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S18 Pedals Conversion to 4mm Screw-In Pins (The Ultimate upgrade from grip tape)


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  • fbhb changed the title to S18 Pedals Conversion to 4mm Screw-In Pins (The Ultimate upgrade from grip tape)
3 hours ago, MurseMGV said:

I am new to EUC and had been wondering why no one seemed to use one of the various MTB pedal pins, though I am guessing that may be what the aftermarket pedal folks are using.

It's interesting that you raise the question about the minimal use of MTB pedal pins, because the majority of the aftermarket options are either using spikes or just regular set screws etc. for some unknown reason.  It is really hard to understand, as MTB pedal pins are widely available with plenty of different options and have obviously proven tried and tested on Downhill MTB's etc. during the extended length of time they have been around!

Personally, I am not a fan of an actual "spikes" being used especially if they are sharp enough to perforate your footwear and IMHO this option can actually be very dangerous.

@Rehab1, unfortunately had a very nasty accident and can vouch for how dangerous really sharp "spiked" pedal pins can be if you are unable to release from your pedals in an emergency!

Edited by fbhb
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  • 2 weeks later...

Alrighty. Got my S18 a couple days ago and it was time to follow fbhb's lead. I had some Crank Brothers pins (you can use either the 10mm or 8mm but you will have a little more adjustment room with the 10mm) and I picked up another pack to have enough for both pedals. They come in packs of 50. You could probably figure out a way to make 25 holes/pedal, otherwise you need two packs. I linked the manufacturer there, but you can find these at your local bike shop. These pins are a bit different than the OneUp, which @fbhb used. Rather than a large hex side and sharp pin side, these are just the 4mm screw/pin rounded a bit on the non-hex side. I also didn't quite measure as carefully as fbhb but once it is all assembled you can't really tell. The nice thing about these pins is that you can adjust the height of the pin from nothing all the way to super high. You just screw them up/down to the height you want and you can change them at any time.

For those following at home, here were my steps:

  1. Remove pedal.
  2. Remove grip tape.
  3. Remove back of pedal (5 small screws).
  4. Measure where you want your holes to ensure they don't interfere with the cross braces on the back.
  5. Drill a pilot hole. I did this because the bit I had with my tap wasn't quite as sharp, but it ended up working out well.
  6. [If you are confident you like where the holes are - clamp the other pedal to the drilled one and mark where to drill for the next pedal.]
  7. Put grip tape back on.
  8. Drill correct size hole for a 4mm x 0.7 tap through pedal and grip tape.
  9. Tap with the 4mm x 0.7 tap. (I actually used my power drill on a low speed setting because I didn't want to spend forever screwing the tap by hand and my tap jig/holder sucks - it worked surprisingly well.)
  10. Insert a billion pins, or 64, or however many you use. Again I cheated a bit and snapped off one of my allen wrenches so I could put it in the drill. It made it a ton quicker.
  11. I also drilled out the grip tape for the holes with the screws to mount the pedals so I can easily removed the back whenever I want to adjust the pins. I will probably pick up some black screws instead of the silver ones and you won't even notice they are visible.

Total time was a few hours. The figuring out where to drill the holes took a while. It is also a just lot of holes to drill, tap, and then screw in the pins. I already had the drill bits, the tap, and some pins so total cost was $12...unless my wife buys the $5000 mountain bike she demoed at the bike store when I went to pick up the pins, in which case that was a damn expensive project!

 

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Edited by MurseMGV
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Thanks for posting guys, I am going to make some pinned pedals for my S18 as well, might just do a layer on top with pins in that like Marty's recent video so I can try different things, but if it works great, I'll probably do what you guys have and just dril/tap the stock pedals for the pins.  Nice and thanks for the pics and pin link!

I'm considering some DIY power pads just carved out of a yoga block or some other hard foam, to at least add something, as I find the pedals are a bit small for my size 11 feet to get full leverage for accell/braking, so pads should help immensely, plus they should give me more control for rough terrain and one foot recoveries when I nearly lose it!  haha

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15 hours ago, freego said:

My solution for inspiration

Right on, looks good, was going to try something like that as well.  Does the underside of the S18 pedals just pry out?  Or are are there screws under the grip tape to pop that off with.  I think threading into the pedal may be easier than adding a layer with the spikes in it, plus is add pedal height (small but still) so in the pedals might be best.  Thanks!

