Rebuilding Victor VP-565 Pedals
These pedals are VP-565 sold by MEC.ca for $12 a pair. They have an open ball bearing with no bearing dust seal on the crank side, hence it's easy for dirt to contaminate the bearing and decrease performance.
To open the pedals, use a small flat-head screwdriver to remove the hard rubber cap on the non-crank side. There are 2 hex nuts tightened against each other. Loosening them against each other will allow the pedal to spin easier on the shaft, but loosening them too much will cause the pedal to shift side-to-side on the shaft. The pedal will not spin freely if the nuts are tightened too much against each other. Remove both nuts and then the shaft can be removed. The small balls of the open ball bearing will come free (11 balls on each side), so be careful not to loose them! Reassemble the pedal and coat the small balls in bearing grease (the green stuff). Use ample grease since the excess will be squeezed out anyways. |
Upgrade Victor VP-565 pedals' pins to 6-32 machine screws
Each pin hole was center punched, drilled out with a #36 drill, and then tapped with a 6-32 tap. To quickly finish 40 holes, the tap was used with a drill machine and tapping oil. Care must be taken to not over-torque the tap since it will break, so the tap is oiled and backed-out of the hole every 2 rotations.
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Stock moulded pins are 3mm high and many are broken off or worn down from use. These pedals were used for 3 years prior to this upgrade.
The shaft of these new screws is 10mm, and 4mm of the screw protrudes from the pedal surface. Longer 12mm screws can be used, or washers can be used to shorten the effective screw height. |
Compare my Pedals
Victor VP-565Price: $12 CAD (MEC.ca)
Weight: 490g each = 980g pair (stock) Weight: 420g each = 840g pair (upgraded pins and remove reflectors) Material: 1-piece aluminium Bearings: Open ball bearings Shape: Convex shaped: 26mm center to 23mm ends. Thick: 32mm thick with 4mm pins (upgraded pins) Axle: Cro-Mo steel Made in Taiwan |
Nukeproof Horizon Pro 2016Price: $93 CAD (Chainreactioncycles.com)
Weight: 355g each = 710g pair (stock) Material: Forged 6061-T6 alloy body with CNC finishing Bearings: 1 DU bushings & 2 sealed cartridge bearings (each pedal) Shape: Concave shaped: 17mm center to 19mm ends Thick: 28mm thick with 5mm pins (increase to 6mm by removing washers) Axle: Cro-Mo steel Made in USA |