# the most durable pedal bearing technology?



## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

Well, there is cartridge bearings and I'm guessing there are a few different variants of these used in pedals. 
Then we have cup and cone type bearings just like shimano hubs, these should be angular contact-ish. 
And we have "DU bushing", whatever the hell that really means, depleted uranium?? I want some fukn depleted uranium in mine. Its some type of non ball bearing at least. And some pedals have 2 or more of these technological marvels.

Now whats the longest lasting tech out of these? I want to service them like once. When I get them. And then never again.
I'll be commuting in rain and snow most of the time, and the rest of the time the bike will be outside in rain/snow.​


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## Pisgah (Feb 24, 2006)

In my opinion, needle bearings are by far the most durable, but they are not applicable to many parts of a bike. Cones are good because I'm pretty sure they can be adjusted/tightened to last longer (Chris Kings). Enduro bearings are noted for their durability at the pivots. Otherwise, you want large diameter bearings. Practically speaking, Shimano pedal bearings are pretty good (even though the pedal bodies wear pretty quickly these days).


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

car bone said:


> Then we have cup and cone type bearings just like shimano hubs, these should be angular contact-ish.
> 
> Now whats the longest lasting tech out of these? I want to service them like once. When I get them. And then never again.
> I'll be commuting in rain and snow most of the time, and the rest of the time the bike will be outside in rain/snow.​


I have been commuting every day since July 2005....I got a pair of XTR pedals in 2006....I had to re grease them in 2007 I didn't get the seal in right and had to redo them again....this time I took my time and got the bearing full of grease and the seal properly set in the right place....

Havn't touched them since.....that is about 35,000 km winter/summer commuting and winter/summer trail riding.


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## Ktse (Jul 12, 2008)

I believe it has more to do with the quality of the design and maintenance than it does strictly on bearing types. I have a pair of DMR V8's since 2009 and has been on 4 different bikes in that time period. Other than disassembly and regreasing the loose balls sometime last year, that has been very little maintenance involved. I have a pair of MG1s that I have used for about 3 years which uses a combination of DU bushings, and cartridge bearings; zero maintenance and they spin smooth and fine. I think by the time I would need to service them I would just get a new set; they are that cheap. On the other hand, I've also had OEM Wellgos that barely lasted a season.


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## bikeabuser (Aug 12, 2012)

car bone said:


> Well, there is cartridge bearings and I'm guessing there are a few different variants of these used in pedals.
> Then we have cup and cone type bearings just like shimano hubs, these should be angular contact-ish.
> And we have "DU bushing", whatever the hell that really means, depleted uranium?? I want some fukn depleted uranium in mine. Its some type of non ball bearing at least. And some pedals have 2 or more of these technological marvels.
> 
> ...


AFAIK,

DU is a bushing that is comprised of three layers.
A steel backing (Low Carbon Steel), A Porous Bronze (90% Cu & 10% Sn) sintered Matrix, overlaid with a mixture of PTEE (Poly Tetra Fluro Ethylene) and Lead.
The DU bearing is excellent at dealing with impact loading, and providing a centering of a low RPM rotational shaft.

When coupled with a standard, or precision bearing, bearing life is increased, as it relates to pedal design.

Concerning your, _service it once, never touch it again_, aspect ... I'll suggest a Moly/Graphite based grease, retained within the best seal you can find.

You'll get through a few seasons, but based on your description, you'll get longer life, if you service the bearings once a year.


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## AlienRFX (Sep 27, 2006)

Cup and cone, at least when done by Shimano, I've got an old pair of 636 DX's that are still running strong.


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## Berkley (May 21, 2007)

Nothing will last forever if you leave it outside in rain and snow.


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## arkon11 (Jul 26, 2009)

Honestly, if you're going to be commuting in rain/snow, buy a pair of cheapo pedals that you can chuck at the end of the season. Either that, or just buy a cheap pair of pedals that you can easily rebuild.

If you're just going to beat the **** out of the pedals, theres no use spending good money on a pair.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

arkon11 said:


> Honestly, if you're going to be commuting in rain/snow, buy a pair of cheapo pedals that you can chuck at the end of the season. Either that, or just buy a cheap pair of pedals that you can easily rebuild.
> 
> If you're just going to beat the **** out of the pedals, theres no use spending good money on a pair.


