Shimano Pedals Creaking

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ipenguinking
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by ipenguinking

I did a little bit of research and it seems everyone is happy with their Shimano pedals. I have a pair of 5yo 9100 SPD-SL pedals on my bike. The DS started creaking recently on steep climb, alone with grinding feel. I can duplicate the creak and grind by moving shoe around while clipping in. Therefore it's probably not related to drivetrain. The blue cleats on my shoes have little over 2,000 miles and the wear bars show both sides are good for many more miles. All bolts are tight. And they are genuine Shimano cleats bought from big LBS. The metal plates on the pedals are clean and feel smooth by sliding finger over. I've already ordered new cleats but I wanted to gather some thoughts before replacing them. I'm also going to ride the bike with my spare pair of shoes this weekend.

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jaclipse
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by jaclipse

Do you clip in and out of your DS pedal often? Is it your "dominant" foot I mean? It is for me and as a result I put more wear on the right pedal/cleat than the left and this has lead to squeaks and creaks over time. I was able to use Finish Line Pedal & Cleat lubricant and it stopped the noise. YMMV but worked for me.

ipenguinking
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by ipenguinking

Yes I always clip out DS pedal before stopping. I just cleaned the pedal and applied some Speedplay pedal lube I have handy. It has been over a decade since I gave up Speedplay for Time RSX. Then I switched to SPD-SL mainly because I dislike those fast wearing and expensive Time cleats.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

I once thought a creak was coming from my SPD-SL pedals. It turns out it was coming from the BOA wire rubbing against the tongue on the shoe. Shimano pedals don't creak. Try changing to another pair of shoes.

ipenguinking
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by ipenguinking

I do supsect the problem might be the pair of Rapaha shoes with BOA. I'm going to ride with my old Sidi pair tomorrow.

smokva
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by smokva

ipenguinking wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 10:52 pm
I did a little bit of research and it seems everyone is happy with their Shimano pedals. I have a pair of 5yo 9100 SPD-SL pedals on my bike. The DS started creaking recently on steep climb, alone with grinding feel. I can duplicate the creak and grind by moving shoe around while clipping in. Therefore it's probably not related to drivetrain. The blue cleats on my shoes have little over 2,000 miles and the wear bars show both sides are good for many more miles. All bolts are tight. And they are genuine Shimano cleats bought from big LBS. The metal plates on the pedals are clean and feel smooth by sliding finger over. I've already ordered new cleats but I wanted to gather some thoughts before replacing them. I'm also going to ride the bike with my spare pair of shoes this weekend.
First check shoe, cleat and cleat bolts.

If you do any serious milege, you should open them and regrease them once per year. Creak and grind probably come from ungreased or damaged bearing race or cone. Take both pedals apart and give them a good checkup. Spare axle assembly with all parts is available as a spare in a case it is damaged.
Part number for right pedal assembly is YL8898010, in case of +4mm axle YL8898020.

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Another simple solution would be to grease the threads of the pedal. I've had that happen to me (more ticking than creaking).

tommyboyo
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by tommyboyo

smokva wrote:
Mon Jun 27, 2022 1:51 pm
ipenguinking wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 10:52 pm
I did a little bit of research and it seems everyone is happy with their Shimano pedals. I have a pair of 5yo 9100 SPD-SL pedals on my bike. The DS started creaking recently on steep climb, alone with grinding feel. I can duplicate the creak and grind by moving shoe around while clipping in. Therefore it's probably not related to drivetrain. The blue cleats on my shoes have little over 2,000 miles and the wear bars show both sides are good for many more miles. All bolts are tight. And they are genuine Shimano cleats bought from big LBS. The metal plates on the pedals are clean and feel smooth by sliding finger over. I've already ordered new cleats but I wanted to gather some thoughts before replacing them. I'm also going to ride the bike with my spare pair of shoes this weekend.
First check shoe, cleat and cleat bolts.

