sunburst

usual disclaimer - I mainly work on vintage.

Pedals stuck on a mountain bike. Nothing usual about them. Also, I’ve never had a pedal I couldn’t remove. I’m working on the drive side, so lefty-loosey. I’ve tried a pedal wrench, an Allen wrench, PB Blaster on both sides overnight, heat gun, propane torch. So, decided to remove the cranks so I can clamp them into my bench vise and try all the above with some stability thrown into the equation. This is full suspension so everything wants to move, even though I’ve blocked the opposite crank arm against a tool box and using my entire body to try to stabilize everything. Btw, I put the wheels back on before attempting, so I could push down on the bike and opposite crank arm.

Now, can’t get the cranks off. They are hollow type and not self-extracting like the videos I’m finding on Raceface Turbine. It looks like my usual crank extractor is almost the right tool but the pin is not wide enough so it goes into the hollow. It threads in fine. What extractor should I buy?

Iride01 

Drive side pedal is left threaded. So it's righty loosey. Or clockwise to loosen them. Though it you are looking from the backside and using the allen key they are lefty loosey. However I wouldn't use a allen key if there are flats to use a wrench on the other side. It hasn't happened to me with bikes, but I've had other hex socket set screws get a fracture in the side of the socket, and twisting on the hex key spreads that fracture out and the bolt or screw is almost impossible to get out without resorting to other means. Such as nitric acid. Which dissolves the steel but doesn't hurt the aluminum.

edit... struck through the really crazy talk I was babbling. Some how I was thinking drive side is left side.

See how crazy that sounds!

KCT1986

To pull the crankarm off of the spindle, you need an ISIS compatible cranks puller or an adapter like the one in middle circle below.




Another option may be to see if a washer or coin will drop through the hole in the crank and sit covering the spindle end. This needs to cover the spindle end and serve as a support for the tip of the extractor. Sometimes a US dime is the correct size.

Mtracer

Drive-side pedals are standard thread, righty tighty, lefty loosey as seen from the pedal side. It’s the non-driveside (left) that are reverse threads

As for the crank puller, the one I have has a narrow end and a wide end. I think it’s the Park Tool one. The ends just pop off so you can swap as needed.

veganbikes

It is generally easily to remove pedals on the bike. Make sure you are turning them in the proper direction and know you may need some extra leverage so a pipe on the outside of the pedal wrench could help. If that doesn't work once you remove the cranks using an ISIS puller you could try soaking them in a cola and that could help remove them. I think one time we used lye but that was an extreme case and I don't generally recommend it.

Duragrouch

Remove the pedals while crank is on the bike. Right pedal is right hand thread, left pedal is left hand thread. It's the bottom bracket threads that are the reverse of that. So right (drive) side, you want to turn the pedal axle to the left, anti-clockwise. Here is how: Put the right crank arm forward, at 3 o'clock when viewed from the side. Now take a pedal wrench, place it on the pedal axle flats, with the wrench handle pointing back and slightly up, pointing to 10 o'clock. Now use your (shoed) foot to press down on the top of the wrench, at about the center of the crank. This will loosen the pedal without you needing to somehow block the crank from moving. Left side, do the reverse; crank arm forward, wrench aft, loosening clockwise. You might be able to use a cheater bar on the wrench for greater leverage, but I can't recall if that will make the crank rotate under the greater torque, or whether the downward force will still override that.

Tightening the pedals, reverse everything, crank arm aft, wrench forward. EDIT: When tightening the pedals back on, don't use your foot on the wrench, too easy to overtorque, use your hands on the wrench.

I'm not a pro bike wrench. Forces and kinematics are my thing.

P.S. I like to install my pedals with aluminum (silver) anti-seize compound, it's like grease but has very fine metal particals in it to prevent seizing and galling. In fact I use it on all threads on the bike, except the axle nuts, there no, although, hmm, I should consider that.

grumpus

That's incorrect, drive side bbkt cup is LH thread, drive side pedal is RH thread.

cyclomath

Pedal threads are such that they tighten as we turn the cranks.

grumpus

Lye (sodium hydroxide, caustic soda) will dissolve aluminium, so it's not appropriate in this application.

grumpus

Did you try turning them in the tightening direction? Sometimes that can help to break the thread free.
As others have said, an appropriately sized washer or coin will allow your regular crank extractor to pull these cranks. I have a little magnetic cap that fits on mine, but I can't find them for sale anywhere - ordinary crank tools normally include an adaptor now.

grumpus

Kinda. If you hold a spanner on a pedal and turn the cranks backwards, that tightens it. In use they're designed to counter the loosening action of precession, as the threads potentially move very slightly against each other. In circumstances that require using pedals on the wrong side (bodge job tandem transmission springs to mind) just making sure they're proper tight will survive light use, for heavier use/stronger riders blue Loctite will normally suffice. But yes, the Wright brothers were clever bike mechanics.

