I’ve had a pair of LOOK Keo Sprint pedals for about a year now. Like all LOOK pedals, during pedaling they creak and squeak where the cleat makes contact with the pedal. The squeal is coming from the tip of the cleat rubbing against the lip wall of the pedal. It’s very, very annoying. I have tried most of the usual “remedies” and have now found what works for me.

First, it should be noted that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the LOOK Keo pedals: it’s not the pedals that creak, it’s the interface between the cleat and the pedal that causes the problem. LOOK claims that its newer Teflon-coated cleats don’t squeak, but a quick scroll through the message boards shows that this may not be the case. By the way, I wonder how much Alberto Contador annoyed the Parisians as he rode up the Champs Elysees on his special yellow Keo 2 Max Carbon pedals last month.

If the cleats under the shoes become loose, they will make noise. Be sure to fully tighten them. You may want to use a mild grade thread-locking compound (loctite) or grease on the bolts, but that’s not really the cause of most creaking incidents. Some people, who I suspect are LOOK representatives posing as customers, claim that switching to red, black or gray cleats, or upgrading to Teflon cleats solves the squeaking problem. It doesn’t matter what color keys you use. ALL creak.

Some people recommend spraying WD-40 or PAM cooking spray on the pedals where they make contact with the cleats. Yes, oiling the cleat surface will stop the squealing, but the solution is only temporary. Some riders spray Armor All or silicone grease on their cleats. Good luck with that – be very careful when walking or going down, otherwise you will go crazy and wish too late that you had taken your neighbor’s advice and put on your helmet. Cooking spray works well for three or four wrinkles and you’ll get a nice coating of cooking oil on the soles of your shoes and on your heels that you’ll be able to trace across your mother-in-law’s nice clean rug provided you managed to skid across her floor. wooden first.

Other remedies include paraffin wax, candle wax, and beeswax. All waxes will last longer than oils, but be aware that wax residue will attract sand, dirt, and other things to your cleats and pedals.

The most extreme suggestion I’ve seen is to epoxy the pedal to completely close off any gaps between the cleat and the pedal and eliminate the top to bottom play that is believed to cause all the noise, a belief I don’t agree with. ok, since I can get the squeak without vertical movement by turning my foot from side to side over the play range of the cleat.

Many LOOK Keo pedal owners give up and switch to other pedal systems. As one cyclist puts it: “They don’t actually make noise when off my bike!”

So what is my solution to creaking and squealing pedals? Baby powder. I simply dust my cleats where they make contact with the pedals with baby powder. Talc, a mineral, is a dry lubricant that stops squeaks without attracting grit or dirt. Since talcum powder is not soluble in water, it will remain on the studs even in moderately humid conditions. I find I can easily last a couple of months before I need to dust my studs. This is the natural, no dirt, no slime, no grease, no messy residue, eco-friendly solution to the problem of creaking LOOK Keo pedals.

This article was first published on http://athletesbooks.com