Yeah my focus has now shifted to things I can easily open up and put more grease in. So cartridge bearings are out.
My shimano hubs gets serviced like once a year and they are always going strong. even the crap ones with practically no seals at all works well if packed with grease. So I think I want cup and cone or any type of loose balls or balls in a reatiner like cheap ass headsets. I'm willing to spend about 100€, but I want some kind of proven track record. The company should have some type of reputation for not building crap products. Shimano is a known quality maker. But their single flat pedal is now out of stock at CRC 

I had the Wellgo v12 copy and it started creaking within a year or so. Sure I didn't open them up but I think it said something about sealed this or that when I got them so I assumed they would be quitre long lasting without me doing anything to them. I was wrong.

So any other brands I should look into? I'm kinda done with Wellgo for now I think. I want good quality this time and quite light too, not too big (front to back). I found the v12 copys unnecessary big for what I use them for.​


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## Pisgah (Feb 24, 2006)

You mean something like this:

Shimano PD-M324 SPD Single-Sided Pedals at Price Point


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

No i meant that they have like one platform pedal without any spd crapola built in, the saint model iirc. and its not in stock at crc (where i usually buy from).

I really hate those dual function pedals. The worst of 2 worlds  i like simple stuff.​


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## sprunghunt (May 14, 2006)

I have cartridge bearings in my xtr pedals, fsa bottom bracket, and spinergy wheels. The pedals have never been serviced and are over ten years old and have been ridden on three continents in all conditions. The other bearings are all running fine. 
You shouldn't need to service good cartridge bearings. They're worth the extra cost.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

sprunghunt said:


> I have cartridge bearings in my xtr pedals, fsa bottom bracket, and spinergy wheels. The pedals have never been serviced and are over ten years old and have been ridden on three continents in all conditions. The other bearings are all running fine.
> You shouldn't need to service good cartridge bearings. They're worth the extra cost.


I see.

Anyway my focus has shifted to expensive flat pedals, since if I choose the right ones they will loast 10 years or so. I just don't think the cheaper options will last as long as I had the v12 copys and those lasted, well, not very long to be honest

Whatabout mks pedals?? soma store sells them. Pedals














​
.


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## bikeabuser (Aug 12, 2012)

car bone said:


> Yeah my focus has now shifted to things I can *easily open up and put more grease in*. So cartridge bearings are out.​


I have yet to find a cartridge bearing that cannot be easily opened up, and I have yet to find one that had an adequate amount of grease in it (IMO), even when new.

First image I could find...........










> You'll find that cartridges are often referred to as "sealed" cartridge bearings. They are filled with grease (similar to their cup-and-cone counterparts), and do feature a seal on either side. However, one should not assume this system is actually more sealed than a cup-and-cone. It just doesn't work that way. In fact, the typical seal on a cartridge bearing isn't so much a seal, as a deflecting shield against air, dust, and ambient moisture. In order to truly seal a cartridge system, they must have some sort of labyrinth seal on top of the cartridge's own seal - similar to the old cup-and-cone. But - not all cartridge-using products have this.
> 
> SNIP
> 
> ...


A good article, the author understands bearings from a strictly mechanical design perspective, and isn't pulling any punches, or offering unintended bias ... Check it out.​


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## sprunghunt (May 14, 2006)

car bone said:


> Whatabout mks pedals?? soma store sells them. Pedals
> 
> View attachment 771736
> 
> ...


 Those pedals are designed to be used with toe clips. They are too thin across the axel and will tend to roll underfoot without them.

Normally if you're riding with flats you'd use something wider with pins.

I used to have some old wellgo flat pedals which worked really well. Like this: 
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=665

I'd used to use them on my longer travel bike. The bearing longevity seemed ok. I would re-pack the grease once in a while. But sealed bearings would probably have lasted longer - but of course cost more.

It's really a trade off between cost and how much repair work you want to do.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

What about the straitline defacto pedals? these look good and have lots of pins and many people seem to like them. The axles are nitrided, and that automatically implies a high temperature tempering, that is: no brittle crap.

I could do alot worse here right?​


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