Category: Pedals

servicing plastic pedals vp 536 clones 15

How to service & maintain cheap plastic pedals

Not all cheap, plastic bike parts are junk: at lots of bike forums, people automatically think plastic pedals are non-serviceable and junk. Funny thing is, there seems to be a general consensus on this, and nobody cared to take apart such a pedal! Most plastic pedals I know of is quite serviceable, and long lived. I bought VP Components VP-536 clone for $12 or less about 2 years ago, and they performed admirably. After 2000 kilometers of heavy use and abuse, I have zero complaints about them. They are not the smoothest running pedals I know, probably due to tiny ball bearings, but they are my go to pedals. Ok, now lets take them apart, clean, relube and inspect! We don’t need too much tools: a 12mm socket, a 14 one, 17 spanner, few qtips, and of course, a trusty… Continue Reading How to service & maintain cheap plastic pedals

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4 reasons why I don’t ride clipless pedals

Clipless pedals, – which is actually clipped pedals!- is not a very new idea. Almost a century ago, road bikers saw the benefit of locking their feet to the pedal. Obviously, they are not like clipless pedals but did what clipless pedals are meant to do. The idea with clipless pedals is to make the bike an extension of you – they attach your feet firmly to the pedals, so you pedal more efficiently. I tried using clipless pedals, got used to them, but then left using these. Why? I think they’re only good for road bikes, or trainers. If you don’t ride a road bike, I don’t see any point in using one. I won’t go into road / MTB-type pedals or tech details… I’m not a roadie, at least not my primary discipline/bike. So, here are my reasons… Continue Reading 4 reasons why I don’t ride clipless pedals

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