MrWasabi

I'm looking to pickup a pedal wrench. I have bikes with 9/16" and 1/2" pedals. I'd like one wrench to do them all if I can. Will this work?
https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-61749.../dp/B000AO7GXA

Thanks.

freeranger

Why would you buy a wrench with sizes in mm, when you show the sizes in inches on your pedals. Just buy the wrench in the sizes you list, such as: Capri Tools 1/2-in x 9/16-in 6-Point Standard (SAE) Standard Open End Wrench in the Combination Wrenches & Sets department at Lowes.com

alcjphil

Because whether the pedals are 1/2" or 9/16" you need a 15mm wrench to remove or install them

freeranger

1/2" = .5 and 15mm = .59 , so if you want to use a wrench nearly 1/10" larger than the 1/2" pedal, I guess you're ok. Personally, I want accuracy, when it comes to mechanics, "close enough" is not good enough.

Iride01 

1/2" (.5000) is 12.7 mm. 9/16" (.5625") is 14.2875 mm

I've never had any issues substituting a 13 mm wrench for a 1/2" wrench or a 15 mm wrench for a 9/16" wrench. However if the flats are worn on the pedals or the wrench made to poor tolerances, then you might need to use the correct size if too much muscle is needed to loosen the pedals.

However my Shimano pedals are 15 mm across the flats and don't take a 9/16" wrench. You should check your pedals to be sure. And do you really have anything with 1/2" pedals still?

Don't confuse the thread diameter and pitch for wrench size.

CliffordK

1/2" and 9/16" are the THREAD SIZES... not the flat sizes.

Typically 1/2" threaded pedals are used on kid's bikes and one-piece Ashtabula cranks.

9/16" is used on almost everything else except vintage French pedals.

Essentially all modern 9/16" pedals use a 15mm wrench (or an Allen Wrench)... Love the mixed units.

Personally I don't use "pedal wrenches". I just use a relatively narrow 15mm wrench.

Keep in mind, if you get one of the super long wrenches, you'll be more likely to tear something up.

MrWasabi

Thanks for the replies everyone,

So the 15mm wrench should work for both my 1/2" and 9/16' thread size pedals?

freeranger

Buy the wrench according to the size of the FLATS on the pedal spindle, not the thread size. I use a 15mm which is the size of the FLATS on the pedal spindle, all of my bikes are this size. Do you have pedals with different size flats, which is the way I read the original post? If you have a pedal which has 1/2" FLATS, you'll need 13mm.

CliffordK

It should work on most/all modern 9/16 pedals that have flats (not Allen wrench only).

I don't use 1/2" pedals. Hmmm... perhaps I could dig around the scrapyard. What do you have on your bikes?

The reason for the smaller holes has to do with the one-piece crank design and snaking the crank through the bottom bracket.

Iride01 

No, a 15mm wrench is not going to turn a pedal or bolt that requires a 13 mm or 1/2" wrench.

When you buy from Amazon, you are at the mercy of the poor descriptions provided by many of the sellers on Amazon. Not because they are trying to hide anything, but probably English isn't their first language and more so that they have no idea about what the product they are selling is really used for.

I might consider the length of the handle too short, even at eleven inches, to get a good pull on a hard to remove pedal. As well, it only lets you get one position on the flats. And if you need a cheater bar to get a really really stuck pedal loose, then you'll have a time finding something to fit over it.

I'd get something like this... but it cost more. It's only for pedals with 15mm flats, which is most pedals.



https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...ls.php?id=1148

There is also this for a lot less, but shorter handle and only one position....


https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...1&category=214

But I just use a plain ole open end wrench that just happens to be thin enough for the pedals I have. I don't usually like having what Alton Brown calls a "uni-tasker"

CliffordK

Ok, digging around the boneyard, I have a couple of pedals that I believe were 1/2", with 0.585 or 0.59 flats, so about 15mm.

Ok, grabbed the 15mm... and yep, popped them right off.

Found a Trek 15mm/36mm wrench. Now I just have to remember why I would need a 36mm wrench. Is that for a threaded 1 1/8" headset.... which one doesn't need until one actually needs it?

cxwrench

You don't work on bikes much, do you? If they have flats they're 15mm. That's why pretty much ALL pedal wrenches are 15mm.

CliffordK

Many of us just don't deal with the kid's bikes that frequently. Well, except the people with kids.

Homebrew01

Yes. But many Hardware store wrenches will not fit because they are too wide for the flats on pedals, and probably not long enough for good leverage.

Thus, pedal specific 15 mm pedal wrenches.

MrWasabi

Thanks again for the input everyone,

Sorry about the confusion on the thread size and flats size. I had a pedal wrench when I was younger, 35+ years ago and remember that it was more narrow than a normal off the shelf wrench and it had a better grip and length for leverage. I went ahead and bought this Sunlite one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...8ELY2BCA&psc=1

For $12.50 and from the reviews I should be good. It will also give me 4 sizes basically so I can use it for other stuff (axle nuts?).

JohnDThompson 

1/2" refers to the thread diameter (1/2" x 20tpi), not the distance across the flats, just as 9/16" (14.2875mm) refers to the thread diameter (9/16" x 20tpi), not the 15mm distance across the flats. Most modern pedals are 9/16" x 20tpi and use a 15mm wrench (or 6mm Allen key). 1/2" pedals, still used on many stationary exercise bikes, children's bikes, and some department store bikes will likely use a 9/16" wrench.

Curiously, my Zeus pedal wrench is marked 15mm on one end and 14mm on the other.