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Old timer at the co-op told me to stop using grease on pedal threads
A guy named Mike who's been fixing bikes since the 80s said I was ruining cranks by greasing pedal threads. I always did it to prevent seizing, but he insisted pedals need dry threads with a little anti-seize instead. Has anyone else had pedals seize up from grease or am I just unlucky?
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owens.laura8d ago
Mike's right. Grease turns into a paste that hydrolocks the threads, then you're fighting to get the pedal off the crank arm while the aluminum flexes. It's like putting wax on a screw you plan to remove later - works great at first, then turns into a nightmare. Same thing with car lug nuts, people slather them in grease and wonder why they snap off. Pedal threads need dry fitment or a tiny dab of anti-seize, same logic applies to any threaded connection that sees movement and corrosion together.
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fisher.jessica8d ago
The "works great at first, then turns into a nightmare" part is basically every DIY fix I've ever tried. It's like using duct tape on a leaky pipe - feels like a genius move until you're dealing with rusted tape residue and a bigger mess.
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kimdixon8d ago
Blew up a set of cranks on my touring bike last year doing exactly this. The pedal threads fused so bad the shop had to drill them out.
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