Extremely stuck pedal
#26
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No issue at all, just wanted to make sure you understood there is a difference between the two methods
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Sometimes it will really bind near enough permanently. I’ve stripped the threads of several crank arms over the years. These days, if I really want to save the crank, I’ll drill the pedal spindle out.
#28
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I'm going to drill the spindle if they don't manage to remove it, but it's my last option as I'd like to avoid risking damage to the crank.
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If you’re pushing enough torque in it to crack a vise, you’ve already gone well past the point where damage can occur. It wouldn’t take much skill or tools to have a better chance of removal by drilling than torquing by now.
#30
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Any recommendation about drill bits? I assume the spindle is steel, so I suppose I'm going to need a good drill bit.
#31
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I have a pedal totally stuck to the crank arm. It only has an Allen socket and no flats for a wrench. It wouldn't give way, so I used an Allen key with an extension and the threads stripped.
No big deal I thought, as I didn't care about destroying the pedal. I proceded to strip the pedal to the axle and stuck the axle on a bench. It slipped every time. Then I used a torch on the crank, and nothing. It wouldn't move.
And finally, after an hour of unsuccessful efforts, this happened:
Any option left to salvage the cranks instead of buying new ones?
No big deal I thought, as I didn't care about destroying the pedal. I proceded to strip the pedal to the axle and stuck the axle on a bench. It slipped every time. Then I used a torch on the crank, and nothing. It wouldn't move.
And finally, after an hour of unsuccessful efforts, this happened:
Any option left to salvage the cranks instead of buying new ones?
#32
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You can break any vise if you try hard. Unfortunately, lots of people try hard. A vise is not a press, or an anvil. A vise (with the notable exception of a blacksmith’s post vise) is not meant to have the workpiece hit by a hammer. A vise should not have a cheater bar put on the handle or have the handle beat with a hammer.
There are people who love vises as much as we love bikes. He is an article by a guy on how to not break a vise:
https://mivise.com/not-break-vise/
There are people who love vises as much as we love bikes. He is an article by a guy on how to not break a vise:
https://mivise.com/not-break-vise/
#33
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I think that the suggestion about turning the pedal in the correct direction refers to the fact that the right hand (drive side) pedal has right-handed threads (counterclockwise to remove) while the left-handed pedals (non drive side) has left handed threads (clockwise to remove). So its different depending upon which side pedal you are removing.
#34
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Possible, even likely, but other countries made crappy stuff, too. Still, I'm concerned about the hammer handle right next to the vice base. Vices aren't made to be hit! Vices aren't made to hold stuff that you're gonna hit! (See the video above on "how to break a vise"). So even if this was a fine old American-made Wilton or Yost or Athol Starrett vise, the hammer handle makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up...
Here's a blacksmith's leg vise. This one's mounted on a post, but you can also mount them to a wall or bench. You got one of these, hammer away (tho generally you hammer DOWN, and not side to side).
https://spaco.org/postvisewouttable.jpg
Here's a blacksmith's leg vise. This one's mounted on a post, but you can also mount them to a wall or bench. You got one of these, hammer away (tho generally you hammer DOWN, and not side to side).
https://spaco.org/postvisewouttable.jpg
#35
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Possible, even likely, but other countries made crappy stuff, too. Still, I'm concerned about the hammer handle right next to the vice base. Vices aren't made to be hit! Vices aren't made to hold stuff that you're gonna hit! (See the video above on "how to break a vise"). So even if this was a fine old American-made Wilton or Yost or Athol Starrett vise, the hammer handle makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up...
Here's a blacksmith's leg vise. This one's mounted on a post, but you can also mount them to a wall or bench. You got one of these, hammer away (tho generally you hammer DOWN, and not side to side).
https://spaco.org/postvisewouttable.jpg
Here's a blacksmith's leg vise. This one's mounted on a post, but you can also mount them to a wall or bench. You got one of these, hammer away (tho generally you hammer DOWN, and not side to side).
https://spaco.org/postvisewouttable.jpg
It was a cheap 30y/o vise though as I remember seeing it since I was a kid 😅
#37
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I'm still waiting for the LBS to call me back. They told me they would try to apply penetrating oil overnight first.
