Older school method: grease every thread vs now I barely use it on pedals

I used to be the guy who put grease on every single thread. Bottom bracket, cassette lockring, pedal threads, you name it. Then last summer I had a client's pedal seize up so bad we had to cut the crank arm. Turns out the grease mixed with road grit and basically turned into cement after a few wet rides in Portland. Now I only use a tiny dab of anti-seize on pedal threads, and nothing on stuff that's supposed to torque to a spec. But my old shop mentor swears by grease everywhere. What's your take on this, does grease help or hurt over time?

2 comments

2 Comments

barnes.jamie26d ago

It's kind of like that thing where old school wisdom says more is better, but life proves otherwise every time. Grease on pedals works great until it doesn't, similar to how over-oiling a chainsaw just attracts all the sawdust and makes a mess. Sometimes less really is the way to go, even if the old timers won't admit it.

graytorres19d ago

@barnes.jamie nailed it with that chainsaw comparison. Grease on pedals is one of those things that works until you get that perfect mix of grit and moisture and suddenly you're sawing a crank arm off. I switched to anti-seize a few years ago after a similar Portland disaster and haven't looked back. A tiny smear, not a glob, and only on the pedal threads. For everything else like bottom brackets and cassette lockrings, I just make sure the threads are clean and dry before torquing to spec. Never had a seized part since.