What is this protrusion on one side of my platform pedal for?

Asked by: Mary Gaines

What are pedal bearings?

Loose ball bearing pedals require greasing for a smoother ride. On the right you have the sealed bearings, which means that the loose balls are enclosed in a cartridge, protecting them from road debris, dirt, gunk and weather, allowing the pedal to last longer and extending its life.

What is bike clipping?

Clipping in refers to the connection between your foot and the pedal on your bike. There are three key components to this system that include your cycling shoes, a cleat bolted to the bottom of each shoe, and your bike’s pedals.

How do you remove the right side of a pedal?

Quote from video: Down live a little bit of force. You should be able to release it. Long into the allen key and again. Turn it until it comes out.

What are the spikes on pedals called?

You’ll attach the cleats to the bottom of the cycling shoes, then you’ll be able to clip your shoes into the pedals. Most pedal manufacturers have their own cleats that work with their pedals, but as long as it’s the same style as your shoes (either 2 bolt or 3 bolt), the cleats should work on whatever shoe you buy.

What is a pedal spindle?

A pedal usually consists of a spindle that threads into the end of the crank, and a body on which the foot rest is attached, that is free to rotate on bearings with respect to the spindle.

Can pedal bearings be replaced?

Thankfully revamping the bearings is a relatively easy and inexpensive job that you can do at home with a few simple tools.

Why do people clip bike pedals?

Being clipped into your pedals will help you feel more at one with the bike. Your feet are less likely to slip off as you pedal or shift your weight around. Being clipped into your pedals allows you to pedal more fluidly as your pedals and cranks become an extension of your body.

Do cycling cleats make you faster?

Secondly, clipless pedals will improve pedalling efficiency and invariably allow a rider to put more power through the legs and feet and into the drive train of the bike. The more power transferred simply means more speed and faster times.

What are cleat pedals?

Simply put these are pedals that attach to your shoes. A mechanism on the pedal clips in to a cleat which is fitted to the sole of your shoe. The shoes are specific to the type of pedal. Having your foot fixed to the pedal like this means better power transfer to the bike.

Should you grease pedal threads?

Before screwing in the pedals, you need to grease them. If you have a titanium axle do not use grease, but instead use a titanium installation paste. Grease is water resistant and helps protect the treads of the pedal and crank from corrosion. When it’s time to change pedals again, you’ll be happy you greased them.

How tight should bike pedals be?

Always be sure to double check that the pedals are tight. They should be firmly snug but don’t have to be herculean tight. Losing a pedal is a recipe for crashing and a loose pedal can damage your crank arm threads beyond repair. Installing pedals is easy when you know what to do.

Do you need pedal wrench?

All modern pedals will screw into the crank arm using either one of two tools. Most pedals (like our reliable Thump flat pedals) require a pedal wrench, which is a long, thin tool specifically designed to fit the external spindle flats between the pedal and the crank leg (fig. 3).

What is a crank bolt?

Crank bolts, as the name suggests, are used to secure the crank to the axle (spindle) of the bottom bracket(BB). While they are another of those parts that may go largely unnoticed by most riders – sometimes they are even covered by a dust cap – they may become loose and worn over time and require replacement.

What is Q factor in bike pedals?

Sometimes known as ‘quack factor’ (a references to ducks and their waddle-y legs), Q Factor is the distance between the outside of one crank arm to the outside of the other. This is an important bike fit parameter as it effects your stance width, which is how far apart your feet end up being when placed on your pedals.

What is the axle on the pedal?

PEDAL AXLES (Essential Bike Pedal Parts – 1)



Axles remain stationary whereas spindles rotate. Thus your bike’s wheels have axles that secure into the frame’s dropouts around which the bearings with the hub, spokes, and rim rotate.

How do I know if my bike bearings are bad?

Worn out or dry bearings will feel rough, metallic and dry. Sometimes they’re so dry that if you pull your finger fast across the axle you can make the axle keep spinning because there’s no grease inside the bearings to slow it down.

How much does it cost to replace bike bearings?

The national average is about $350 to fix the wheel bearings at one wheel. As you might imagine, however, luxury brands cost more. Please note: If the wheel bearings need replacing at one wheel, you don’t necessary need to replace the bearings at the other wheel on the same axle. It’s not like matching a pair of tires.

What do bearings do on a bike?

A bearing is used to reduce friction between two surfaces. You can find bearings in the front or rear hub in your wheels, inside the bottom bracket where the axle is connected to the cranks and in the frame where your headset sits. All these are applicable to either mountain bikes or road bikes.

Do bicycle pedals have bearings?

You can’t steer, roll, pedal or have a functioning drivetrain without bearings. Bearings are found in your hubs, bottom bracket, headset, suspension pivots, pedals, shifters… the list goes on – basically, anything that moves on your bike will have some kind of bearing in it.

How often should I replace my bike pedals?

Pedals need replacing when you notice wear on the bearings, on the pedal body, or both. There isn’t a hardcore set time frame or mileage to follow. Pedals may need to be replaced anywhere from 20 weeks to 20 years. Some pedals last about 2,000 miles, while others may go for 15,000 miles or more.

How long should bicycle pedals last?

Anywhere from 20 weeks to 20 years. I’ve had fairly expensive pedals go south after only a few months, while others have lasted 5-10 years. If possible get serviceable pedals — the “non-serviceable” ones may be possible to repair, but it would be iffy. Avoid anything with a plastic body.