Fitting pedals

jawooga

Okay, this is probably really easy but it's my first time fitting pedals.

1st problem is I cannot remove my existing pedals. I have a Jake the Snake with hybrd pedals i.e. flat one side and clipless the other. I want to remove these to fit some M520 pedals I have just bought.

They look to have an allen key location on the inside of the crank, so my assumption is this is where to loosen? Or do I need to use a wrench as well/instead on the outside? They are bloody tight, and I'm not getting much torque from my allen key.

The other question is which direction? I have read that the right pedal is anti-clockwise to loosen (and the opposite is true for the left pedal) when using a wrench on the outside of the crank. I.e. both loosen when turning the wrench towards the back of the bike from the "north" position. However, presumably if using an allen key from the other side of the bike, I need to turn towards the front?

Thank in anticipation.
J

desweller

To undo the pedal, turn them the same way as they rotate when you're riding.

So (looking at the bike in both cases)

Right pedal - anticlockwise
Left pedal - clockwise

If you're not getting much joy with your allen key then you might need to get a long wrench on there. They are frequently extremely difficult to remove.

andrewjoseph

Loosen towards the back of the bike, each side, tighten towards the front.

You may be better off with a 15mm spanner (they are usually 15mm as far as i know), on the flats (on the outside face of the cranks), if there are any.

RedJohn

Whether you're using a wrench or an allen key, you need to turn the left pedal axle clockwise to loosen, and the right pedal anti clockwise. This is when looking from the end of the pedal towards the bike.
If you're looking through the bike to the pedal, this will appear reversed.

If you can't get enough leverage on your allen key, you might well find it easier with a wrench on the pedal axle - most, not all, pedals have flattened parts of the axle to allow for this. If there're no flats, you'll have to get a longer allen key, or use an adjustable wrench to snug down onto your existing allen key. Do this carefully though, there's a risk of rounding off the corners in the socket, and it will then be a nightmare to get off.

RowCycle

I had massive difficulty removing my pedals when I tried to do it a couple of weeks ago.

Mine had both allen key and pedal wrench fittings, but I couldn't get enough torque with either. In the end I had to use the pedal wrench with a short scaffold pole on to get enough torque and a friend to help hold the bike etc... while I did it.

Good luck!

jawooga

Thanks everyone for the advice. Sounds like a job for the w/end.

andrewjoseph

When you do get them out, remember to put some grease/copperslip on the thread before putting the new pedals in.

Also remember to loosen them every few months, just to make sure.

I always put copperslip on the family pedals, but I have one crankset in the shed that I have had to take a hacksaw and drills to. Still not sorted.

I didn't check it for about 6 months and had to buy a new crankset for my wife's mtb.

keef66

Easier if you get a proper pedal spanner to use on the flats of the axle. They are usually thin enough to fit between pedal and crank, and longer than a normal spanner.

If there are no flats and you only have the allen socket in the end of the axle (like my M540s) you really need a hex bit and a long handled socket wrench; gets you closer to the crank so it doesn't wobble about like an allen key.

If they are really stuck, it can be easier to remove the cranks from the bike and stick them in a bench vice (wrap something round them to protect the alloy from the vice jaws). Then you're free to attack them with the tools of your choice, release agents like Plusgas, or gentle heat from a blowtorch, electric paint stripper or boiling kettle.

father_jack

Best not to over tighten them in the first place, that helps.

jawooga

Unbelievable. I have tried my electric drill on max torque with the allen key bit, and not a whiff of the pedals loosening. Think I'll be taking it to a bike mechanic this w/end!

Monty Dog

^ nothing to do with over-tightening, more often the mechanical action of riding the bike exerting a torque on the spindle via the bearings combined with poorly machined threads and dissimilar metals in a potentially corrosive environment. I've seen correctly-installed pedals become immovable in 6 months of riding.

To the OP, suggest you try your LBS who'll have plenty of experience and are less likely to damage your pedals - if you don't have spanner-flats and knacker the Allen-key fitting you're seriously stuffed and will need to resort to 'destructive' techniques

jawooga

Yeah, go to the expert is sound advice. To be honest, this being my first 'proper'' bike, the issue has never occured to me. I wouldn't have thought the reputable bike shop in question would be in a habit of over tightening pedals, and as you suggest (Monty) far more likely a consequence of riding - that said it's only 6 months old and not seen much action until this spring.