MKS XC-III Pedal Service

MKS Pedals are renown for their high quality bearings and tank-like build quality, but even so, they will occasionally need the bearings serviced.
This is slightly fiddly to do, but not a complicated task.
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[@patrickkwhite]

Great to see a video on servicing these pedals. Thank you.

[@ashokcaptain4088]

Thank you for posting this when most bearing are 'sealed' and need to be punched / pulled out. Enjoyed watching the entire video, especially the wry commentary. And yep, coffee is IMPORTANT! Cheers!

[@VeloObscura]

Haha, thanks! Glad you found it useful!

[@ashokcaptain4088]

I did! 👍🏼

[@paulevans5455]

Like you I run MKS pedals on my bicycles but mine are three different models .Two being the EZ series for quick removal when boxing the bicycle for aeroplane. Same service procedure with metal dust caps and a MKS spanner for the caps. Fine tuning is a learned technique , I've used Exus grease for pedals, crank and steerer bearings for about 12 years now. Good video.

[@VeloObscura]

Cheers Paul. They're a good bit of kit if you know what you're doing. I'm sure they'll outlast the bike at this point!

[@tyoung2141]

I searched for Suntour XC-II rebuilding but had no luck locating a tutorial for that particular pedal. Let's hope its a similar procedure to yours with the MKS's, as I'm headed to my bench to tackle them now thanks to your confidence building tutorial.

[@VeloObscura]

Good luck!

[@mazditzo]

thank you so much I bought this pedal september this year and suddenly has ticking sound god it's annoying for the product claimed as Japanese quality LOL hopefully with this service can eliminate those pesky sound

[@VeloObscura]

You're more than welcome! I searched for a tutorial to fix mine, but couldn't find any, so I thought I'd just figure it out myself and make a video for anyone else that needs it. I'm so glad that I helped someone!

[@mazditzo]

@@VeloObscura HI it's me again, thanks to your vid I successfully service my pedals. Buuuuttt .... I made a huge mistake, stripped my left plastic cap T_T now I can't open it since the plastic is ...rounded do you have any idea how to open and possibly replacing it with spare parts if any ?

[@VeloObscura]

@@mazditzo Ah, crap. What bit did you strip? Did you round out the hole with the hex wrench? If that's the case, then the way to fix it is to cut a slot in the dust cap. If you cut a slot in it, then you can use a big flathead screwdriver or something like that to unscrew it.

[@mazditzo]

@@VeloObscura yes with my hex, I tried to unscrew it (left pedal) suddenly it slipped and round the plastic 😂 thanks for the advice, I contact mks for the part replacement they have it but since in Japan is already weekend they will confirm the next monday 😀

[@VeloObscura]

@@mazditzo - Ah, excellent! Well at least now you know how to get it out, so that you can install the new one. 👍

[@michaelismichael4640]

Do you find yourself losing skin from your shins with those pedals? Nice tutoral!! Thanks.

[@VeloObscura]

Haha, thankfully not! I have lost a lot of skin from MTB pedals with big pins in them - they're far more grippy than these, but also more perilous! The draw to these is just that they're serviceable, as you've seen, and last forever. I've had a lot of issues with MTB pedal bearings! Thanks for commenting. 😁👍

[@brianward7724]

@@VeloObscura I've never used that type of pedal, since I've been a road rider most of my life. I'm intrigued to know why you and other flat pedal users don't just use SPD pedals and shoes. I would have thought they would be ideal for touring.

[@VeloObscura]

@@brianward7724 I've got a pair of SPD shoes back home and I have used them in the past for other types of cycling, but for us, there is really no reason not to use flat pedals while touring. We spend as much time off the bikes as we do on them, which would mean needing to carry another pair of shoes. I don't fancy spending my day off in town or off on a hike with nothing to wear but SPD shoes and there isn't any real benefit to warrant carrying 2 pairs of shoes on a tour. We certainly aren't doing any great speeds and don't really need that sort of power transfer - there's even recent research to suggest that with correct technique there isn't any difference between SPDs and flats, but that's a can of worms and a mystery that I don't think can be solved in KZbin comments! 😅 There's also the matter of having more stuff to fail and more spares to pack. Packing SPD shoes means packing spare cleats and if anything happens to those shoes then I can't pedal properly until I get some new ones. With my setup I can wear any shoes I want - although ones with a fairly stiff sole are preferable. There's also the fact that SPD pedals are more complicated than a flat pedal. I think for short weekenders or multi-day trips SPD shoes are fine, but for long term touring I just don't see the positives outweighing the negatives for me. Can you tell I'm a fan of flats? 🤣 I'm glad I got these ones, because as you're about to find out in the Tassie videos; My last pair were not good!

[@brianward7724]

@@VeloObscura Yes, I think I CAN tell you're a fan. You may not be aware that there is actually a sort of 'clip-on' sole that isn't either as heavy as spare shoes, nor as bulky. An American rider I used to follow used them on a trans-USA camping trip. Seemed to work well. If I even get to go touring again (and it's a big IF), I will be giving them a try. The main reason I mentioned them is the help they would be up hills, as I have noticed that Bonnie seemed to struggle in places.

[@VeloObscura]

@Brian Ward I've never heard of those soles before! It's an interesting concept, but I wonder if that's just adding complexity. Another thing worth mentioning is that Bonnie is one of those people that is TERRIFIED of being stuck to the bike and not being able to unclip! 😅

[@dwinantosuswandanu2388]

I've dismantling bnib xc-iii which have "rattle sound" and just curious why mks just put 12 balls each while the space can hold 13?

[@VeloObscura]

No idea, but I'm sure they know what they're doing! 😅 Perhaps room for grease? Who knows...

[@dwinantosuswandanu2388]

@@VeloObscura Sure, they're Japan manufacture 😍 But if check another cup cone bearing system (hfh, headset, etc) the balls closed with anothers tight. Rolling in the cup without large gap. I just regrease (with 1.5 NLGI) a lot, and the rattle still exist. Maybe 2-3 NLGI grease work better for reducing that sound.

[@hfigo]

Do you remember the ball bearing size?

[@VeloObscura]

Sorry, I'm not sure of the BB size. I'm sure if you email MKS, they will let you know! 😀

[@solarheat9016]

Don't you have to tighten the lock nut against the cone? That takes special tools and it looks like you don't have them 😞Shimano TL-PD63 Pedal Axle Adjustment Tool appears to have two sets of sizes so it might work on those. I know the SPD 535 had bearings that use that tool but they are smaller than what you have there.

[@VeloObscura]

No specialist tools required. Just a metric socket set.

[@solarheat9016]

@@VeloObscura But you must hold the cone nut while you tighten the lock nut against it, right?

[@VeloObscura]

@@solarheat9016 Nope. Once you tighten the locknut the cone-nut will bind up. Sometimes it takes a few attempts to get it to rest in the right spot, but it works just fine. I have about 10,000km on these pedals since doing the service and they're still running like brand new. There's footage out there of the workers at MKS assembling the pedals too. 👍