The debate about greasing pedal threads, my bike shop buddy went off on me.

So I was in my local shop, Bikes Direct in Portland, and I'm chatting with the head mechanic Dave about installing new pedals on my commuter. He says I gotta grease the threads on the crank arm, no exceptions, or they'll seize up in six months. But then another guy, a customer waiting for a tune-up, jumps in and says grease is a bad idea because it reduces friction and the pedals can back out on their own. Dave nearly flipped his lid, saying that's only if you use too much or the wrong compound. Who's right here, has anyone else seen a pedal actually back out from a little grease?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony12716d ago

Dave is right on this one. A thin layer of grease on pedal threads is standard practice across the industry for good reason. The main issue with pedals backing out is actually improper installation or using too much slippery lube, not the grease itself. Most pedal threads are designed to self-tighten as you pedal forward, so unless you grease them up like a thanksgiving turkey, they aren't gonna loosen on their own. I've seen pedals that were installed dry seize up so bad the crank arm got ruined during removal, which is way worse than a pedal that might need a quick re-tighten after the first ride. A tiny dab of anti-seize or regular grease on the threads is the safe bet for long-term maintenance.

susanh4616d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, I had to read that line about greasing them "like a thanksgiving turkey" like three times because that's such a wild mental image. Ngl I was half expecting you to say someone actually did that with Crisco or something. But seriously, I've never seen a crank arm get ruined from dry threads before, that sounds brutal. Tbh I always just put a tiny smear on mine and call it a day, never had a pedal back out on me yet.