How to weight pedals?

Question

I have some odd kind of track pedals on my bike. I believe they are clipless pedals; but for description, on one side they are flat and comfortable to pedal with. On the other side there is a raised hump in the middle that is a bit difficult to hop into the pedals quickly for fear of one's foot sliding off.

They are comfortable enough to ride with once I am off and going (though I have become proficient with nipping the pedal with my toe to get it on the right side). However, I would like to weight the pedals so that they rest with the hump side down naturally.

They are similar to these:

Please bear in mind I have already accepted that buying new pedals are probably a best option generally. However, in the interest of modding:

No suggestions are too ugly or odd as long as they work and bear in mind the problem of pedal strike (thanks @Teddy); I am looking for a pragmatic solution above all - hopefully not involving too much duct tape!

Answer 1

The pedals you have are known as mountain bike clipless pedals. They have a platform side where you can use normal sneakers/shoes to ride, and the other side with the "hump" is the clipless side. There are special shoes with cleats on the bottom that attach to the pedals,and they're there to increase your pedaling capacity by allowing you to pull up on them as well as push down. As for weighting the pedals I wouldn't know how as I don't have the pedals in my hand, but I'm sure that if you were to go to the hardware store with the pedals, you may be able to figure something out. I'm sure that duct taping a weight to the "hump" side would solve your problem, but keep in mind that you are adding mass to the pedals, and it may make contact with the ground (aka pedal strike) during a sharper turn.

My suggestion is to go to your local bicycle shop and buy some platforms pedals so that you don't have to go through the trouble of modding your pedals, or have the issue of extra weight, or pedal strike. And considering that cheaper platform pedals are around 15-30 dollars, I think it's a worthwhile investment as they'll be functional on both sides, without the trouble of fabricating a weight attachment.

Answer 2

You know how some pedals have reflectors attached to the front and back of the pedal? Put a weight in the same position as the front reflector would be when the pedals are right-side-up. That way, the pedal will normally rest with the front edge down, and you can place your foot on it with a slight backwards motion to be sure to stand on the good side.

Putting the weight at the front of the pedal lets the weight be smaller than if it was on the bottom of the pedal since it's further from the axis of rotation. It won't decrease your ground clearance and it's less likely to get scraped off, too.

Answer 3

Just go buy a pair of pedals that suit... that's by far the most sensible option.

Answer 4

I solved this problem. My peddles were designed with metal toe clips. For safety reasons I removed the metal clip and replaced them with soft strap toe clips I found at REI. However, I found it annoying that the new toe clips were always pointed downward. It took me several seconds while starting my ride to get my foot into the left toe clip.

I noticed that my peddles were weighted on the bottom side with two metal weights. My goal was to add a weight to one of the bottom side weights of just the right weight to flip the peddle to normally sit with the toe clip on top.

This required some experimentation. I found that a small test magnet would attach itself to the metal weight already on the peddle. If your peddle doesn't have a part that will attract a magnet attach a fender washer. I then used Magcraft NSN0802 Rare Earth Magnets that I bought from Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Magcraft-NSN0802-2-Inch-Magnets-14-Count/dp/B000YF92PA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329403724&sr=8-1

These magnetic disks are far stronger than normal magnets. I bought a 0.2 x 1.2 x 6 inch steel support from Home Depot. I determined the approximate weight that I needed by attaching some small spring clips. I needed about 1.5 ounces per peddle. Using an accurate scale and some basic math, I determined the size of the steel support to cut off which was 1.4 inches. I then attached my steel weight to the rare earth magnet. I was able to fine tune the angle of the peddle by moving the steel weight higher or lower on one side of the peddle. The weight needs to be attached below the center-line of the peddle on the side of the peddle which is pointed upward. The lower the weight is attached the more affect if will have. (The weight is a moment arm: weight x distance from the center-line).

Make sure the peddle shaft is well lubricated. Spin the peddle and the toe clip should always come to rest with the toe clip up.

You can then test ride the bicycle and the weights should stay put. When you are happy with the peddle positions, I recommend attaching the weights permanently with J-B Weld (a steel reinforced epoxy) to both sides of the rare earth magnet.