Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
A quick note to start: If you’re a pedal virtuoso already, feel free to skip this Tech Talk. But if you have any favorite pedal tips to help newer roadies and mechanics, please do share them in a comment.
With Christmas almost here, I want to offer some tips for anyone who might be getting the ultimate gift, a new bicycle! And for those who might be gifted new pedals, too. To explain, most new bikes either come without pedals or with el-cheapo plastic basic ones that you’ll probably want to upgrade ASAP. And if you’re swapping out pedals and haven’t done it before, there are a few things you need to know.
My Friend David
The subject of pedals came to mind because of my buddy David. He recently moved to Denver and bought a mountain bike to enjoy the trails and stay fit. But he immediately had a problem. His feet slipped off the basic plastic pedals on his new bike.
Heading back to the shop, David picked up some wider pedals with pins to keep his feet on. Yet when he tried to put them on his new bike he couldn’t figure out how to do it. He was able to remove the right pedal, but the left pedal wouldn’t budge.
That’s when he texted me for help. Here’s what I told him.
Weird Threading
The first thing to know about pedals is that there is always a Right and Left pedal. The Right pedal only goes on the right (drivetrain) side of the bike. The Left pedal only goes on the left (non-drivetrain side).
The next thing to know is that the Right and Left pedals are different from each other. And it’s the difference that caused David’s difficulty.
The Right pedal has standard threading. It is turned to the right to tighten and to the left to loosen. But, the Left pedal has what’s called “opposite” or “reverse” or “left-hand” threading, all of which mean that it is turned to the left to tighten and to the right to loosen.
David got his right pedal off because he turned it the normal way you turn things to loosen them and that worked. But when he tried the same thing on the left pedal, instead of loosening the pedal he only made it tighter. Once I told David to loosen his left pedal by turning to the right he was good to go to install his new left pedal.
Work Safely
Sometimes pedals can be so tight they seem stuck. It can be because they were put in without lubrication. Or they might have been overtightened at some point.
When they’re stuck or difficult to get off, the first thing is to make sure you’re trying to loosen them in the correct direction. It’s easy to get confused.
But before you push hard on your pedal wrench to break a stuck pedal free, take the precaution of making sure the chain is on the largest chainring on your bike.
That way if the pedal let’s go and your hand comes down and slams into the chainring or anything else you have some protection. Even better, you could wear a glove and cover anything your hand might slam into with rags.
Tools
I recommend owning and using a professional pedal wrench, such as Park Tools PW-4 for removing tight pedals: https://amzn.to/3snsJUj . It has a long handle and two sets of jaws so you can always find a way to line the wrench up for maximum removal force.
Some pedals take a 6 or 8mm Allen wrench/hex key for installation and removal. The longer the handle on the tool, the easier it will be to use to loosen tight pedals.
If your pedals require an Allen wrench/hex key for installation and removal, you still might like an adapter that lets you use a regular pedal wrench. EVT (Efficient Velo Tools) invented that tool. Here it is: https://www.efficientvelo.com/tools/knuckle-saver-pedal-wrench-adapter .
Bikehand makes a copy of EVT’s tool and includes a pedal wrench: https://amzn.to/3mmBdHs.
Positioning Pedals for Removal
When removing pedals, for either side, if you rotate the pedal close to the front tire (crankarm should be horizontal) and then align the pedal wrench alongside the crankarm or as close to that as you can get it, you will be able to remove pedals by pushing down on the pedal wrench.
With one hand on the pedal wrench and your other on the pedal, you can keep the pedal from changing position and apply plenty of force to remove the pedal.
For pedals requiring an Allen wrench, again rotate the pedal close to the front tire and make the crankarm horizontal. But, position the Allen key so that its end is at 3 o’clock for Right pedals, 9 o’clock for Lefts.
With one foot on the pedal you’re removing, you can now reach down and pull up on the Allen wrench to loosen the pedal.
Installing Pedals
Just as with removing them, the most important thing is to make sure you’re putting the pedals on the correct side of the bike. Most pedals have “R” and “L” stamped on the axles somewhere, sometimes it’s on the body of the pedals, too.
