[CR]Re: Campagnolo pedal servicing questions

(Example: Events:Eroica)

From: "Neill Currie" <neill_currie@comcast.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <MONKEYFOODu6WY9IuXZ000014ce@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 15:13:23 -0500
reply-type=original
cc: reidfisher@hotmail.com
Subject: [CR]Re: Campagnolo pedal servicing questions

Well, guess I will chime in here. I have always, during the last 12 years or so(but only when the bearings don't sound gritty), injected both the pedal axels (using the small hole in the dustcap)and the hubs(using the central covered lube hole), using a needle attachment on a grease gun. Since I have started doing it this way I haven't ever had to pull a bearing assembly apart for overhaul because it sounded or felt gritty either. I have pulled apart recently acquired components and then cleaned and repacked them, but since doing that have never needed to pull and overhaul. Always just inject. There seems to be a very slight constant seeping of grease (but then isn't this a good thing, as it means the bearings are being freshly purged with uncontaminated grease all the time?), much less so after 100 miles of use, but not enough to ever worry me. Life is too short to spend it breaking stuff down that just doesn't seem to need it. ----- As to the "keeping the balls in place issue", I haven't had bearings pop out of position providing a...I used a decent bed of grease that almost hides the balls, and b.....I am very careful how I screw the whole assembly together. Balls can only really come out of position if you knock them out of position, so just be careful and all will be well.

--------------- Reid asked: ""I just finished servicing my Campagnolo Gran Sport pedals -- I'd forgottent the Zen of the experience.

- does anyone have a trick way to get the twelve ball bearings to sit at the right spot in the outer cup while running the cone down? They want to either fall in around the spindle, or ride up too high on each other next to the cone lip. I used a small amount of grease in the cup, positioned/adjusted the bearings using fine tweezers at just the right height while the pedal was held upright in the (padded) jaws of a vise. No biggy and maybe that's just the way, but if there's a better one, tell me.

- For instance, could I cut a small disk of (milk jug) plastic to fit over the spindle to help center it and keep bearings from falling down in? -- large enough to keep bearings from falling in, small enough to not contact the pedal.

- does anyone really use the small hole in the dust cap to grease the pedals, in the way you might use a zerk fitting? It seems like a needless entry point for dirt, so any reason not to mask it off from the inside? Here's heresy: an actual zerk fitting in a plastic dust cap would weigh less than a piece of bubble gum. Would certainly look funky to this crowd. I promise I won't do it to my metal dust caps! ""

Neill "n+1 bikes=bliss" Currie Hillsborough, Nh, USA.

My blog, bike related, I think, is at http://blogericious.blogspot.com/

The Mountain Goat bicycle website is located here: http://www.geocities.com/neill1234/index.html?1011568933040