[bikeboy389]

OK, that's it. I like these pedals OK, and I've got about 1000 miles on them, but I'm done with them. I won them in an RBR/Crank Bros. contest, so they were free, and I'd say I got my money's worth.

Within a couple of hundred miles, the main bearing failed on the non-drive side pedal. Crank Bros. sent me an overhaul kit for free, but still. Not the quality I'd hoped for.

Yesterday, on a big group ride, in a fairly high-speed part of the ride, my drive side pedal came apart. I was in the middle of the pack (like 30 people), and got my hand up right away, but I'm sure I scared some folks--at the pace we were going, "stopping pedaling" looks an awful lot like "slamming on the brakes" to the guy on your wheel. Could have been nasty if it had gone while climbing.

What happened appears to be that the main bearing on the drive side has gone, at least partially. It feels OK, but it's all I've got for a theory as to why it came apart (if it sticks, things could come unscrewed).

So I was out of the ride with only 18 miles in, out in no-man's land, and had to call my wife for a rescue. The pedal isn't broken--I'm sure I could slap another rebuild kit into it, all the parts are intact--but my faith in the pedals IS broken. I just sold one of my older bikes yesterday, so I had the cash to put into a set of Speedplay X's (edit: the new pedals are Zeros, not X's) (the red CSC edition--I'm such a friggin' fanboy).

I don't know what other people's results with the Quattros are--when people ask about them, I'm usually the only one posting who's actually got a set--but if you have some, I urge you to keep a close eye on your bearings.

PS: Should I just throw them out? They didn't cost me anything, and I'm not sure I feel right giving or selling them to somebody else--what if they got hurt? But I hate to throw something like this away--all that machined stainless steel and whatnot.

 

[Dereck]

Interesting, if odd. It's not too often that such major pedal problems are heard of with any make/model. I've been on some form of Crank Bros pedal for nearly three years now - all five bikes have them, Eggies or Candies so far, but I've about a 1000 and a bit on Quattros with no problem other than their shorter pedal spindles have my feet a hair closer to the cranks than the Candies I put near 5K on last year.

Maybe you got the modern equivalent of the 'Monday Morning Model"? I admit I haven't even considered how you'd get into the Quattro to tinker with it - the Eggies/Candies both have an endcap that comes off and allows easy access to the innards.

Regards

Dereck

 

[LBK]

the Quattro is a garbage IMO. I had a couple of bearing failure too. Their MTB pedals were okay, but I gave up on the Quattro. Just get a SPD-SL or Other pedals that are known for their reliability.

 

[jaseone]

I have no problem so far on my Quattro's but I haven't put many miles on them yet, I am however starting to think I will switch to Speedplays as I get scared of pedalling through corners with the Quattro's as I've actually scraped a couple of times.

The Speedplay cleats aren't compatible with my MTB shoes though so I would have to upgrade both the pedals & my shoes and that sure would be a fun conversation with the girlfriend after all the bike related expenses lately...

 

[bikeboy389]

Interesting, if odd. It's not too often that such major pedal problems are heard of with any make/model. I've been on some form of Crank Bros pedal for nearly three years now - all five bikes have them, Eggies or Candies so far, but I've about a 1000 and a bit on Quattros with no problem other than their shorter pedal spindles have my feet a hair closer to the cranks than the Candies I put near 5K on last year.

Maybe you got the modern equivalent of the 'Monday Morning Model"? I admit I haven't even considered how you'd get into the Quattro to tinker with it - the Eggies/Candies both have an endcap that comes off and allows easy access to the innards.

Regards

Dereck

The construction of the Quattros is very different from the other Eggbeater-based pedals. They're actually quite easy to take apart and service (as long as you have their special tool to take the pedal apart where mine came apart on its own and a set of snap-ring pliers). For some reason the quality just isn't there--at least not in the bearings I got.

My favorite guy at my local shop said they'd had enough problems with the Quattro bearings that they only special order them--they don't stock them because they'd rather not sell them. My wife has had very good luck with her Speedplays, so I'm going to give that a shot. My guy says that he's only ever seen problems where it was obvious the customer didn't keep them cleaned and greased.

Though the price of the Quattros is far from bottom end, I'm convinced that pedals are one of the last places you should skimp on price, because they get used so hard--only the tires and hub bearings see more use. Bottom Brackets see about the same amount of use.

 

[danl1]

Sorry for your luck. They're not the most widely-used pedals out there, but I've not heard too much bad about them in the reliability department. I'm at about 600 miles on mine, and don't have a thing to complain about.

I bought them rather than the eggbeaters in part because of the better bearing design. (Note I said design, not execution.) They should run better than the eggys. For now, I'm going to attribute your experience to being one of the statistical outliers that has to exist, and keep on enjoying mine.

