Cross Threading

[Memphis]

Newbie with a question.

Little over a month ago, my mountain bike required a change of pedals. I took it to a bike store so I could get them changed. Upon riding the bike with the new pedal set, the bike felt noticeably different but I attributed that to new pedals needing to bed in.

4 weeks later, the issue with the pedals became more serious. The right side was now visually at an angle as the pedal became looser. I took it to a different bike shop and they told me that this was a threading issue and that I'd require a new chainset altogether. £80

I then took it back to the shop where I had my pedals initially fitted. They've taken a look at it and have come to the same conclusion. However, they don't claim responsibility. They told me that the cross threading occurred before they fitted the new pedals. They know this as the there are no new threads on the pedal, only on the bike.

I'm a bike novice but I'm unsure of their explanation. I come here to check whether they could be telling me porkys.

Thanks. M

 

[bruce1530]

I'm no expert, but I believe the pedal threaded section is steel, and the crank will be aluminium. The aluminium is considerably softer than the steel, so the pedal will effectively cut into the crank, with no real damage to the pedal.

I’d be skeptical of their explanation.

 

[TissoT]

They told me that the cross threading occurred before they fitted the new pedals

Then the shop should of notified you that the thread on the crank arm was cross threaded at the time
The shop probably caused the issue but this would be hard to argue as you have ridden the bike for 4 weeks.

 

[jonnysnorocket]

They are talking absolute tripe, call a few bike shops & ask if they'd be able to run a tap (thread cutting tool) through your crank arm, & just screw your pedal in for you. Failing this, depending on the crank, you may be able to replace the "threaded insert" & good to go.
It is possible however that the clowns who fitted the pedal for you have completely destroyed your crank arm & is beyond repair.

 

[Broadside]

I agree with the others, on the face of your account the shop are heaping dishonesty on top of incompetence.

Personally I would go back and argue that the pedal metal will always win over a crank in terms of cross threading, if they continue to argue I would walk away and never trust them to do anything else in the future, they sound like clowns.

 

[swee'pea99]

They know this as the there are no new threads on the pedal, only on the bike.

This alone tells you they are full of it. They either know this is nonsense, in which case they are lying to you, or they believe it, in which case they are idiots. Either way they've almost certainly wrecked your crank. How cross and firm you get with them is down to you. They should replace the crankset.

 

[Memphis]

Sincere thanks for the information. I've been to few bike stores this afternoon and they've backed up exactly what guys have said concerning the material difference between the pedal and the crank and if there was an issue present they should have spotted it beforehand etc.

I've been to another one of their stores and they've said the same. Tomorrow I'll be calling their head office armed with these facts, before heading back to the store.

Thank you!

 

[raleighnut]

Why did the bike need new pedals, if they'd had a whack it could easily have partially stripped the thread in the crank arm, the 1st shop may not have noticed this and just screwed new uns in.

 

[Memphis]

Why did the bike need new pedals, if they'd had a whack it could easily have partially stripped the thread in the crank arm, the 1st shop may not have noticed this and just screwed new uns in.

The link below is of pedals that were similar to the ones I had. The black bit had started to come apart and my foot wouldn't safely grip to the pedal. The pedal in question was on the left side and not the right which had held up.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/backroadsprotips/wysiwyg1521851110270-METAL+PLATFORM+PEDAL.JPG

 

[Memphis]

Update. After I called head office on Friday afternoon with the complaint, a day later I received a call from the store saying they fixed the bike, no charges. Thanks again people.