Two pairs of Garmin Rally XC200 squeaking when pedaling

FINALLY I find a thread in which people talk about the same issue that bothers me already for weeks. It's not only the sqeaking which originates from the interface between the cleat and the metal wear plate on either side of the Rally XC pedal but also a creaking that originates from the - I possibly use the wrong English expression - "spring elements" when I push hard during a climb. Chain oil helps for a couple of km but I basically have to use it before every ride which causes a mess when riding in dusty conditions. I will try with https://www.bike24.com/p2102215.html as suggested by MagdaG.

But one thing that bothers me even more is that since a couple of rides my left pedal measures way less power than my right one ... 41-42% It's correct that my left leg seems to be weaker than my right one but this disbalance is simply unrealistic. When I try to only push left and just move my right leg to stay on the pedal I hardly manage to generate more than 50-55% on the left side. Does anyone have a hint for me regarding that topic?

I have also squeaking after my fist 400 kilometers.  I think it was after my first rain ride. Assembly glue helps (reduce) for a couple of kilometers but for that kind of pedal a no-go. I think the route course is the concept of the pedals. The body is made of glas-fibre plastic I think and the contact surface of cleat is made of metal. During the load to the metal there is a small deformation and the metal slides slightly on the plastic body with fibre-glas. That is something which produces extreme noises. 

I can also confirm deviations with respect to average power on same ways with same conditions. I had at one day 220 Watt another day 170. And I startet before riding also the calibration of course. 

Are you using a recommended 34 Nm for installation?
I had similar power deviations at the very beginning when I just started to use the pedals. That was before I made sure to apply the recommended 34 Nm. Once I installed them with a torque wrench at 34 Nm, the pedals started to be very reliable. I had them on and off the bike, also on a second bike and everything seems to be just fine. I also tested them against my Wahoo Kickr and the power readings from both were almost exactly the same.

Yes, I used the recommended 34 Nm and in the meantime the pedals had been replaced by Garmin. The power metering seems to be OK again, but the squeaking and creaking re-started just after pedalling 50km or less, even though I used lube on my cleats ... I am done with these pedals and am going to switch to SHIMANO XT PD-M8100. Any experiences out there if there is the possibility to return a Garmin product and getting a refund? If not I will try to sell the watt meters, but honestly speaking it doesn't feel right to sell something with such a flaw for that price ... 

MagdaG said:

I spray it on the pedals and cleats before the ride and so far it seems to be working. I had a couple of 60+ rides without a problem.

Was it working for you in dry or wet weather conditions? Unfortunately this spray is not helping much in my case...

Ro Lee said:

Problem solved - it's all about the shoe/pedal combination ...

Ro Lee said:

Switching to five ten Kestrel Lace Mountain Bike shoes eliminated what bothered me for such a long time.

Well, it sounds like problem hiding rather then solving ;-)

Different people use different shoes and unless Garmin provide "XC200 compatibility list" with all shoes that does not squeak, pedals should work with any shoes.

Or at least Garmin should really investigate source of the problem and provide working workaround/fix (since suggested spraying pedals with oil does not work permanently).

I actually seem to have solved the problems changing the cleat with a new pair of Shimano sh51.

Two hours into indoor riding and no noise, let’s see if it last.

I experience this too... though I would classify it more as a "chirp" than a squeak. And it only occurs if pulling up on the pedal. Which doesn't generally happen on gravel/road rides, but it does happen a lot on mtb rides (whether from navigating obstacles or just the chatter from an uneven surface) and is super annoying. I, too, contacted Garmin and they sent me a new set - the problem is noticeably better, but it still exists. Otherwise i love these pedals as it's an affordable option for dual sided power across multiple bikes - and they always seem to read accurate and pair without issue. I have about 4k miles on these pedals since May 2021 when they first launched. Similarly, a little lube helps, but only temporarily. I'm going to try some drip wax and see if that helps. and I'll also try the finish line pedal/cleat product to see if that helps too. Another thought I've had is trying Silca's new Ti spd cleats. Perhaps the metal interface of the titanium against the pedal will be better (or worse! idk). An expensive option for sure since those Ti cleats are $85, but I love the pedals so much I'm willing to try just about anything. If none of those options work, and if Garmin doesn't come out with a recall/solution, then I'll try selling the pedals and going with a spider-based power meter. 

So sorry to hear that!
Looking forward to the results of Ti experiment! Please let us know how it goes.