Removing pedals

Mattharrier

I want to take my pedals off and give everything a bit of a clean/grease. I don't have a pedal wrench, however, what's the best way to do without one? They're the basic pedals supplied with my bike (Rockrider 8.0) and I plan on replacing them at some point, but I want to try getting them spinning a bit more freely in the meantime.

The Rookie

14 or 15mm spanner, all a pedal wrench is is a long spanner!

cooldad

The Rookie wrote:

14 or 15mm spanner, all a pedal wrench is is a long <thin> spanner!

FTFY

I find mine invaluable on old bikes with 'welded on' pedals. Sometimes there's not enough clearance for standard spanners.

larkim

I was just thinking at the weekend, the pedal wrench is probably one of my best purchases - does the job asked of it exceptionally well and gets used surprisingly often!

rockmonkeysc

I have never used a pedal wrench. An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

lpretro1

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have never used a pedal wrench. An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

Only if it has an allen key fitting - many don't

Ouija

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have never used a pedal wrench. An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

But only if the pedal has an allen key depression on the inside of the crank arm. Most don't.

The Rookie

RockmonkeySC wrote:

An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

Mr William G. Allen would be most upset by that!

rockmonkeysc

Ouija wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have never used a pedal wrench. An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

But only if the pedal has an allen key depression on the inside of the crank arm. Most don't.

Every set of pedals I have owned have had a hex socket. I would have thought just Shimano, DMR and Superstar would cover most mountain bike pedals.

cooldad

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Ouija wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have never used a pedal wrench. An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

But only if the pedal has an allen key depression on the inside of the crank arm. Most don't.

Every set of pedals I have owned have had a hex socket. I would have thought just Shimano, DMR and Superstar would cover most mountain bike pedals.

A lot don't, including many older ones (I have lots of cr4ppy old stuff).

Cr4ppy old stuff also gets 'welded' on and a hassle to remove with an allen key - nice long pedal spanner (costing maybe a massive £5) is a useful solution.

larkim

^^

My experience exactly. Pedals I have had problems with have been on cheap BSOs which the family had used (in the past), and the factory fitted pedals on both the Decathlon bikes and the Spesh Hardrock were all non-allen key. In fact, the only allen key pedals I've got are the two sets of spd pedals that I've just recently bought.

So the pedal wrench has been a life saver for me.

rockmonkeysc

I think a lot of people over tighten pedals and don't use copper grease on the threads. I just pinch mine up and apply a fine smear of copper grease and the come off with no trouble.

Andywilliams89

I'm too tight to buy a pedal spanner and since using copper grease wouldn't need one anyway but I've previously used an old seat post over the spanner to give a bit more leverage, or an old bit of pipe if you have that. There is a bit of a knack to it in terms of foot on the opposite pedal and pushing or pulling in the right direction. Failing that I've heard of people taking the chainset off and using a vice!

cooldad

A fiver for a spanner that will last a lifetime is not exactly an life changing experience.

njee20

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Ouija wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have never used a pedal wrench. An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

But only if the pedal has an allen key depression on the inside of the crank arm. Most don't.

Every set of pedals I have owned have had a hex socket. I would have thought just Shimano, DMR and Superstar would cover most mountain bike pedals.

Plenty of cheaper pedals don't. As the OP specifically stated its the OEM pedals it seems reasonably likely. Most cheap pedals just have a 6mm hex slot too, and you won't get anything like as much leverage as with a decent spanner.

rockmonkeysc

Thinking about it now, the standard pedals on my Boardman commuter only had spanner flats and we're so tight from new I took the bike back to let them round them off rather than damage it myself. To be fair, they got it off and gave me a free pair of M520 pedals to replace them.

Giraffoto

Get a pedal wrench, you won't regret it. From experience a pedal can get so tightly bound into the crank that a 6mm hex bit will just round out the hole, but a Park Professional pedal wrench will get it out with no problem and no further damage.

Also, if you manage to get the end caps off your OEM pedals (by no means a forgone conclusion, I'm afraid) you'll be able to clean, regrease and adjust the bearings and you may well find that they're not nearly as bad as you thought.

ProBiker55

Do you have a wrench or something similar such as flat pliers? That would work as I used pliers and it works like a charm.

njee20

That's a shit idea, don't use pliers.

The Rookie

Pliers has to be the stupidest suggestion I've ever heard!

daniel_owen_uk

Spanner and cheater bar.

I did once give up and take mine to the bike shop, he rocked up with this tiny allen key thinking I was turning it the wrong way, after a lot of heaving and sweating he gave up and went and fetched a massive torque wrench.

Still took some doing!

cooldad

A torque wrench to undo pedals?

I would avoid that shop in future.

The Rookie

Or maybe the poster doesn't know a breaker bar from a torque wrench?

cooldad

That did cross my mind.

daniel_owen_uk

I am sure he could have done it with a breaker bar, but this particular tool had a nm measurement on it.

Although he probably only used that tool because of it's length.

sniper68

Ouija wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have never used a pedal wrench. An Allan key does a perfectly good job.

But only if the pedal has an allen key depression on the inside of the crank arm. Most don't.

Every set of Pedals i've had has an Allen key slot.
DMR(currently Vaults but V8/V12s in the past))
Wellgo
Gusset
Crank Bros(Candy,Mallets and Egg-beater)
Time
Shimano(Road)
Exustar(road)
Pedals don't need to be super tight.I just nip them up with the Allen key.Never had one work loose on the MTB and I've been riding MTBs almost 30 years

Mattharrier

All sorted, and with only a regular spanner too. As it turned out, I had plenty of room to work, and my new DMR V12s are fitted and waiting for me to hit the trails.

Mechanical advantage is a marvellous thing.

TheTherese

Allen key....would have done it. Love the V 12! Great choice.

Mattharrier

The old pedals didn't have an allen key, unfortunately.

veronese68

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19620003#p19620003]daniel_owen_uk[/url] wrote:

I am sure he could have done it with a breaker bar, but this particular tool had a nm measurement on it.

Although he probably only used that tool because of it's length.

In which case never use that bike shop to do any work on your bike. Their torque wrench will be FUBAR as a result of using it as a breaker bar. Incompetent halfwits that don't know how to look after their tools.

Chunkers1980

I don't think they did.