If you do any serious milege, you should open them and regrease them once per year. Creak and grind probably come from ungreased or damaged bearing race or cone. Take both pedals apart and give them a good checkup. Spare axle assembly with all parts is available as a spare in a case it is damaged.
Part number for right pedal assembly is YL8898010, in case of +4mm axle YL8898020.
You really should not need to do this unless you have seriously abused the pedals and in fact, I would recommend against opening them up.

Dura Ace pedal bearings are generally still going strong long after the pedal body has given up the ghost.

Most creaking and cracking comes from the interface between the cleat/shoe and the pedal, especially as things start to wear and if you have less than perfect biomecanics. My left foot moves in and out slightly through pedal stroke for example.

Hexsense
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by Hexsense

tommyboyo wrote:
Mon Jun 27, 2022 4:36 pm
smokva wrote:
Mon Jun 27, 2022 1:51 pm

If you do any serious milege, you should open them and regrease them once per year. Creak and grind probably come from ungreased or damaged bearing race or cone. Take both pedals apart and give them a good checkup. Spare axle assembly with all parts is available as a spare in a case it is damaged.
Part number for right pedal assembly is YL8898010, in case of +4mm axle YL8898020.
You really should not need to do this unless you have seriously abused the pedals and in fact, I would recommend against opening them up.

Dura Ace pedal bearings are generally still going strong long after the pedal body has given up the ghost.

Most creaking and cracking comes from the interface between the cleat/shoe and the pedal, especially as things start to wear and if you have less than perfect biomecanics. My left foot moves in and out slightly through pedal stroke for example.
+1. I'd open up the Dura-ace pedal and re-grease every 5 years, or 50,000 miles. Whichever come first.
My 6 years old Dura-ace 9000 pedal was perfect for the first 6 years. Then it sound a bit dry when free spin in hand at year 6 when it could be refreshed with a service.

darrydonds
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by darrydonds

FIJIGabe wrote:
Mon Jun 27, 2022 2:32 pm
Another simple solution would be to grease the threads of the pedal. I've had that happen to me (more ticking than creaking).
Incidentally, I have been hearing "ticking" on my new SPD pedals. I thought I didn't tighten them enough to the crank arms. So I did. But then, after a while it started happening again (only when apply more power, like on steep climbs). So, I removed them and greased the hell out of them. Hope that fixes it.

shimmeD
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by shimmeD

For me it was from the cleat moving against the pedal. Especially when climbing my feet would twist against the spring tension of the pedals (yes this is with fixed (red) cleats with the pedal tension dialled up) therefore cleats grinding against pedals. New shoes (& new cleats) and my pedaling action has improved with locked feet, no more creaks. Could be the Velokicks shoes, you'll take that won't you, Tinea?

You may need more float (from blue to yellow, I assume), otherwise you could try Keywin pedals which have the float within the pedals not the cleats. Or remove the movement out of your pedaling action.
Less is more.

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Greatestalltime
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by Greatestalltime

Two weeks ago I had a work out cleat creak on me only while climbing. I didn’t figure it out until after I switched pedals, took the cranks out and tried to tighten all the cleat bolts.

It was the cleat I clip out of the least. So that was kind of weird that it wore out first.


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spud
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by spud

I usually get about a year out of a set of cleats. But I had one cleat develop slop after about 2-3 months, no apparent reason why. just replaced it, and no problems since. SPDs are pretty much bullet proof, I've been riding them for 15+ years and have never opened one up. However, the spring retention clip does get worn out after a long time, I just elect to replace the whole pedal.

ipenguinking
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by ipenguinking

So here is the update for my situation. I did couple rides with my spare pair of Sidi shoes. There was no creaking and no grinding whatsoever, even when pedaling hard on steep climb. I noticed how much harder is to clip in with this pair immediately, compare to my regular Rapha. There is also much less movement once clipped in. At this point I'm almost certain worn out cleat is the problem. I'm going to install new blue cleats on my regular shoes and report back.

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spud
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by spud

I think you have the right answer, but be aware that some shoes don't have the "correct" curvature at the ball of the foot and the cleat may get distorted when tightened down, which can lead to issues. No experience with Rapha shoes.

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