A customer (sort of) asked me to
replace the bearings on the top model
LOOK KeO Blade pedal,
and I thought, "Just swap out the bearing cartridge
pedal shaft assembly that LOOK makes,"
but instead we ended up replacing only the bearings
that are pressed onto the pedal shaft itself.
I don't plan on doing this again,
but this job might become good fertilizer for me (※).
LOOK's top model pedals have traditionally come in
two types: chromoly shaft and titanium shaft,
and back when that's all there was,
I'd even buy the titanium shaft model myself,
but once ceramic bearing versions came out,
you can't choose a titanium shaft without going through ceramic bearings—
・Chromoly shaft + steel ball bearing
・Chromoly shaft + ceramic bearing
・Titanium shaft + ceramic bearing
—so the pricing seems wastefully high,
and I stopped buying them.
At current pre-tax list prices, each costs:
・24,000 yen
・35,000 yen (+11,000 yen for ceramic bearing)
・50,000 yen (+15,000 yen for titanium shaft)
which means if there were a titanium shaft + steel ball bearing option,
it would be 39,000 yen.
The bearing in the image above is ceramic spec,
but it was seized up by rust and essentially acted like a bushing—
pinching the outer race with my fingers let it move slightly back and forth,
but it wouldn't spin at all.
※includes the meaning of "shitty kind of experience"
After removing the rubber dust seal from the grooved ring-shaped part,
the armature bearing puller
I bought for servicing Campagnolo Power Torque cranks
(→here)
caught perfectly.
The race got a bit rusty so the resistance was weirdly harsh
(approximately)
I extracted the bearing.
The grooved ring isn't pressed in—
it just sits in place from the bearing being pressed
into the pedal shaft.
Considering stress distribution, the bearing shoulder can't be squared off,
so it's rounded—
that metal ring serves to convert it into a flat surface.
I pressed in the bearing.
The customer (sort of) said steel ball bearings were fine
for the repair, so that's what I used,
but this bearing size is unusual
and was somewhat difficult to source.
It turned out Shimano makes them.
Though when I say Shimano, I mean the fishing equipment division—
as reel bearings.
Repairing a LOOK pedal with Shimano parts, no less fishing gear parts—
I thought that'd be an amusing story angle,
but every fishing tackle shop I contacted
had no stock and needed to special order,
plus the manufacturer was out as well, with no delivery date,
which is very Shimano of them to say the least.
In the end, I sourced one from somewhere else.
This whole situation is one reason
I don't want to do this again.
I installed the dust seal in the ring groove.
Inside the pedal body
there's a spring made from wave washers stacked in layers—
the same type used on Campagnolo Power Torque crank
left BB cups—
with a somewhat thicker washer sandwiched in between
to create a hard flat surface for the bearing to sit on.
I didn't photograph these parts, but I cleaned them
and applied grease during assembly.
From the outside of the pedal body,
I threaded in the bolt with the pressed-in bearing.
This bearing on both sides showed no wear.
This bolt—the left pedal uses reverse threads.
Finally, I fitted on the cap.
And that's it, for real this time, I mean it.
replace the bearings on the top model
LOOK KeO Blade pedal,
and I thought, "Just swap out the bearing cartridge
pedal shaft assembly that LOOK makes,"
but instead we ended up replacing only the bearings
that are pressed onto the pedal shaft itself.
I don't plan on doing this again,
but this job might become good fertilizer for me (※).
LOOK's top model pedals have traditionally come in
two types: chromoly shaft and titanium shaft,
and back when that's all there was,
I'd even buy the titanium shaft model myself,
but once ceramic bearing versions came out,
you can't choose a titanium shaft without going through ceramic bearings—
・Chromoly shaft + steel ball bearing
・Chromoly shaft + ceramic bearing
・Titanium shaft + ceramic bearing
—so the pricing seems wastefully high,
and I stopped buying them.
At current pre-tax list prices, each costs:
・24,000 yen
・35,000 yen (+11,000 yen for ceramic bearing)
・50,000 yen (+15,000 yen for titanium shaft)
which means if there were a titanium shaft + steel ball bearing option,
it would be 39,000 yen.
The bearing in the image above is ceramic spec,
but it was seized up by rust and essentially acted like a bushing—
pinching the outer race with my fingers let it move slightly back and forth,
but it wouldn't spin at all.
※includes the meaning of "shitty kind of experience"
After removing the rubber dust seal from the grooved ring-shaped part,
the armature bearing puller
I bought for servicing Campagnolo Power Torque cranks
(→here)
caught perfectly.
The race got a bit rusty so the resistance was weirdly harsh
(approximately)
I extracted the bearing.
The grooved ring isn't pressed in—
it just sits in place from the bearing being pressed
into the pedal shaft.
Considering stress distribution, the bearing shoulder can't be squared off,
so it's rounded—
that metal ring serves to convert it into a flat surface.
I pressed in the bearing.
The customer (sort of) said steel ball bearings were fine
for the repair, so that's what I used,
but this bearing size is unusual
and was somewhat difficult to source.
It turned out Shimano makes them.
Though when I say Shimano, I mean the fishing equipment division—
as reel bearings.
Repairing a LOOK pedal with Shimano parts, no less fishing gear parts—
I thought that'd be an amusing story angle,
but every fishing tackle shop I contacted
had no stock and needed to special order,
plus the manufacturer was out as well, with no delivery date,
which is very Shimano of them to say the least.
In the end, I sourced one from somewhere else.
This whole situation is one reason
I don't want to do this again.
I installed the dust seal in the ring groove.
Inside the pedal body
there's a spring made from wave washers stacked in layers—
the same type used on Campagnolo Power Torque crank
left BB cups—
with a somewhat thicker washer sandwiched in between
to create a hard flat surface for the bearing to sit on.
I didn't photograph these parts, but I cleaned them
and applied grease during assembly.
From the outside of the pedal body,
I threaded in the bolt with the pressed-in bearing.
This bearing on both sides showed no wear.
This bolt—the left pedal uses reverse threads.
Finally, I fitted on the cap.
And that's it, for real this time, I mean it.