Pedal Melt-down...?

I got my new Muni 3 days ago, and absolutely love it. As some of you
know, I bought a used KH24" Wheelset and the seller threw in a set of
Wellgo B-27 pedals. I love the way these pedals hold my feet, no slips
at all. Even while riding in the rain and back and forth through a big
creek (50 or more times), my feet never slipped once. In fact, here is
what I wrote just 3 days ago about my first ride with these pedals:
"My new Muni is fitted with Wellgo B-27 pin pedals. These are my
first metal pin type pedals. Having just rained prior to my ride, I
never had even one pedal slip while on this nite ride. Wherever I wanted
my feet, they were. These pedals rock."

However, the seller also told me "before the sale" that the pedals had a
"creaking" noise in them when pedaling. He said they were like this
from the first day he used them. I did not check for the cause of this
"creaking" before installing them on my new Muni. But today, the right
pedal had a complete melt-down. I felt the pedal let go as I was
riding. It actually slid off its on axle to the outside. There were
tiny fragments of what used to be a sealed bearing stuck all throughout
the grease.

The other pedal was also making this noise. I disassembled it a few
minutes ago, and the outer sealed bearing appears perfect, but the inner
race had no bearing left in it at all.

Bottom Line: I absolutely loved the feel of these Wellgo B-27 pedals.
The large base and all the pins gave me great confidence while ridingl.
Now I need help from my fellow Muni riders. What pedals should I buy
now? Remember, I am 265 lbs of big boy abuse on top of two little
pedals and one bad tire. Suggestions??? --chirokid--


--
chirokid

"Unicycling can make you proud then humble in very quick succession."
Mikefule

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I had the same problem with my B-27's. They had the best feel of any
pedal I've used, but they only lasted me 3 months. Right away, I noticed
that the end caps would come loose if I didn't check to make sure they
were tight from time to time. While doing some pedal grabs and 3 foot
drops, the right pedal started feeling lose. I checked the end cap and
it was tight. Not trusting these for muni, I put them on an ultimate
wheel I was learning to ride. The right pedal continued to get looser
until it finally started locking up and then fell off.

I'm not sure what pedal to suggest. I've had great luck with these;
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=218
They're cheap and they last forever, but the platform doesn't feel as
stable as the B-27's.

I'm using SNAFU's on my muni now and they have held up great.
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=524
They don't have as good of grip as the B-27's and they have a pretty
tall profile.



Good luck.... Joe


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Mojoe - The Muni Militia

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I've never had a problem with my 'Odyssey Twisted Pro Pedals'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=214), and I'm not
playing soft with these. Never done more than a couple foot drops, but
I have put on around a hundred and fifty miles with no problems at all.
They seem stable to me, but then again, I've never tried anything else.
I checked some mountain bike reviews, and they mostly seemed pretty
positive about this specific type.
Good luck!


--
paco - Creator of the "BUni"

If you attempt to fail, and succeed, which one did you really do?
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Bearing destruction is common, and expected, with pedals like the Wellgo
B-27 and other pedals that use a similar design.

One option is to get replacement bearings for your pedals. Bearings are
about $8 each and you'll need two (one for each pedal). Replacement
bearings are cheaper than new pedals. Figure on getting 3 months (maybe
more) use with the new bearings before needing to replace them.

The B-27's use 686ZZ bearings
13mm OD
6mm ID
5mm wide

If you want new pedals I would recommend the 'AtomLab Aircorps'
(http://tinyurl.com/79i8) or the 'Brooklyn Machine Works Shinburger'
(http://www.brooklynmachineworks.com/).

Checkernuts had the Shinburger pedals at the Vancouver Island Muni
Weekend. They looked good and not as scary as I thought they would be.
A large platform that is comfortable to stand on. Very grippy. And
they use two or three cartridge bearings per pedal. Disadvantage is
that they're heavy.

The Atomlab Aircorps are great. They use a single cartridge bearing per
pedal. I got about a year and a half out of a set of bearings with
them.

The Shinburger pedals are $99.99 at 'DansComp.com'
(http://www.danscomp.com/). The Aircorps are about $95 at various
online bike shops listed in my review of the pedals. 'Beyondbikes.com'
(http://www.beyondbikes.com/) has them on sale for $79.99 right now.