Iride01 

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Definitely one of my senior moments were I'm getting my left and right confused! <grin>

Thanks to both of you for bringing me back from my delusions.

sunburst

I ignored that right away. I learned very long ago about the non-driveside pedal being reverse threaded. I think I still have the scar from my wrench extension slipping off and hitting me right in the mouth! The force was so great and the shock so big that I seriously thought I had busted my front teeth out.

sunburst

I tried it and a dime looks perfect. But I ordered the right tool anyway. $11 on Amazon. This is the 2nd time I've needed it.

sunburst

OMG! This is genius!!! It took so little force! Both pedals came off with a fairly easy push. And this solves ALL the problems with the crank moving, the bike moving, the tires compressing, the rear shock compressing, as I'm trying to keep the bike stationary. You just made my day.

I don't know why this pedal trick isn't common knowledge.
and yeah, I use anti-seize too, the one Park sells.

Duragrouch

"That's what I'm saying." - Paul, Mad About You, 1990s

Glad to help. Yeah I didn't learn it from anyone, it just occurred to me one day. I see the forces in my head. The first time this happened, a different problem, in high school metal shop, the teacher (a very experienced toolmaker from industry) was having a hard time milling something due to it flexing, I suggested a different way and it worked perfect. I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until many years later that I realized it's one of the few areas that I have a superpower; A good friend who teaches told me that normal people have superpowers, it's what they do better than most other people. It was profound. Ever since then I've tried to help others realize their own superpowers.

EDIT: When tightening the pedals back on, don't use your foot on the wrench, too easy to overtorque, use your hands on the wrench.

grumpus

I live with someone who occasionally needs reminding - "On your left. No, the other left." Might be a liability on group rides but she's good with other stuff.

andrewclaus

It is fairly common knowledge. It's on the Park Tools site and elsewhere if you look. I learned that method by volunteering at a non-profit shop. I'm now one of the lead mechanics (that's a little scary) at another non-profit, and about the only time I step in at another stand without being asked is when I see someone removing pedals the wrong way. Applying that much torque using the wrong method can be risky. Another "trick" is to shift the chain onto the large chainring to cover the teeth.

MudPie

A very good tip! I also wear leather gloves just in case. My buddy had to visit the ER to get stiches on his hand after hand-met-chainring during a pedal removal attempt. Those lessons in life are the ones I remember well. The positive of visiting the ER is getting to meet people in the waiting room that you'd normally not encounter.

sunburst

Great tip. I put on gloves anticipating some potential busted knuckles, but this is even better.
I've fixed/flipped/restored about a hundred bikes now (I've kept a list) but am completely self-taught. I could definitely use some time around other mechanics and have considered volunteering at my local bike charity for just this reason.

Bob

Duragrouch

I guessed that a lot of others knew this too. If I had known it was on the Park website, I would have directed there rather than explain it all myself. I was expecting someone else to describe this before me, but didn't see.

ScottCommutes

I have a big impact wrench more suited to lug nuts than bikes. I did use it this weekend however to get a rear cassette off and it does work like crazy. One advantage is that because of the way it works, you don't really have to hold anything. I imagine it would have gotten your pedal out in a few seconds.

Duragrouch

Maybe, but it would have had to be via the inboard allen wrench socket if the pedals had (his did, mine don't), and allens strip easier than torx, and if not that, I think the impact might have snapped the allen. Which you would also have needed an allen-to-socket adaptor or integral allen socket. A crows foot wrench on the flats might have worked, but the moment the pedal comes loose, be careful of where your hands are holding the impact wrench, because it's gonna translate and fast.

There's an episode of Space Force, they send up a chimp into orbit to do a repair, the chimp is just about to use a drill or impact wrench with a socket, at the last minute the chief scientist yells "WAIT..." and the chimp triggers the drill and the chimp rotates in space very fast.