This is a 4mm x 12mm machine screw. It is similar to the one that is found in my Shimano M505 pedals. These screws are used to adjust the clip tension. I had lost one of them as a result of falling off of the mountain bike way too many times.
But I do like clipless pedals, and now with a few miles on the new Trek I can say that the stock platforms are a bit small for my fat feet, so I thought it might be prudent to put the old SPDs on the new bike. I’ll just run down to the local bike shop and get a replacement screw. Easy!
Except apparently, if you walk into a bike shop with these
and ask for a replacement screw, it is akin to asking to see the the snipe holding Sasquatch’s holy grail. “Special order,” “Those are old pedals!” and about 100 different variations of the same theme.
So I went to the local hardware store, pedal in hand, and found one that matched. Total cost: $0.74. I could have gone with the chrome version, but that was going to cost $4.50. For one screw! Seriously!
The good news is that the pedal is now complete. The bad news is that the guys that assembled the bike really wedged the stock pedals in tight, and I can’t get them off. Or at least without risking breaking something, most likely my fingers. So the new bike goes into the shop on Friday for it’s post-purchase adjustment, and I’ll have them mount them at that point.
Pedals. Bane of my existence.