--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo

john_childs (at) hotmail (dot) com
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Frank A. wrote:
* You don't have to spend $100 for a good set of pedals but in my
experience $30.00 was too little.
*

Cost is not a good indicator of pedal robustness. The Easton platform
pedals sell for about $90 and they have the exact same problem with the
bearing as the Wellgo B-27's. The Easton platform pedals use the same
pedal design as the Wellgo's that destroys the cartridge bearings.

The Shimano MX30 platform pedal (a.k.a. Shimano DX platform pedal) has
gotten very good reviews from other muni riders too. It's a solid pedal
for muni. I have not tried the Shimano pedal because my preference is
for a larger platform, but if you like the shape and size of the DX
style pedals the Shimano MX30's are a very good choice. The Shimano
pedals usually sell in around the $90 range but I just saw them on
'PricePoint.com' (http://www.pricepoint.com/product837.html) for $59.98.
If they're going for less on eBay that's good too.

I got some of the Wellgo B-27 pedals when they were on sale at
Performance. I got them for use on the Coker. The Coker doesn't get
the abuse of a muni so the B-27's will hold up much longer. I'm not
going to use the B-27's on my muni.


--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo

john_childs (at) hotmail (dot) com
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On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 14:49:14 -0500, Frank A.
wrote:

Personally, I wouldn't try rebuilding them. From the prices John
Childs quotes for replacement bearings, I would put that money towards a
new pair of pedals with a better design.
You don't have to spend $100 for a good set of pedals but in my
experience $30.00 was too little.

But wouldn't you have eliminated the worst part of the B-27's when you
replace the bearings? Then, after their initial failure, you would
have good-feeling and longer-lasting pedals for only $16.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
I go a sort of ok speed on my Coker... - Roger Davies

Klaas Bil wrote:
*On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 14:49:14 -0500, Frank A.
wrote:

Personally, I wouldn't try rebuilding them. From the prices John
Childs quotes for replacement bearings, I would put that money
towards a
new pair of pedals with a better design.
You don't have to spend $100 for a good set of pedals but in my
experience $30.00 was too little.

But wouldn't you have eliminated the worst part of the B-27's when you
replace the bearings? Then, after their initial failure, you would
have good-feeling and longer-lasting pedals for only $16.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
*

With replacement bearings you'll end up with functioning pedals again.
But they won't last a long time because they bearings will self-destruct
again. Depending on how much abuse the pedals get the new bearings
could last 3 months, 6 months, more, less, it's hard to know. The fault
is the pedal design and not the bearings.

Short term it's cheaper to go with new bearings. Long term it's better
to go with new pedals like the Shimano's, Aircorp's, or Shinburger's.


--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo

john_childs (at) hotmail (dot) com
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personally, im a fan of the bulletproofs. theres no better incentive
than a bleeding shin with every mistake...


--
muniracer
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I have the Zuzu's which are basically the bulletproofs, but with sealed
bearings and more pins, and if you crankgrab or pedalgrab too much on
ethier one, the platform will crack and eventually break off. They
usually crack at the pins. Mine have already begun this process.
I have some generic aluminum Diamondback pedals on my 20" which I bought
at the local bike shop for $5 because a bearing was a bit loose, and
they've held up great. I've done well over 500 attempted crank grabs on
them, without a problem. I've also put well over 800 miles on them and
no problems yet. They're the same as the bulletproof, except they don't
have screw-in pins, so the platform is stronger.
I've also heard good things about the DK Iron cross pedals
(non-magnesium, sealed bearings). They are a bit heavy but they're ultra
beefy, and seem to be good pedals. I don't know if they're made anymore,
though.


--
gerblefranklin

If life had a meaning, would you want to know it?



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i rode a pair of shinburgers in germany, they feel realy good, but like
the name says they tear up flesh realy easily. and they weigh about a
ton.
unless you unicycle is more about looks than performance then the extra
weight just isn`t worth it. the profile hub is heavy enough as it is.

i`ve got some shimano dx alikes by outland. and they still work after
over a years hardcore abuse. i`ve nearly ground the pins off on my
grab/grind side. i don`t actualy cover huge distances on my trials uni
though, but i do ride at skateparks and do urban trials verry regularly,
i.e. at least every other day.

pedal fetish aside i`d just buy the next set i saw with sealed bearings,
a large cnc`d platform, replacable hex pins and a place to open a beer
bottle.


--
evilewan - death or glory

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evilewan.

see the rec.sport.unicycling maintainance FAQ @
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