Your pedal wrench of choice?
 

I might have to bite the bullet and spend half a Benji on a good high quality pedal wrench. I've encountered too many difficult pedals to unwind and can't keep wasting time going to a bike co-op or bothering the LBS (even though I remunerate their efforts with salt-vinegar chips and ginger ale!). I bought the bike I ride for less than the price of the wrench but sometimes that is just the way it is.

I was considering the Park PW4. Chain Reaction has some offbrand ones but it's the same with any tool you buy; cry once. Experiences shared with a high quality wrench are welcome.

I've got the old PW3 and its a workhorse. Would have no problem with the PW4 if buying new. The added angles probably give you more options for leverage

I have an Allen 20574 3/8" drive crowfoot wrench which is narrow enough to fit any pedal flats I have come across, and I can put whatever breaker bar is needed on it. I use stainless pedal washers and Tef-Gel on the threads so my pedals come right off. There are currently 10 available on EBay for $6.00 each shipped. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Allen-20574...EAAOSw64xcSdIo Cheaper than I paid.

We have many types and versions in the shop that have been donated but I do like the ParkTool PW-4 the best.

You may want to do a search on ebay, good bargains there on used ones will help your budget concerns.(as low as $26.99 shipped)

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...Condition=3000

2nd is the Bikehand version, here is one for $15 shipped, similar to the Park Tool PW-4

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BIKEHAND-Bi...wAAOSw~vpaHsqb

I have the now discontinued Pedro's "Pro" pedal wrench which is very strong, heavy and durable. I bought it at a going-out-of-business sale for about half of the $30 retail price so it was worth buying at that price.

Be aware that some pedals, notably Shimano's, don't have 15 mm wrench flats but have a 6 mm (bad) or 8 mm (much better) hex key recess in the spindle. You want a really long Allen L-type key for these.

Park tool 3. I had tried other methods years ago and had nothing but problems. Got the PW3, never again a problem with removing or installing pedals.

PW3 is probably the stupidest tool I have ever bought-

don't make that mistake.

Lezyne one is OK.

My PW-5 is a hard worker.

...Hozan makes a high quality pedal wrench, but i usually end up using this one.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...549a9c5daa.jpg

I have used these for the last 40 years. Maybe even the ones we used in the pedal installation scene in Breaking Away, but worrying about how long they will last; I had these in the second picture made a couple of weeks ago. A little bit longer and maybe a bit more leverage. Smiles, MH
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...092f93a9c9.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...77b3394d6a.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b711d5c613.jpg

Park PW4 or the Lezyne above for me. The angled wrench flats make any pedal easy to get at the best leverage position for the wrench.

You want a long wrench to keep your knuckles away from the chain ring teeth.
The pw3 is pretty much guaranteed to put you in an emergency room for stitches.
The PW4 is great. Long enough and has 4 angle options to get the right leverage. It's built strong to last for decades in shop use.

A pedal wrench is one of those things you just don't need to research that hard, in my opinion. You either have one or you don't. The Park PW-3 has worked very well for me over the years so I never really thought about any other model. Buy it, use it, and ride.

I've had the PW4 for years and have never regretted buying it, the angled openings means you can really pick your leverage position and I've never found the pedal it couldn't remove with no real effort. Also makes a nice club which is why the end of the handle on mine is a little dented up, the plastic doesn't mar what you're hitting if needed. I've also used the bikehand version and you won't find it lacking for general use. One shop I was at one of the techs bought it for himself and used it for years with no trouble, just has slightly less leverage but still has the same angled benefits.

Park is nice but I bought a local mob's wrench instead with similar angled wrench head at one end, plus 14/15mm sockets at the other. Most handy I don't need to bust out the socket set to remove crank arm nut.

This one https://www.reidcycles.com.au/pedal-...15mm-sock.html but I doubt it's made custom for Reid, probably just a generic tool with their brand applied.

I'm not sure of the model number but it's a Park Tool one for me although most of my bikes have Shimano PDA600 pedals on them which use an 8mm hex key.

In the UK most mail order bikes include a cheap and heavy multi-tool and a stubby little pedal wrench so I've got a few of those lurking about too. The ones supplied by Evans are actually quite neat.

Park PW4 works great every time, with excellent leverage and clearance. The angled head allows for a good position on the pedal in all circumstances.

Another vote for PW-4. I personally don't do enough at home to justify buying one for myself though.

Two things first--grease threads,
-- rubber mallet or the like

I have a short cheap wrench that I've used for 30 years maybe
I don't think it's worth spending more money on a real nice pedal wrench, put the cash towards a good cable cutter or a stand.

I remove pedals on our family bikes sometimes, and my old wrench and a bang with the mallet works fine.

now a good cable and housing cutter like my parks one,THAT waa worth spending money on.
same with having a bike stand

First choice is a hex socket and an impact [1]. Works wonders and it's a game changer. If no hex end I have a random brand long wrench I shaved the head a little thinner on the grinder to fit. The impact is also good on cassettes with the cassette socket tool and no whip needed and also on some style cranks.

[1] A drill/driver bit style impact can work but a full size impact comes in handy too.

An interesting "pedal wrench" was the now long out of production Park RW-1. It was a flat take-along tool about 6" tong with a 15mm pedal wrench on one end and a 32mm headset wrench on the other. It had holes to mount under a bottle cage if you wished. I bought it when I had a S&S coupled travel bike that required pedal removal for packing. I've never seen the need for super tight pedal installation and it worked fine for this use. The 32mm 1" headset lock nut end was never used but I can see that touring bicyclists might have found it useful BITD.

When I volunteer at the local co-op, I'll reach for the Park PW-4 before any of the others. I like the way the head offers a couple of angles for mounting the spindle flats. At home, I use a Park HCW-6, which has a 15 mm side for pedals - Or, I just use a regular 15mm open end wrench. depending on which is closest at hand.

I have to say that I very seldom encounter a pedal that requires a lot of force to break free. Technique is important: mount the wrench on the spindle flats so that it forms an acute angle to the crank. This give you a lot of mechanical advantage.

+1 for a long one. in 2016 I bought a vintage Zeus pedal wrench (from 1970's - Made in Spain) off CL from a woman who used to own a bike shop. don't remember the price but it was cheap, $20 maybe? it's long & skinny. it has 2 diff. sized notches 15mm at one end & 14mm (aka 9/16) at the other end. seems to work on anything I come across. it might be nice if the handle was wider/thicker, where one's hand applies pressure. but not really necessary, cuz whenever I swap pedals, I clean & lube threads as necessary. so I think my hard battles are over

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b3d9430a6e.jpg

When I install my pedals I use grease and a pedal washer. I just get them snug so that if they tighten up (progression) I can still get them off.
A friend brought one over that I couldn't budge and the local shop couldn't get it off. I found a u-tube video that shows wrapping a stuck pedal in a plastic bag full of ice and letting it sit for 10 minutes. The thing came right off!

This bears emphasis. If you can apply the wrench so that , with the wrench handle is pointing in towards the crank center, and with that handle parallel or nearly so with the crank arm, then force applied to the handle is directly in line with the bottom bracket and there is no net torque on the crank. This makes removing the pedals easy, and you are less likely to bark your knuckles. While its easiest to do with both wheels on the ground, you can even use this method with the bike in a stand.

BTW, I used the same wrenches that ol' Honk shows in his picture. Good memories - those things worked great. Now I use a vintage Armstrong Armaloy 15mm or 9/16" wrench.