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Shimano pedals
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Campagnolo


 

Overhaul and adjustment of ShimanoŽ SPD pedals

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate  

This article will discuss the bearing service of the common ShimanoŽ SPD type pedals. You will need a pedal spanner to remove the pedals, such as the Park Tool PW-3, PW-4, or HCW , but disassembly of the bearings requires special tools from Shimano.

Typical Tools and Supplies Needed

  • Pedal Wrench
  • ShimanoŽ TL-PD-40 bearing shaft removal tool
  • ShimanoŽ TL-PD-73 bearing adjustment tool for some models
  • 10mm thin open end wrench
  • 7mm box end wrench or small adjustable wrench
  • Axle and pedal vise
  • Compressed air and blow gun (optional)
  • Grease
  • Solvent
  • Rag

Basic greasing

Keep in mind that you do not need to take apart the SPD pedal shaft unit to clean and grease the unit. Here is a simple overhaul procedure for ShimanoŽ pedal shaft units.

1 Remove both pedals from bike. For help, see Pedal Removal.

Shimano TL-PD-402 Use soft jaws in vise or pad jaws with rag to hold pedal. Engage ShimanoŽ PD-40 tool onto shaft unit if necessary. Some recent Shimano pedals such as the PD-7750 and PD-M959 have spanner flats on the outside of the pedal axle unit, so a suitable spanner is used instead.


Remove pedal unit from body3 Service and reassemble one pedal at a time. Left pedal has a right hand-threaded shaft unit, remove unit counter-clockwise. Right pedal has a left hand-threaded shaft unit, remove unit clockwise.

4 Clean and scrub both body and shaft in solvent. Blow dry with a compressor. Wipe off and allow to dry completely if you don't have a compressor.


Grease inside of pedal body before installing shaft unit5 Fill bottom forth of shaft unit hole in body with grease. Shaft unit is a press fit inside body, so when you install unit, new grease is forced inside bearings of shaft unit.

6 Use ShimanoŽ TL-PD-40 to thread shaft unit into pedal body. THERE IS NO TORQUE, THREAD UNTIL UNIT IS FULLY INSTALLED THEN STOP.

7 Use a drop of light lubricant on body springs and pivot points.

 


Check pedal hardware for security8 Check screws for tightness.

9 Grease axle threads and reinstall pedals. Secure each pedal to 360 inch-pounds.


Bearing Adjustment

The Shimano TL-PD-73 toolThe bearings may be adjusted. Some models require a 7mm wrench for the locknut and a 10mm wrench for the adjusting cone. However, some models have the locknut recessed and require a tool from ShimanoŽ, the TL- PD-73. This double socket tool holds the adjusting cone and loosens the locknut. The inner socket of the PD-73 is double sided, one is a 7mm, the other is 8mm, and this is used to secure or loosen the locknut. The outer portion is also double sided, with a 10mm and 11mm option, and it is used to move the cone.

The threads of the adjusting cone and locknut are right hand-threaded on both left and right pedals. Hold shaft unit secure by holding pedal thread in soft jaws of a vise. Use the Park Tool AV-3 axle vise for this. If you don't have a vise, re-mount pedal in crank to hold it secure.


Hold cone while loosening or tightening locknutTo test bearing adjustment, grab cylinder section of shaft unit, not plastic section. Bearing adjustment only effects cylinder section. Play in plastic section will disappear when unit is remounted in pedal body. To adjust, hold cone with 10mm wrench CBW-1 and loosen counter-clockwise locknut with 7mm wrench.

To tighten bearing adjustment, turn cone clockwise a very small amount, and re-secure locknut. Check again for play, and repeat as necessary, making adjustments in small increments. After adjustment is finished, re-install shaft unit into pedal body as described above.


Suggested Park Tools