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Help! Struggling with brand new Keo pedals on brand new cranks

  • This topic has 8 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by ChrisM.cc.
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  • June 30, 2015 at 1:49 pm #24333
    ChrisM.cc

    I’m feeling like an utter muppet for failing to screw a pedal onto a crank and in desperation I’m trying to avoid the shame of returning to my LBS (subjecting myself to the shame of a forum post somehow seems easier).

    LBS recently fitted new brand Ultegra chainset to my beloved road bike. I said don’t bother refitting the old pedals (Keo Easy which came with the bike originally) because I had a brand new pair of Keo Classics waiting at home which I’d bought a few months ago but which I hadn’t yet taken out of the box.

    So…brand new crank, brand new pedal. And after about 30 minutes of gentle twiddling with my 8mm hex, I can’t just get the thread on the pedal axle to get started on the thread inside the crank. Yes I’ve got the pedals the right way around, yes I’m rotating the right way, and yes I’ve ensured there’s not excessive grease and gunk on the surface.

    In desperation I picked up a spare pair of MTB pedals (Shimano m520 FWIW): they instantly found the thread and screwed into place just fine.

    So I’m guessing there may just be a ‘knack’ to Keos, which I assume will be demonstrated when my LBS mechanic gets them on in 30 seconds, but for a number of obvious reasons, I’d love to just get the damn things on myself.

    Any hints, tips, old wives tales with Keos gratefully received, or just someone who can say I’m not the only idiot that’s failed in this simple task!

    Thanks in advance

    Chris

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  • June 30, 2015 at 10:30 pm #851901
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    ChrisM.cc

    Panic over – all sorted.
    Had
    Panic over – all sorted.

    Had a fresh go tonight with less grease, in less of a rush, and with a bit more conviction (thanks to some of the comments). Not sure what in particular made the difference – I think in the main I was just a bit more decisive on the fast 1/4 turn and less paranoid about cross threading the cranks on my expensive new chainset.

    Thank you to everyone who pitched in with ideas and suggestions and sorry it wasn’t a more interesting conclusion to the story: you are a helpful bunch!

    Cheers

    Chris

    June 30, 2015 at 4:35 pm #851899
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    CXR94Di2

    Threads need cleaning up (tap
    Threads need cleaning up (tap die set)maybe on both pedal and crank. Cheaper to take to bike shop than buying tools needed

    June 30, 2015 at 4:11 pm #851897
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    ChrisM.cc

    Will take shaft pic this
    Will take shaft pic this evening (there’s a phrase I never though I’d type). Am also going to borrow some Keos from a mate so that may yield an answer. Thanks everyone in the meantime.

    June 30, 2015 at 3:38 pm #851895
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    PhillBrown

    Can we have a picture of your
    Can we have a picture of your shaft?
    (Now now children, the unthreaded part of a bolt is also called a shaft…)

    June 30, 2015 at 3:10 pm #851893
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    2 Wheeled Idiot

    Wait if there’s a 2mm gap
    Wait if there’s a 2mm gap with no thread it will never bite… That or I’ve misunderstood
    Could be a manufacturing error??

    June 30, 2015 at 2:44 pm #851891
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    KirinChris

    No, there isn’t really any
    No, there isn’t really any knack or trick as far as I’ve ever had to think about it.

    I’ve got Look Keo of several varieties and I shift pedals all the time, either for travelling with the bike or between bikes. Currently I have two sets which I regularly swap between three bikes equipped with Record/Super Record and Ultegra on my TT bike. Goes in easily every time.

    I’m saying that not to make you feel inadequate but because it sounds to me like there is a problem with the thread. You seem to know what you’re doing. So I would take it to the shop and see what they say.

    June 30, 2015 at 2:32 pm #851889
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    ChrisM.cc

    They are factory fresh,
    They are factory fresh, although I could try with even less grease. It’s interesting that on the Shimano pedals the thread begins at the very tip of the axle. On the Keo, there is c. 2mm at the tip that is smooth, so the axle enters the hole in the crank before you start threading. Getting that first twist right, and obviously without forcing, seems to be the knack that I’m missing.

    June 30, 2015 at 2:05 pm #851887
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    2 Wheeled Idiot

    Are the threads on the keo
    Are the threads on the keo pedals clean and sharp?

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