I switched from speedplays because I lost trust in them - I boogered a knee for a few weeks trying to twist out of a pedal stuck by a tiny bit of road gravel, and got sick of paying for cleats. Guess nothing's perfect, and bearing kits cost do cost less than speedplay cleats.

All the same, you can send me yours in case I need some spare parts.

 

[bigbill]

I am taking mine apart tonight. The drive side pedal feels like it has no grease. I have eggbeaters and candys on my other bikes. The only major problem that I ever had was a bearing seizing and then blowing apart on my candy pedals. When it seized it backed the spindle nut out and the pedal platform came off with my shoe. The balls and retainer were in pieces inside of the body of the pedal. That stranded me and I had to call for a ride. CB was quick to send me a rebuild kit, in fact they sent me two. I will take some pictures of the pedals apart if I get motivated enough.

 

[nate]

OK, that's it. I like these pedals OK, and I've got about 1000 miles on them, but I'm done with them. I won them in an RBR/Crank Bros. contest, so they were free, and I'd say I got my money's worth.

Within a couple of hundred miles, the main bearing failed on the non-drive side pedal. Crank Bros. sent me an overhaul kit for free, but still. Not the quality I'd hoped for.

Yesterday, on a big group ride, in a fairly high-speed part of the ride, my drive side pedal came apart. I was in the middle of the pack (like 30 people), and got my hand up right away, but I'm sure I scared some folks--at the pace we were going, "stopping pedaling" looks an awful lot like "slamming on the brakes" to the guy on your wheel. Could have been nasty if it had gone while climbing.

What happened appears to be that the main bearing on the drive side has gone, at least partially. It feels OK, but it's all I've got for a theory as to why it came apart (if it sticks, things could come unscrewed).

I think I mentioned to you when we rode in November that one of my Candy pedals failed soon after I got them. The pedal came loose and was sliding back and forth on the spindle. I was lucky it did not come right off.

The wrench at the shop opened the dust cover of the pedal and the bearings fell out. They exchanged them for me since they were under warranty and I haven't had a problem since then after logging many more miles on my second pair than the pair that failed. The only difference is that I've made sure to re-grease them frequently. If I recall correctly, the manual calls for a re-greasing interval that seemed awfully short.

I have Candy pedals on two of my bikes right now and on my wife's new bike. I love the pedals when they work, but if any of the three pair were to fail then I would do the same thing you did and switch to something else.

Sorry to hear about the spoiled ride.

 

[bikeboy389]

I am taking mine apart tonight. The drive side pedal feels like it has no grease. I have eggbeaters and candys on my other bikes. The only major problem that I ever had was a bearing seizing and then blowing apart on my candy pedals. When it seized it backed the spindle nut out and the pedal platform came off with my shoe. The balls and retainer were in pieces inside of the body of the pedal. That stranded me and I had to call for a ride. CB was quick to send me a rebuild kit, in fact they sent me two. I will take some pictures of the pedals apart if I get motivated enough.

This is exactly what happened to me, except the bearings didn't break up.

 

[danl1]

This is exactly what happened to me, except the bearings didn't break up.

Just searching for possible root causes, please take no offense. "The bearings are junk" is as good an answer as any, but there might be something else.

Do you frequently wash/hose down your bikes ? Kind of a trick question, as I could find blame either way, but it's worth exploring.

Similarly, do you attempt to lube the pedals, and with what?

 

[bigbill]

Just searching for possible root causes, please take no offense. "The bearings are junk" is as good an answer as any, but there might be something else.

Do you frequently wash/hose down your bikes ? Kind of a trick question, as I could find blame either way, but it's worth exploring.

Similarly, do you attempt to lube the pedals, and with what?

I ride to work everyday regardless of weather, so I am religious about maintenance. I grease my pedals every other month and after riding in heavy rain. When my bearing failed, the grease captured the loose parts. I think that I just had a bad bearing. They have all been good since.

 

[bikeboy389]

Just searching for possible root causes, please take no offense. "The bearings are junk" is as good an answer as any, but there might be something else.

Do you frequently wash/hose down your bikes ? Kind of a trick question, as I could find blame either way, but it's worth exploring.

Similarly, do you attempt to lube the pedals, and with what?

I rarely ride in the rain (the rain has been very conveniently timed this year), and definitely know better than to turn a hose on moving parts. I also keep things greased, though the Quattros don't call for very much of it, what with the sealed bearings and all.

I think, like bigbill, that the problem is with the bearings themselves--perhaps they were just out of a bad batch. The replacement bearings on the left pedal have been fine.

As someone else said, I thought the bearing design for the Quattros was one of the better ones out there, with the large inboard bearing and the outboard end being a bearing too instead of a bushing. But that theory has not held up in practice for me.