Old timer told me to stop using grease on pedal threads, tried it, now one pedal is stuck

Been working at a shop in Denver for about 2 years. This retired mechanic named Bob came in and watched me grease some pedals. He told me to stop, said to put a tiny drop of oil instead or nothing at all. Said grease makes pedals tighten up over time from hydraulic lock. I tried his way on my own bike, and now the left pedal is seized solid after only 4 months. Took a breaker bar and some heat to get it off. Anyone else run into this advice and have it backfire?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_hart5d ago

Bob at the shop in Boulder told me the same thing last summer. I did the tiny drop of oil thing on my MTB pedals and after three months the right one was so tight I had to cut the crank arm to get it off. I still think grease is the way to go for pedals, maybe just a light coat and not slathering it on like butter. Hydraulic lock sounds like old timer talk to me, never seen it happen.

felix_williams715d ago

Cracking up at this because I did the exact same thing with oil on my road bike pedals last year... thought I was being clever and now I can't get the left one off without a breaker bar and some choice words. @alice_hart I'm with you on the grease thing, a light coat has never let me down in twenty years of riding. Maybe the hydraulic lock thing is real on some fancy setups but on my old Deore pedals it's just rust and bad ideas. I'll take cutting a crank arm over that nightmare any day... feels like I'm gonna snap a tool every time I try. Grease is cheap and good habits are free.