pedal bearing designs and morons writing about them

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Brucey
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Re: pedal bearing designs and morons writing about them

Post by Brucey »

With Ti pedal spindles you are on sticky wicket regardless (you could design a crankset to use Ti spindles reliably but probably the spindle would have to be oversized). However there are very many grades of stainless steel and in nearly every case it is possible to select a grade which does what is required strength-wise but also resists corrosion better than the steels that are normally used . Note that most stainless steels that folk encounter are common grades which are not good substitutes for high strength steels, but suitable steel grades do exist in most cases.

So why do (say) stainless steel pedal spindles break? There are two main reasons

1) they use the wrong grade of stainless steel and/or
2) the correct grade of stainless steel would be incredibly expensive

So speedplay pedals (say) use various different materials for their pedal spindles and sure enough the lighter ones are more likely to break. But they probably use better materials than many other manufacturers do too.

I could design a set of indestructible and corrosion resistant pedal spindles, but they might well cost as much as a whole bike. Thus the argument "all stainless steel spindles are bad because the material is inherently unsuitable'" is not one I agree with totally, but the conclusion "it is usually better to buy CroMo pedal spindles' is one I heartily endorse.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Mick F
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Re: pedal bearing designs and morons writing about them

Post by Mick F »

Thanks Brucey.

I bought SS Speedplay Frogs coz they were a good halfway house between CroMo and Ti.
I'm not a racer or someone who is heavy and strong, but the SS seem to fit wot I do the best and they are brilliant.

I could have saved a packet by being CroMo though.
Mick F. Cornwall
pwa
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Re: pedal bearing designs and morons writing about them

Post by pwa »

But what is the advantage of stainless? In practice my pedals with blackened chromo have no rust on them. And chromo ticks the boxes in other regards. I don't see a problem to be solved or to spend money on.
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Mick F
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Re: pedal bearing designs and morons writing about them

Post by Mick F »

Shiny?

That's all perhaps.
Difference?
http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuse ... .frogspecs
Mick F. Cornwall
pwa
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Re: pedal bearing designs and morons writing about them

Post by pwa »

Mick F wrote:Shiny?

That's all perhaps.
Difference?
http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuse ... .frogspecs

I do like shiny. You can see when it's clean.
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Mick F
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Re: pedal bearing designs and morons writing about them

Post by Mick F »

:D
Yes, clean, and they look better too.
Mick F. Cornwall
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