Stuck pedals on newish bike

Totalnewbie

The pedals on my Spesh Globe appear to have seized (it was only bought in September last year). I have changed pedals on my old bike so I know I'm doing it properly (I know about the thread on the left pedal etc)...these just won't budge despite trying both a wrench and an allen key.

I called in the boyfriend in case brute strength was needed, but he can't budge them either. Standing on the wrench doesn't work and I've also tried teflon spray lubricant.

The bike was bought from Evans under the cycle2work scheme and knowing them I'm wondering if the pedal threads were never greased properly when it was built - I ride the bike in all weathers so I guess they could have seized up in five months. Is it worth taking it back and complaining? Or is there something else I can do to free these?

redddraggon

Totalnewbie wrote:

I've also tried teflon spray lubricant.

Try something like WD40, leave it for awhile, try unscrewing the pedals, if still no luck - repeat. It shouldn't take too long.

alan_sherman

If the bike is outside - bring it in and let it warm up for a day. Aluminum crank arms expand more than steel pedal axles. Thsi allows a bit more give. On an old hybrid of mine I resorted to a blow torch to get the heat / expansion needed to get teh right pedal free. At your own risk of course......

Tom Butcher

I'd be tempted to take it back to the shop and ask them to do it - if that's not possible and you don't want to pay a different shop to do it apply some penetrating oil and have another go. Ive always found this combined with jumping on the spanner works even for bikes that haven't had the pedals off in 20 years.

Tom Butcher

If heat works then combine the heat with the penetrating oil - attack from all sides. 5 months is nothing though - they shouldn't be siezed on - could cross threading them when tightening cause this anyone ?

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

I bet they're just on tight rather than seized. I have cried bitter bitter tears of frustration in my efforts to get pedals off in the past... but they alway seem to come off in the end. Even if it's only after 20 separate attempts to do so.

NB. For the really tight ones, I'd use a long handled wrench rather than the allen key at the back. Never seem to be able to get enough leverage that way..

cee

in the garage trade there is a method of undoing seized bolts called 'Heat it and Hit it.'

get as much heat into it as you can (blowtorch...even the wee kitchen ones you get for ruining creme brulees) then smack it with a big hammer.

There are however a couple of possible outcomes.......the worst of which is breaking the crank.

good luck

Totalnewbie

The bike is nice and warm because it lives in my flat.

I'll try WD40 too as I've got some of that . I'm guessing penetrating oil is something that can be bought from a hardware shop? It has been ridden in the rain an awful lot...

A blow torch is not among my range of tools unfortunately; closest thing I've got is a fairly powerful hairdryer!

The store it came from is ten minutes from work so I could take it along but I do like to do stuff myself. I'll feel really stupid if they are just tight rather than stuck.

Do you mean smack the wrench with a hammer?

simbil1

I had one that I could not shift and took it into the shop (just the crank arm with the pedal attached). They stuck it in a vice and then placed a wrench on the pedal and bashed the wrench with a mallet. Came off after 4-5 good solid blows.

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

Indeed! And don't be embarrassed about taking it back to the shop, particularly as it's only 5 months old. Pedals can be proper b*ggers to get off and there's no shame in asking for a bit of professional help!

jonginge

When you do get them off make sure to clean and grease the threads before putting them back on. This has worked a treat for me.
I still remember the frustration from my first bike when no grease had been applied. Took ages, much swearing and a couple of knackered cone spanners

sloboy

I've made impromptu long handled allen keys (partcularly for getting cranks off) by slipping an old flat handle bar over the key. Excellent !

lateralus

sloboy wrote:

I've made impromptu long handled allen keys (partcularly for getting cranks off) by slipping an old flat handle bar over the key. Excellent !

Seconded, although I was thinking of the wrench. Are you using an ordinary spanner? I bought a pedal spanner which worked a treat on mine, but if you don't want to do that, find a pipe or something which you can slip over the handle to effectively lengthen the spanner. It becomes so much easier with more leverage.

Use the method I learnt from one of Monty Dog's posts - easiest if you get someone to hold the bike. Put the pedal forward (3 o'clock position as you look at it from the side, put the spanner on so it is horizontal and pointing forward, then stand astride the bike and pull the spanner handle up with both hands. You can get good force on the spanner that way, and you won't smash your knuckles into the chainring when the pedal suddenly comes loose!

cee

Totalnewbie wrote:

Do you mean smack the wrench with a hammer?

think about a plain old ordinary bolt fully screwed in and stuck. Heat it up as much as you can......even use a lighter and let the flame lick around it....then hit it so that you are hitting the bolt sideways. This allows the pressure on the threads to be released a little and lets you start to turn it. The surface pressure on each thread in a bolt is quite high (by design!!) and even introducing a little slack can make it much easier to get off.

smack the bolt/pedal/wrench whatever makes most sense to release the pressure on the threads, but remember if you break it........it wisnae me

so as a last resort......it might just work.

but if the shop is close, take it there first... at least if they break it, they will be responsible for it!

geoff_ss

Another way of increasing the torque is to remove the cranks and put them in a vice with suitable protection to avoid any damage and then applying a decent pedal spanner (usually 15mm IIRC). A sharp blow with a big hammer always helps too - note BIG, tapping will do more harm than good.

