Putting loose bearing in races is a little tricky.
I've always found that securing one side's cone against bearings and cup and then turning that side draws the opposite side's cone straight against the loose side without revolution, and doesn't turn those loose unsecured bearings and consequently they can't"climb" or get dislodged.
It may seem counter-intuitve but it works every time if the procedure is executed properly . I don't like doing things two or three times.
Don't remember if I watched someone else do it or if I figured it out myself.
Ted Ernst Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Been too long.
> OK, so here are today's dumb questions, but I just had to blurt them
> out... 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!
>
> Reid Fisher at my pedal extremity last night in San Martin, California