An expensive solution but Look X-Track Carbon Ti pedals have titanium axles and composite bodies. They are wicked light, if that is a priority.
Hi, I’m riding bijes since >40 years (road, XC, CX) and never saw such corrosion. I refer to suggestions already mentioned and think, spraying oil on the pedals (eg WD40) would help a lot. Time or eggbeater pedals could be an alternative.
Erdnah
Looking forward to the first AL6XN or Inconel pedals!
Clearly the result of a corrosion issue, which has me thinking about all the other places this rider may have issues. What is the state of their bars, seat post, BB, and headset?
I have a sneaking suspicion that seat post is now one with the frame.
Cleaning with a baking soda solution may help neutralize some of the acidic attack.
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It’s a great point on the other corrosion areas. When we built it up we used liberal amounts of antiseize. I know the seat height has been adjusted recently but likely could use a reapplication. It’s a threaded Chris King BB. I know the bearings have been cleaned and greased but I think it is time to remove it altogether and reapply the antiseize. The bar is carbon for this very reason. Titanium bar clamps were a recent addition. Should also take apart the rest of the front end and clean and grease. What else to take care of?
Woah!
Frequent cleaning and the use of a water displacement lubricant remains my suggestion.
Otherwise the suggestions for Look X-Track or even Crankbrother Egg Beaters are worth considering. Just know that you’ll probably then have the bearings as the new fail/service point.
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Thanks for the thoughts on the pedals. What do you think would be a better water displacement lubricant? The classic WD-40 or Boeshield T-9 or something else? That may be the first strategy.
In terms of alternate pedal choices, the eggbeater bodies are cast stainless - a big positive, but I recall on a recent ask a wrench discussion about the Eggbeaters wearing grooves into the shoe soles and being squeaky. Is this a real issue? Is there a solution - hopefully not cleaning and lubrication…? The X-Trax look pretty nice but it appears that the retention mechanism is still carbon steel like the Shimanos. The titanium name derives from the spindle and the carbon is the platform. This one doesn’t seem to hit the mark.
On last weekend’s ride there was discussion about my Speedplays as an option because of the stainless parts. I quickly disabused this idea - too much maintenance and cleaning required for him - but I love my Speedplays.
That is a crazy amount of corrosion on a Shimano pedal, are any other components on the bike similarly affected?
The jaws on the Look pedals are steel, but that’s not where the XTR pedal failed. The pedal failed at the body, so the body should be the main concern. Along those lines, X-Pedo make some SPD types with cast stainless bodies.
The Crank Brothers Egg Beaters can wear grooves in the bottom of shoes. Going with the Candy version reduces that significantly but doesn’t totally eliminate it. Ensuring the shoe tread has the right amount of “interference” support against the pedal when clipped in is crucial. I exclusively use Candy pedals, yet I struggle to recommend them in most cases. They have their own set of compromises, and that list is longer than for most other pedals.
The Silca 4-pack of cleaners and protectants would be a great gift for this friend. It’s all fun and games until you start breaking stems, cranks, handlebars, etc from corrosion.
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That is wild! I once stored my steel-framed Marinoni in my wife’s pottery kiln shed for a winter before I knew how corrosive a firing kiln’s fumes were. That poor bike is still rideable, but the finish was destroyed.