Look Pedal noise

Ludwig, I found that my cleats cause the noise. The small black rubber thingy on the cleat moves against the pedal and then causes the problem. I put a bit of White Lightning on the pedal itself (just don't put it near the parts that hold the cleats to the pedal) and the noise stopped. You would however hace to do this every now and then.

thanks for the reply ,ewep.
I'm in Europe, so I'm not familiar with white lightening.Is it a sort of lubricant? Also,are you saying it goes on the part of the pedal that contacts the black rubber thingy?

thanks again,
Ludwig

White Lightning is a dry wax lube. Yes, if you look on the cleat, you'll see a small black rubber sticking out of the cleat. Now this is the thing that made the noise on my bike. You just put a bit of wax lubricant on the "platform" of the pedal and Voila! (if that is the problem)

ok,thanks for your help 🙂

If that doesn't work try putting it (or silicone or any lube really) on the toe (front) part of the cleat - I also get squeaks from that area.

Well, I went out for a ride today and after about 2 miles, the pedals started creaking.I say creaking ,rather than squeaking because it sounds more like a creak,like a door opening.

Anyway, I didn't have any of that wax lube,so I used a bit of chain lube on that spot where the rubber touches the pedal. I dabbed a bit on both pedals and it improved the situation,but didn't eliminate the noise entirely.

I stopped after another 5 miles to try and figure out what the hell was happening.In the end,I ended up smearing lube over the entire pedal surface,including the toe bit (not a great idea ,I know, but this noise was driving me INSANE).

Anyway, this stopped the noise entirely,but only for about 10 miles.Then a tiny creak came back.I couldn't believe it! Another stop, more oil applied.By the time I got back,my pedals were covered in grime.

Surely,LOOK must be aware of this problem.
or perhpas it's only me that has this noise that won't go away.
I used the first ever pair of LOOK pedals that came on the market (the big white ones that Hinault wore in 84 or whatever) and don't remember having this problem back then. Since thenI dropped out of cycling and returned only a couple of years ago with Shimano SPD pedals. I had a few squeaking problems with them,but found a way to eliminate them and run them noise free.These LOOK pedals I ahve now are the first pair I've had since 85.

Does anyone else have this issue to this extent or perhaps can offer a solution?

One thing that occured to me is to get rid of that bit of rubber.What is it's purpose ,apart from causing irritating squeaks?

cheers
Ludwig

ludwig
you can always tell who is using look cleats in a group, they squeak.
I got rid of mine. I tried everything including oil. Nothing worked for long. It is worst than putting oil on the chain.
I bought campi pedals etc and will never go back.

sell the pedals they squeak all the time i did it and will never go back

well i think trying other cleats could fix the problem

Yes, a common problem that squeak. I even remember squeaking cleats with my old slotted cleats and quill pedals before Look got into the cycling business.

I use an old candle and rub the wax over the front and back of my Look cleats and a little on the pedals too. Works pretty well and it's clean and easy. I think part of the problem is moisture because the squeak gets worse on damp days. The candle wax seems to shed the moisture. Ed Pavelka of Bicycling Magazine fame has also endorsed this option, although he liked some other lubricant better.

thanks for your feedback, guys.
I'm gonna go out for a ride today using some candle wax on the cleats.

If that doesn't work, do you think I could take the pedals back to the shop for a refund?
I only bought them on Saturday.

How anyone can live with that creaking noise is beyond me.

What I find interesting is that LOOK themselves have not addressed this problem.I mean,If I was testing pedals for them,the first thing I would say is not that they look nice or spin well or have a nice release mechanism, but they squeak all over the place. How on earth can this sort of problem get through quality control?

Anyway,I digress.

If you do end up having to take them back for a refund, I highly recommend Shimano's new SPD-SL design. They're similar to Look pedals, but mechanically superior; and the cleats have rubber pontoons on them to make them (semi-)walkable.

They also look good and are damn easy to get into as well. 🙂

I think you should try using other cleats maybe it will fix the problem... i once had a problem with SPD pedals making a weird noise... i changed the cleats and the noise was gone

well, the cleats were new and came with the pedals,so I don't think i need new ones.
Anyway, I took them back to the shop today and got a refund.
The guy in the shop said that he guarenteed that if I shaved the black rubber bit off with a sharp knife,then the squeeking would go away.
I was a little sceptical of this and anyway,I'd just wasted 3 days of my life trying to sort the problem out and didn't fancy wasting another one.
I ordered some Shimano SPD-R pedals and hope that they will be better.

oh well guess what u did is prolly the best solution =)

I wouldnt recomend Look pedals as their cleats are plastic. sure they squeek all the time amd they also wear out. I have a pair of pp396 that now rattle because the float adjuster snapped off and the rear section is now loose in the hollow pedal body! not happy.

well, I bought a pair of Shimano SPD-R pedals.
Beautiful,noise free cycling.Also,theyu are nice and slim and sleek looking.The LOOK pedals look like bricks in comparison.
I agree about the plastic LOOK cleats.I reckon they must wear out far too fast.

I had some look pedals (x 2 and they fell apart. Black plastic bit and adjuster fell off never to be found.

Shimano SPD's eh

I cannot recommend the SPD-R's highly enough.
Absolutely brilliant.
They are like so much better than LOOK.
It's amazing that in a bunch there are always a few guys with squeaks and if you look ,9 times out of 10 they have LOOK pedals LOL.