong with the bearings, they might unscrew.

[nuthatch]

Yes, I'm flummoxed! It did it initally right after I put the pedals on (about 60 miles of riding) and I noticed as I pedaled it out of the crank, a bit of the black material of the pedal 'post' or what ever it is had eroded off. I cleaned it up and the threads themselves didn't look damaged so I put it back on and tightened it up. This time it lasted about 300 miles before it worked itself loose again. Seems like maybe it's not staying tight because the threads of the pedal might be damaged (hard to see because the post is black). Very strange and dangerous if it keeps doing it. Can I use lock-tite (or whatever it is) on it?

[SadieKate]

It shouldn't do this. Wrenchboy Hubby says to take it back to the shop. No Loctite because you'll never be able to get them back off. Pedals self-tighten so Loctite should not be used.

[SadieKate]

Another idea: take both pedals out and compare the threads. If they are threaded the same way, somebody took a right pedal and forced it into the left crank, cross-threading it.

I can't remember, but I don't think Crank Bros are marked L and R so you'll have to compare threads.

Do the bearing feel OK?

[SadieKate]

Wrenchboy just asked if you drive a lot with the bike on top of the car. If the pedal is backspinning (backwards to the way you pedal) and if it is not tight enough to begin with, it will loosen.

It should be installed with grease and snugged down tight. It should not back out if it is tight enough.

[Surlygirl]

Definately something weird happening there. I agree with SadieKate on all points. I've never had a problem with my Candies. Even if you didn't screw them in tight enough they should tighten as you pedal. Sounds like a trip to the LBS to figure out what is wrong so you don't strip out the threads. You can also e-mail Crank Brothers, they are good at responding to questions.

[SadieKate]

Some more thoughts, is it possible that the spindle gasket got jammed inside the bearing race? When you're pedaling do you notice any kind of hesitation or roughness in the pedal? If you take the pedal out and hold the spindle in one hand and spin the pedal, do you feel any roughness in the bearings?

If you get any kind of binding in the bearing, even for a second, you can get a force that will want to unscrew the pedal.

If this is the case, you may just need to do some servicing and lubing.

[nuthatch]

Let's see, I don't ever put the bike on top of the car to transport, so backspinning is not the problem. I know the pedal is screwing in "lefty-tighty" like a left pedal should, so that's not the problem. The left pedal on Candys has a "ring" around the shank (forgive my lack of pedal anatomy) so I know it's the left on the left crank.

I removed both pedals and they are absolutely threaded in opposite directions. Neither has any "gritty" feeling or hesitation when I rotate them. I didn't see any evidence of a gasket or anything else caught inside the crank hole - it all looks clean once I wipe it off. The threads on the pedal itself look flawless but the threads inside the crank have a tiny spot of "chewed" look at the very outside edge of the threading. I wonder if this is the problem... oh, no, not a new crank!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for spending brain power on this problem. I'm going to contact the Eggbeater folks if I can't come up with anything else. At the very least, I'll check the tightness each time I set out because it's taking many miles for the pedal to work itself loose. My only other puzzlement is the very small black debris I initially saw when it first worked loose. And yet the threading on the pedal looks perfect - could this be the gasket you spoke of? Well, anyway, thanks again!

[SadieKate]

Can you tell we like the challenge? Let us know what Crank Bros has to say so we can add it to the collective TE Knowledge Base.

[nuthatch]

Here's the prompt and courteous reply from Jason at Crank Bros.:


If the pedal threads are fine, I would check the cranks, they might be thin in the threads. I would also have a bike shop check it out to make sure everything is safe.

And, I think he's right. The threads on the pedal are fine, so somethin' funky must be going on inside the crank. These old eyes couldn't see inside there very well - it's off to the LBS, I guess.

[SadieKate]

We'll keep our fingers crossed that they can fix the threading on the cranks. Is it called "chasing"? Something like that.

[nuthatch]

Thanks, guys!

[Surlygirl]

You're welcome and better safe than sorry. Crank has great Customer Service.

[susan.wells]

Visual inspection does not reveal any damage to the threading on the crankarm or the pedal. I had my old Candies on the bike first and it did not happen with them (but since I have 3 bikes I was 1 set of pedals short so the new ones went on the new bike). It happened after I put the new ones on and so far only on the initial ride on the trainer. However, I'm rather cautious. That was the strangest feeling for my foot to be loose all of a sudden and look down to see that the pedal was attached only to my shoe!

[nuthatch]

That was the strangest feeling for my foot to be loose all of a sudden and look down to see that the pedal was attached only to my shoe!

Yeah, same here! You might want to let Crank Bros know so they can note it has happened more than once - could be a recall situation.

[shewhobikes]

So have you guys emailed Crank Bros yet? I'm curious what they have to say about it. Bummer to be on the road and have this happen! :eek:

[nuthatch]

Yes, I emailed them and they felt like, if there was no visible damage to the pedal threading, it was probably the threading inside the crank arm. It did happen on the road to me - it was very strange! Luckily it was a windy day and I wasn't able to go very fast - it was a quiet road with no traffic.

[susan.wells]

Update.... I did the BRAG Spring Tune-Up last weekend covering 185 miles in 3 days. I'm pleased to report no pedal anomalies on the ride and there was much more climbing than I had anticipated. This leaves me with no clue why I had the pedal mishap on the trainer unless I just hadn't tightened the pedal enough when installing.

Susan

[nuthatch]

Good to hear you rode without mishap! I really tightened my left pedal after the last time it worked itself out and I made a point of checking it every couple of days - it hasn't worked itself out since. I'm also wondering if I thought I'd gotten it tight before but not quite tight enough. Thanks for reporting back!