Spring isn’t here—yet. But winter’s grip on the northern foothills is loosening. And in anticipation of the day when riding the roads will no longer feel like being hosed down by a sandblaster, I’m giving my Long Haul Trucker a thorough going-over. I already have a little list of things to do, and servicing Petra’s pedals is Item No. One.

It’s an easy job. In fact, the hardest bit is getting the pedals off the crankarms, and since I alway grease the threads, that’s not very hard—as long as I remember that the left-hand pedal has a left-hand thread. Here’s the little ditty I rely on to jog my memory:

Toward forward tightens. Rear rotation removes.

 

Then, after the pedals part company from the crankarms, it’s time to to clean them, repack the bearings, and adjust the cones. These jobs require that I remove the dust caps. It would be a difficult job without the right tool—MKS Sylvan Touring pedals have knurled dustcaps requiring a special spanner—but I’ve got that covered. The rest is child’s play.

Once I’ve finished the overhaul, I’m going to remedy a shortcoming of long standing: I’m going to fit pedal reflectors.

None came with my Touring pedals. I think that’s because MKS markets its products to “serious” cyclists, and serious cyclists regard pedal reflectors with a certain amount of disdain. It’s certainly not the weight—or the cost (USD5 or less for a set of four). In any event, while I suppose I’m a serious cyclist myself, I don’t mind having pedal reflectors on my bike. I’ve seen for myself just how well these seemingly insignificant bits of plastic catch the eye of passing motorists. Of course, they can’t substitute for a rear reflector or taillight, but every little bit helps. In any case, they’re easy to mount. Each reflector has two captive screws that slide freely in grooves in the back of the plastic body, accommodating a wide variety of pedal types and geometries:

Now here’s another view, illustrating both maximum and minimum spacing:

The upshot? Mounting pedal reflectors is no more difficult than fitting toe clips, and that’s a piece of cake:

Of course, the toe clips themselves make fitting the front-facing reflectors a bit more complicated, but the reflectors’ captive screws are plenty long enough to go the distance. And once they’re fitted, locknuts will ensure that everything stays nice and tight.

Whether you consider yourself a serious cyclist or not, it’s worth noting that pedal reflectors aren’t just for kids’ bikes. OK. If you’re a Cat 1 racer, you won’t want them on your road machine. But for any rider who ventures out on the highway after the sun goes down, they make a lot of sense. And they’re a legal requirement in many places, too. That’s all the convincing I need. What about you?

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