NEVERMIND, I see the steps in top post now, screws under grip tape!  Sweet!

Edited by Unipsycho
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36 minutes ago, Unipsycho said:

Right on, looks good, was going to try something like that as well.  Does the underside of the S18 pedals just pry out?  Or are are there screws under the grip tape to pop that off with.  I think threading into the pedal may be easier than adding a layer with the spikes in it, plus is add pedal height (small but still) so in the pedals might be best.  Thanks!

NEVERMIND, I see the steps in top post now, screws under grip tape!  Sweet!

No, the blue object is not an extra layer. I only printed this as a form for cutting grip tape and also as a pattern for drilling holes. Personally, I don't like the solution of the additional layer. For both aesthetic and practical reasons. In my opinion, it is not very safe and I do not like the idea of a permanent attachment. Either way, it is necessary to drill into the pedal with the additional layer and then it does not make sense. And using some extra strong glue is impractical in case of disassembly.

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I have been riding the S18 for the third day with this pedals "spikes mod". If you are at least a little skilled, be sure to adjust your pedals like this! It's a must-to-do. Buy standard grip tape for skateboards. They come in a variety of colors, adhere great, and one roll will last you on three pairs of pedals. In addition, the pins ensure that the grip tape wears minimally and lasts a very long time.

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5 hours ago, freego said:

I have been riding the S18 for the third day with this pedals "spikes mod". If you are at least a little skilled, be sure to adjust your pedals like this! It's a must-to-do. Buy standard grip tape for skateboards. They come in a variety of colors, adhere great, and one roll will last you on three pairs of pedals. In addition, the pins ensure that the grip tape wears minimally and lasts a very long time.

Awesome freego, thanks so much for all the extra details, I will definitely be getting some pins in mine soon.  Very nice!

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  • 2 weeks later...
6 hours ago, Beachboy said:

btw, a bit off topic, @fbhbwhat size is that tyre anyway..looks tightly fit how it rides??

@Beachboy the best way for me to answer your question is to link you to previous conversations about this epic tyre (CST 6004 2.75-14), although virtually impossible to purchase away from Chinese online sites it IMHO is well worth tracking one down!

Have a read through the topic I'm linking to for more details and hit me up if you decide you need a link to go ahead and purchase as a number of other S18 owners have asked me where they can get one: 

 

Edited by fbhb
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  • 3 weeks later...

I am loving this thread. I have a lot of experience tapping threads, and this looks like an intuitive and helpful mod!

I have a question for you guys who have completed the project and have some miles on your 'spiked' pedals:  For @freego it appears has pics show a more heavy concentration of spikes in the heel area of the pedal, @fbhb shows a more even distribution of spikes across the pedal. (I couldn't discern @MurseMGV's pedal orientation.)  It seems to me if I did not have an even distribution, I would want the higher concentration in the ball of my foot, or near the toes.  Does anyone have some feed back about this?  Was there a thought process that you used to determine spike distribution other than accommodating the underside of the pedal's reinforcement/webbing?

Also, the pedals look like they are reversible left-to-right, so if one style (heels vs toes) felt better they could be swapped?  Is this correct?

Thanks!!

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  • 4 months later...

I've also spiked my S18 pedals by tapping in 3mm set screws. I went for the real spikey finish by using cone tipped screws, 8mm long, which protrude about 4mm above the pedals. These grip really well, don't mark or damage the soles of my shoes and allow me to adjust my feet fairly easily. The great advantage of tapping the pedals is you can try different types of screws and adjust them for length. My set screws have no heads which allows for more depth adjustment. I use Loctite to hold them in place.

I haven't tried blunt headed screws but I doubt they grip as well as my sharp spikes. I've always used an EUC Bodyguard to protect the wheel and it deals with the spikes as well.

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