Penetrating fluid (Plus Gas, WD40) and applying gentle heat is also helpful before you try the spanner. I have a hot air gun I use for shrinking plastic covering film on model aircraft for any job where non-damaging heat is needed - it warns against using it as a hair dryer so I assume it's hotter than one. You could put the cranks in an oven for a while. My wife tolerates such practices ever since she caught me with a motor cycle cylinder head quietly cooking and valve guides in the 'fridge

I've always succeeded in removing pedals eventually by those methods (particularly using a vice) but I have a well-equipped workshop. If you aren't so fortunate then there's no shame in getting your local shop to do it for you. Pedals don't need to be super tight. They always have to be removed when flying and even after a 2 week hard tour I've always been able to remove ours with a 6mm allen key. I always put a little copper based grease on the threads to prevent corrosion.

Geoff

Monty Dog

I agree with most of the posts - but the need for heat is probably excessive. There's no use trying ordinarly allen key / spanners - you need to get some leverage. If the pedal has spanner flats, then it's preferrable to use them rather than an Allen key in the back of the spindle as it's less likely to fly off. Whatever pedal you're trying to loosen - point the crank forward towards the front wheel - fit the spanner / wrench in the same direction as the crank - put your foot on top of the pedal and pull-up on the wrench hard as you push down with your foot. Only severely corroded / cross-threaded pedals require more drastic technioques IME. BTW when you mentioned it came from Evans, then it's highly proable that the pedal threads where never greased in my experience - I've seen bikes from Evan with 'dry' headsets!

briank

If you are reduced to trying the hammer; firstly, make it a hammer (not a mallet),secondly set the crank arm horizontal and then find/cut a reasonably substantial piece of wood (2"x4" is good)about 8 or 9 inches long - just long enough to support the end of the crank against the floor. Otherwise some of the impact of your blow is wasted squashing/deforming your tyres. Thirdly, hit it hard.

rdaviesb

Get the biggest spanner you can. My pedal spanner is a good foot long, to give plenty of leverage. And also make sure you are turning the thread the right way!

peanut

they are just tight. Don't use heat unless you want to ruin the cranks.Don't bother with WD40 or plusgaz etc complete waste of time. None of the materials are steel or rusted . You need to put the pedal in a vice and turn the crank or vice versa but use a decent long handled open end spanner to get some leverage. Don't hit the spanner or you will simply ruin the spanner or chew the pedal flats. Find someone with some real strength. A bike shop will have the right tools and it shouldn't cost anything

Totalnewbie

Well they still won't shift. ******* things. :evil: I think I'm going to have to give in and go to LBS, damn it.

Thanks all of you, I am very cross that they have beaten me, but I reckon the job may well have been made harder by the threads not being greased beforehand.

geoff_ss

peanut wrote:

they are just tight. Don't use heat unless you want to ruin the cranks.Don't bother with WD40 or plusgaz etc complete waste of time. None of the materials are steel or rusted .

Hmmm All my pedals have steel spindles and aluminium is notorious for corrosion, particularly in salty conditions like gritted roads.

Gentle heating won't damage the cranks. Even dipping them in boiling water may be enough for the differential expansion (aluminium v steel) to give you the help you need. I've used heat several times in the past without causing any damage at all. Crank damage is most likely to be caused by pulling the aluminium thread out with the pedal - then it's curtains or a helicoil insert, perhaps..

Totalnewbie: You're probably doing the right thing in your circumstances. Let the bike shop sort it out. However, I admire your determination to try and sort it out yourself - that's the spirit!

Geoff

Totalnewbie

God bless my LBS.

They used their Very Long Pedal Wrench on them and hey presto. Let me borrow it to finish off the job, and put some anti-seize stuff on the ones I wanted to replace it with. I fitted the other pedals outside the shop and thanked them very gratefully when returning the wrench.

(It was Brixton cycles, who I use for anything I find myself unable to do because they are good guys and they know their stuff. I wish my work would have let me use them under the cycle2work scheme but they were set on Evans).

Those who said they were just tight were right; the old ones did already have grease on them, but my god they were tight.