Shimano pd-a520 spd touring pedals

[C R]

Thank you all for your input .
As with most modern pedals the lack of a grease port makes for a shorter bearing life imho .

These are very easy to clean and service, as the whole axle comes off, bearings included, then you clean the cavity and the axle (no need to touch the bearing adjustment if they're good), put new grease in the cavity, fill to about ⅓, and screw the axle assembly back in, the new grease pushes the old grease out, and Bob's your uncle.

 

[C R]

Agreed. The platform is itself an obstacle to smooth clipping in, and being single sided they often don't present themselves conveniently for engagement. Even worse, once clicked in there is actually very little, if any, contact with the platform with most shoes, so they're a faff with no real benefit.

That's not my experience, but maybe I've been lucky.

 

[Ian H]

Thank you all for your input .
As with most modern pedals the lack of a grease port makes for a shorter bearing life imho .

I drill a tiny hole in the end & use a needle grease gun with a very soft grease.

 

[wonderloaf]

These are very easy to clean and service, as the whole axle comes off, bearings included, then you clean the cavity and the axle (no need to touch the bearing adjustment if they're good), put new grease in the cavity, fill to about ⅓, and screw the axle assembly back in, the new grease pushes the old grease out, and Bob's your uncle.

I service my A520's every few months, easy to do with a Shimano TL-PD40 tool to unscrew and extract the axle:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/shimano-tlpd40-spd-clipless-pedal-axle-removal-tool/
I also had the problem of the pedal positions hanging inconsistently; the bearings inside are of a cup & cone design so I just loosened off the preload nuts very slightly to reduce the friction, now they always tend to hang in the same position (upside down at about 45 degrees).

 

[C R]

I service my A520's every few months, easy to do with a Shimano TL-PD40 tool to unscrew and extract the axle:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/shimano-tlpd40-spd-clipless-pedal-axle-removal-tool/
I also had the problem of the pedal positions hanging inconsistently; the bearings inside are of a cup & cone design so I just loosened off the preload nuts very slightly to reduce the friction, now they always tend to hang in the same position (upside down at about 45 degrees).

That's what I did too, also use very light grease, which seems to help as well.

 

[bagpuss]

I drill a tiny hole in the end & use a needle grease gun with a very soft grease.

Sounds a good idea . What size drill bit do you use?

 

[ColinJ]

I took a closer look at my A520 pedals today. They DO tend to hang down so that the back end of the pedal is nearest to the ground, but with variations on the angle - usually with the front end of the pedal between 30 degrees rearward and a few degrees forward.

Given that, I realise that my problem is that I have been trying to clip in the same way that I do on my double-sided M520 pedals - by stomping down with my foot. That usually won't work, unless the pedal just happens to be leaning forwards when I try it.

I adapted my technique... Instead of stomping down, I dropped my heel and approached the pedal from the rear and rolled my foot forwards. That seems to be enough to cater for the different angles that the pedals hang at. I rode round the block a few times practising clipping in and got to the point where I was nearly always successful without having to look down at the pedal.

Unlike @Drago, I find that the contact between shoe and pedal top is improved relative to the M520s. It could be just the particular shoes that we use?

 

[Ian H]

Sounds a good idea . What size drill bit do you use?

2mm using a hand-drill & stopping just as the bit starts to break through.