Faux retro pedals

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Messages
4,196
Reaction score
9,069
Location
The middle of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
I got these 1/2 inch pedals on eBay. I saw they were bolted together Instead of crimped. I took the bolts out, removed the hard slippery pedal blocks and put in some vintage rubber blocks that I inherited from a bike shop that went out of business in 1960. They now look like NOS vintage pedals.
image.jpg
 
Usually the threads on the ends of the bolts are peened after the nuts are installed. Were you able to remove the nuts without ruining the threads ? Then , after reassembly , how did you keep the nuts from coming off?
 
Usually the threads on the ends of the bolts are peened after the nuts are installed. Were you able to remove the nuts without ruining the threads ? Then , after reassembly , how did you keep the nuts from coming off?
They weren’t penned. In fact they had no locking nuts and came apart easily. I’m going to put on thread lock later today. There are no brand or other markings on the pedals or the hard slippery plastic blocks. Of course they have metric, #8 bolts. There is no play in the bearings and they spin really well. They cost $18.99 including shipping from America -Eagle - Cycles on eBay.
 
Last edited:
Seven years ago new replacement rubber pedal blocks were easy to find. I just looked on eBay and they are hard to find, expensive and used. Unless you have blocks this is not an economical project.

I've been contemplating getting a mold 3D-printed and using silicone 'Proto Putty' to create some homemade replacement blocks for awhile now. Even drew up some preliminary plans on Tinkercad. I like the hardware portion of these pedals...but the slippery plastic blocks are crap.

image_2020-10-01_200935.png
 
Last edited:
Another option is to hunt down red reflector pedals from Canada. They look much better on a rat than the amber USA models in my opinion.

20201002_081102.jpg
 
I've been contemplating getting a mold 3D-printed and using silicone 'Proto Putty' to create some homemade replacement blocks for awhile now. Even drew up some preliminary plans on Tinkercad. I like the hardware portion of these pedals...but the slippery plastic blocks are crap.

View attachment 140122
No reason someone couldn't do that using a vertical mold like @ifitsfreeitsforme uses for his grip manufacturing. There are several grades of semi rigid pvc that would be more than durable enough for blocks. Plus it's typically uv stable so no fading
 
No reason someone couldn't do that using a vertical mold like @ifitsfreeitsforme uses for his grip manufacturing. There are several grades of semi rigid pvc that would be more than durable enough for blocks. Plus it's typically uv stable so no fading
The original blocks on these pedals were advertised as pvc but ridged as a brick. Anything flexable would be a big improvement. Its pretty bad when your foot shoots forward off the pedal.
 
The original blocks on these pedals were advertised as pvc but ridged as a brick. Anything flexable would be a big improvement. Its pretty bad when your foot shoots forward off the pedal.
There are hundreds of kinds of "pvc" though. Agreed if you could find a polymer that was durable, mildly flexible, and still maintained shape. Many marine grade pvc are like this. Like the flexible stuff they use for dock edging. Tough as nails and built to be outside but still flexes where it needs to
 
There are hundreds of kinds of "pvc" though. Agreed if you could find a polymer that was durable, mildly flexible, and still maintained shape. Many marine grade pvc are like this. Like the flexible stuff they use for dock edging. Tough as nails and built to be outside but still flexes where it needs to
Someone with more know how than I have needs to start making these. I thought there were new ones available about 7 years ago but perhaps they were just old left over parts like mine. Now they appear to be fairly nonexistent, if that’s a possible description. Mine are really nice, made of rubber and never used. I have one more set.
 
You can also use pedals like these and substitute wood blocks.

For making new rubber blocks, all you need is originals to make a mold from, then mix the proper durometer rubber to get the correct pedal block feel (which might take some experimentation). You can also make them in different colors.

A good place for supplies:
www.smooth-on.com

Also, this guy does a lot of mold making stuff, including figuring out the durometer for reproducing the flexibility of Star Wars action figures, and he's hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzsjHlc0WRwZYwlinsmtM4w
 
as Captain Awesome pointed out, there are hundreds of grades of PVC. You really have to do your homework before committing to a brand/durometer. You can get "coupons" (sample cards) mailed to you by suppliers if you are a legitimate business.

The next problem after choosing a brand and grade of PVC or any polymer, is finding a supplier that will supply small quantities. They mostly prefer to sell by the palette (hundreds of lbs of raw material).
 
Another option is to hunt down red reflector pedals from Canada. They look much better on a rat than the amber USA models in my opinion.

View attachment 140149
I tried a pair of those once. Thought they would be cool on a black and red bike. One of them self destructed shortly after install.
 
as Captain Awesome pointed out, there are hundreds of grades of PVC. You really have to do your homework before committing to a brand/durometer. You can get "coupons" (sample cards) mailed to you by suppliers if you are a legitimate business.

The next problem after choosing a brand and grade of PVC or any polymer, is finding a supplier that will supply small quantities. They mostly prefer to sell by the palette (hundreds of lbs of raw material).


But if anyone wants to tackle it let me know. I negotiate about 16,000,000 lbs of resin a year for the company I work for. You only need a slice of that :21:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top