So look for that before installing them and be 100% sure you’re putting the Right pedal in the Right side and Left in the Left. Also, apply a little grease to the threads to make installation easier and prevent corrosion down the road.
Always start the pedals by hand. If they won’t start by hand, you probably are trying to put the wrong pedal in.
Once the pedal is started in the crank, tighten it with the wrench. You don’t need a professional pedal wrench to tighten pedals. You can get them tight enough with any wrench that fits.
Watch the Video for More
For a lot more details on removing and installing pedals, tools and tips, I made this video. David enjoyed it and I hope you do, too!
10,221 Daily Rides in a Row
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
For pedals with only an Allen socket one can also use a ratchet wrench with a long handle. Allen adapters are available for ratchet wrench sets.
Great tip, Bob, thank you for sharing!
Jim
I have found that some pedals seem impossible to remove. Sometimes, I use a rubber mallet to tap with force on the Park tool which will often break the pedal free. To remove the hardest to remove pedals, I have a 30 inch piece of heavy PVC pipe which I slip over my Park tool pedal wrench. That usually provides the added leverage needed. When that does not work, I then stand over the bike, place one foot on the opposite pedal for leverage and then use the PVC/Park tool (pull up on the PVC pipe while applying downward pressure on the opposite pedal).. I have never had a pedal that would not come loose using this technique.
Thanks for sharing your tips, Walt, good stuff. Some of what you shared is shown in my video FYI.
Thanks!
Jim
Left-handed threads on the left side has always been easy for me to remember. However, most of my newer pedals have no wrench flats, just the 8mm hex key insert. This added another layer of backwardness in visualizing which way to turn. I finally figured out that on either side, with any sort of wrench, you turn towards the front of the bike to tighten, and towards the back of the bike to loosen. I also found it is not easy to get the pedal off with a standard socket wrench- awkward to find leverage around the frame. I solved the problem with an inexpensive breaker bar that fits the 8mm socket.
Tighten towards the front, loosen towards the rear. Works on both sides
For normal threads and the right pedal – “righty tighty, lefty loosen”. The left pedal is just the opposite.
I always remember t0 say “back off” to myself when removing pedals. That is, turning the wrench towards the back of the bike to get them off. It works for either side.
When I started riding seriously (and collecting too many bikes) I used a combo wrench – the kind with 15mm on one side and 32mm on the other. After years of aggravation I splurged on the Park PW-4. Worth every penny!
Also, when installing, applying grease or anti-seize to the pedal threads will help next time they need to be removed..
Thanks a lot for sharing your pedal tips, roadies! Appreciate it!
Jim
After years of struggling with the Pedal rotation, I found a couple of easy tricks. The first is to find another pair of pedals that are marked right and left and see how the threads are aligned. Then turn the pedals already on the bike to match. Even better I squat on the right side of the bike and use the right tightly, lefty loosely (ccw for right to loosen, ccw for the left looking through the frame). I have found I can tighten the pedals just a bit after greasing and they tighten more while pedaling. This avoids the curse words trying to get them off later esp when tightened by the shop brutes
a trick I just learned is to put the bike on the ground (not in a stand!) and put a block of wood (or…whatever) under the pedal positioned opposite to what Jim stated. Then, you can push down using body weight with the block resisting the crank from turning. Easy to get plenty of force (be aware of the other comments about direction!). Works great on stubborn crank bolts, too
Every year when I do the annual service on my bike I remove the pedals, coat the threads with grease or anti-seize compound and reinstall them This prevents corrosion on the threads and makes them a lot easier for me to remove the pedals for servicing. If you clean and lubricate the pedal bearings regularly they will last forever.
I purchased a Park Tool CCW-5C pedal wrench to remove a stuck Shimano 8mm hex pedal. It has a long handle, more leverage. I had to struggle a bit, but it came off. I remove my pedals ever so often and make sure the threads are slapped with grease. For some reason it’s always the driveside pedal that gets stuck. Don’t ask me why.
When removing bike pedals, an Allen key can also be used instead of a wrench. However, it’s important to note that this method may not be suitable for all bicycle types.