If it doesn't work I'll try to drill it, and if everything fails I've found new identical cranks for 49€ in stock.
#38
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You can break any vise if you try hard. Unfortunately, lots of people try hard. A vise is not a press, or an anvil. A vise (with the notable exception of a blacksmith’s post vise) is not meant to have the workpiece hit by a hammer. A vise should not have a cheater bar put on the handle or have the handle beat with a hammer.
There are people who love vises as much as we love bikes. He is an article by a guy on how to not break a vise:
https://mivise.com/not-break-vise/
There are people who love vises as much as we love bikes. He is an article by a guy on how to not break a vise:
https://mivise.com/not-break-vise/
You might like this:
#39
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It hurt my soul to see him abusing that Prentiss. Even though it had already been abused in the past.
#42
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I would drill it out. If it's a 9/16 bolt use a half inch drill bit. Or one even closer to 9/16 if you have one. 17/32 maybe? In my experience that usually weakens the bond and then the bolt threads out. I've never had to drill a pedal bolt though so I might be incorrect. Just be sure the drill doesnt mess up the threads of your crank arm.
#43
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Just to make sure, you are looking at the back of the installed pedal spindle when you insert the allen wrench. So the drive side pedal would need the allen screw to turn clockwise to remove the pedal when looking down the tool at the "inside" of the crank arm, where the tool is inserted into the threaded spindle. Non drive side would turn counter-clockwise with the allen to remove the pedal.
#44
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Just to make sure, you are looking at the back of the installed pedal spindle when you insert the allen wrench. So the drive side pedal would need the allen screw to turn clockwise to remove the pedal when looking down the tool at the "inside" of the crank arm, where the tool is inserted into the threaded spindle. Non drive side would turn counter-clockwise with the allen to remove the pedal.
In fact at the LBS they tried in front of me and couldn't move it either. That's the reason I left it there and I'm waiting for them to call with the results while hoping for the best.
#45
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Good news from the LBS. They managed to remove the pedal with a vise after applying lots of penetrating oil. A little bit of the thread stripped, but nothing significant and it holds a new pedal without issues.
Great!
Great!
#46
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Three ameliorating factors on braking that Prentiss. First, Marburger built his own custom vise that is stronger than the Prentiss. See
Second, he actually repaired the Prentiss. Or, rather (since he's a creative guy) he improved it. Purists won't like it, but its a pretty amazing job, making a ~75 yo vise better than new. The third factor is that the vise had been broken and repaired before, so it wasn't pristine.
See here:
#47
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Thanks for reporting back. You'd be surprised (or maybe not) at the number of folks who write in for help and then never report how the problem was solved. Your being considerate and closing the loop is appreciated.
#49
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Based on the pic they sent me, it seems that on the inner side of the crank, around 1/5 or 1/4 of the thread is missing, but the rest is intact. Difficult to appreciate in a picture though.
#50
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For a fine, vintage crank (like a Campy Nuovo Record from the 70s) its sometimes worth trying to repair threads using things like thread inserts (you drill out the original hole to a larger diameter, tap threads in the bigger hole, with the same pitch (threads per inch) as the original, and put a coiled spring in the hole. The spring is made from diamond shaped wire and so the outside of the spring screws into your new, larger hole, and the inside of the spring has the same diameter as the original hole). Not worth it for most cranks. But if the balloon goes up, it sounds like you've sourced replacement crank arms anyway.
Here's a pic of one type of thread insert. In these, once the insert is screwed into the crank, the four prongs would be driven down to lock the insert in the crank.
Last edited by WizardOfBoz; 05-28-20 at 08:43 AM.