ericmerg1

So i was trying to remove one pedal and it was stuck and I rounded the hex key hole ( I also rounded out 3 hex keys)
i'm totally ok with destroying the pedal and already tried a pipe wrench on the spindle but that didnt budge.

any more ideas? looking at trying an easy out later today

kevindsingleton 

Heat usually works. Penetrating oil. You might be able to disassemble the pedal enough to get Vise Grips to grab it. Drill it out. The EZ Out is probably going to fail, or break, before you get the spindle to budge, so give the penetrating oil time to work before you try that.

You are turning it the correct direction, right?

DiabloScott

Hacksaw.

Leave as much of the spindle exposed as you can, then you can grab it with a vice grips.
If it's really bad you might have to take the crank off and put it in a vice too.

nfmisso

Most important.

drlogik 

pedals are removed in the opposite direction of rotation. Meaning, as sitting on the bike, the right hand pedal is removed by turning counter-clock wise. The left hand pedal is removed by turning clock-wise.

If all else fails, hack the pedal off enough to leave at least an inch or so of spindle. Use TWO Vise-Grips, one opposite the other and use both hands to remove. A Sears RoboGrip works pretty well for this type of removal to.

Leisesturm

I agree that it is very likely the o.p. was not aware of the pedal thread reversal thing, but hex keys? When did hex keys become a pedal removal tool?? What size of Allen wrench? All my pedals up to and including the latest Wellgo's on our Trek, use a 9/15 crescent wrench. Rounding the flats is impossible, simply impossible. Is it possible that legacy 9/15" flats are still present on the pedal spindle and the pedal can be removed that way? Observing, of course, that the left hand side (as seated on the bike) unthreads clockwise.

SquidPuppet

What is a 9/15 crescent wrench?

Who makes 9/15 pedals?

The threads are 9/16 inch and the flats are 15mm

drlogik 

My Shimano XT MTB pedals are an 8mm hex key only. They have no flats.

Dyskolos

If it is a Shimano pedal with only a hex, i.e., no flats, it may be that the metal in the hex has cracked. I've had it happen as have had others to whom I've spoken. When you apply pressure with a hex key, the sides spread in the crank arm and it's impossible to remove. The fix is to take the pedal apart and use a vise or vise grips to grip the pedal shaft and remove.

I believe the cracks are caused by overtightening. In my case, they were installed at a bike shop. I watched the process and ensured that he greased the threads, although he did not use a torque wrench. I've since changed the pedals, same brand and model, several times using anti-seize compound and a torque wrench and have had no further problems.

gsa103

Most Shimano pedals have either a 6mm or 8mm hex key on the backside. Some models have only 8mm hex keys.

As for getting the pedal out, go to a local bike shop, the guy at the shop will have a giant pedal wrench and can help. They probably won't charge anything, but tip them $5 for the hassle.

If you don't like that option, hacksaw and drill out the spindle.

JohnDThompson 

Pedals with 6mm hex key fittings started appearing in the early 80s, in my experience. Mostly they also had 15mm wrench flats for a standard pedal wrench. But I have seen some more recent pedals that only have a hex key fitting for installation and removal.

Here are some early examples:

Slash5

You have removed the pedal body and tried a pipe wrench on the spindle? I don't understand how that didn't work? You should be able to rip the threads out of the crank arm with a pipe wrench. Put a cheater pipe on the wrench.

HillRider

Those pedals with both 15 mm flats and a hex recess usually took a 6 mm hex key which I always though was inadequate, particularly the way some mechanics overtighten them.

Newer Shimano SPD pedals dispensed with the 15 mm flats but use a 8 mm hex hey which seems to be strong enough.

AlexCyclistRoch

I'v found that 8mm hex pedals are a lot easier to remove if I do NOT use a ball-end T-handle, and I do slip my 8mm closed-end wrench on the tool first. This way, you can push down and get leverage at the same time.

Crankycrank

Also try putting the crank arm/pedal in the freezer for a couple of hours. Take if out and pour boiling water around the crank surface where the pedal axle screws in and then immediately try to unscrew the pedal.

ericmerg1

going to try this now, after this i think i'll consider the crank a lost cause.

Eric S.

I had some Ritchey 8mm hex-only pedals freeze up in the cranks and I stripped the sockets trying to get them off. I don't have a garage with bench tools, so I took the cranks to a shop and they ground some flats on the spindles, then put them in a vice.

As a result of that experience, I will never use hex-only pedals again.

Mr IGH

Left side pedals have left hand threads....

fietsbob

Take off the crank arm tear down the pedal to the bare spindle, then Put it in the bench vise and clamp the spindle .

then Un screw the crank arm from the pedal spindle..

and then Buy a New Pair of Pedals ..

rmfnla

ericmerg1

it might just be my vice, but it just ends up rotating in the vice before it moves in the crank

ThermionicScott 

I've never had a pedal get too stuck to remove so far (knock on wood). Would periodic removal and regreasing have prevented this, like we tend to recommend for seatposts and quill stems? Antiseize instead of grease?

ericmerg1

most likely yes. I'm an idiot that forgot to grease them (as seen by the one pedal that came off no issues)

ThermionicScott 

I hope that didn't come off as scolding. I'm genuinely interested for myself, since I installed my first pair of hex-only pedals last year and wanted to know what the BF brain trust had to say. I hope you're ultimately successful in getting your pedal off.

ericmerg1

oh no not at all, It really is just a stupid mistake on my part lol