Also, if you can't find the R and L markings, often the left pedal spindle will be stamped (embossed), next to the wrench flats, with some lines running longitudinally to denote it's LH. I see this at the bike co-op I work at. As a last resort, if the pedals are off the bike, you can hold them with the spindles pointing up and "read" the threads. If the threads slope up to the right, it's RH threaded, so it's the right pedal. If they slope up to the left, it's LH threaded, a LH pedal. (Thankfully, this is easy to remember!) However, if the pedals are off the bike already, you don't really need to know this, because if you have a pedal on the wrong side, it just won't screw in! Thank you for your slow and patient videos. They are great tutorials.
Right pedal has right hand threads, left pedal has left hand threads, as pointed out in video. Instead of thinking about the right/left direction though, whenever I am working on pedals I always just remember that you move the wrench handle towards the rear of the bike to loosen and towards the front of the bike to tighten, this mnemonic works on either side.
thanks JL--took me a few days (pedals were stubborn--had to use some wd40 too). used your method and was able to remove the pedals. clear and detailed instructions.
Thank you for this video. My daughters left pedal fell off and I couldn't get it back on... haha was turning it the wrong way...whoops 😅 🤣 you are awesome. Thanks
you can also stacks pieces of wood/bricks under the crank arm or pedal, so its parallel to chainstay. Press down (left and right pedals) or stand on the spanner for max leverage lol
My trick for stuck pedals is. I put one pedal to the lowest position under the bottom of my tool cabinet. This will hold the pedal while you are putting leverage on the other pedal even with a cheaper bar. It works like a charm.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing your awesome tip, Louis, that's a great one! Really appreciate you sharing and look forward to seeing more of your tips in comments! 🙏❤
THANK YOU! I TOOK A SLEDGEHAMMER TO THE LEFT SIDE AND I GOT IT TO TURN! YES, I STRIPPED IT! DUMB ASS! BUT, after watching your wonderful video it came off hard but it came off. It will work for now as I am old and only ride a few miles a day. It will go into the BIKE SHOP next week and get completely gone over and REPAIRED! THANK YOU AGAIN!
Thanks so much for this helpful video! I was absolutely battling my right pedal and once I followed your suggestion of holding onto the crank instead of trying to push down on the pedal, it immediately released.
Jim, thanks for always teaching me something new, even on subjects that I thought I was well-versed on. Picked up a few new tips from this one! I'm an old dog whom you CAN teach new tricks!
Thanks for letting me know there were a few new tips in there for you, Peter. That's always my goal in making these videos so I'm happy to hear it. Appreciate you watching and the great comment, thank you!
Thanks for the great video again Jim. I’d thought removing a handful of pedals over the years I wouldn’t need extra tips but my new bike had the pedals done up so tight that I couldn’t remove them even with a fairly long wrench. Also when they are done up super tight you start to question if you’re loosening the bolt correctly or not. The tip around the mallet and spanner worked a treat, still needed someone to brace the crank on the other side for me but with enough taps of the mallet the pedal came free (it’s kinda like a manual version of an impact wrench). You’ve helped me out again (since last time I built up and have trued a few rims from your video on wheel building)
I'm very happy to hear that my pedal and wheel videos helped you out, David and I appreciate you sharing your pedal removal story for other viewers. Thanks a lot for watching and the great comment!
Thank you I’ve been messing with my bike like two hours trying to get that left pedal off … I even had my neighbors help me hold the bike (like 3 of us)trying No luck…. I Said screw it went home and came across your video and tried again. I got it of in like 10 min after watching the video… smh 🤦🏽♂️…lol … thanks I learned something today. 👌😎💯
Man... I feel like such a moron, tried for an hour with different ways to try to get the left side pedal off and the entire time you're telling me I was tightening it more?!?! Long story short, both pedals are now off... thank you so much.
No, no you're definitely not Jermel. Everybody who doesn't know this about bikes makes this same mistake even if they are good mechanically with other things. That's the reason I made this video in the first place. Appreciate you watching and congrats on mastering pedal removal!
You're very welcome, Tubeztoonz, thank you for watching and the nice comment! I'm happy to hear you saw that link and ordered the tool kit. I think you'll like it!
Good advice, Jim. I was advised by my local mechanic to tighten the pedals a second time after I'd been ridden the bike for a day or so. Similar to what auto shops advise for vehicles.
Thanks for watching, Peter! Your mechanic's advice won't do any harm and will make sure the pedals are tight if maybe one wasn't when it was put in. So it's a nice tip. Thanks!
Thanks for this info,Jim. Really well presented. After I get the longer Allen wrench, I’m going to give it a go. Is it ok to use silicone grease for the threads?
Simply put: Right side has right hand threads; left side has left hand threads. You may damage threads if you attempt to install a LH threaded pedal on the RH. If you damage threads, you can chase/clean up the threads with a 9/16”x20 tap (if your crank arm pedal thread is 9/16”).
Thanks for watching and the question conner. The pedals are attached to the crankarms. There are a few different types of crankarms. Each type is removed a different way. Can you tell me what brand and model of bike you’re working on? With that info I should be able to look at your bike to learn what type crank you have.
Thanks for watching and the question, William. On most tricycles the pedals are removed by taking off an end cap or cover on the outside end of the pedal. Once the cover is off you should find a little split ring or spring cap on the end of the steel shaft the pedal spins on. Get that split ring or cap off and the pedal will come right off. If you don’t have a new cap or split ring be sure to not ruin the one you took off so you can use it again. Let me know how it goes.
Thanks for watching and commenting, glad you enjoyed the video! What I’m explaining at 14:58 is another way how to tell which is the Right pedal and which is the Left. It’s really important not to mix them up. It’s pretty common for people to do that and end up forcing a pedal in ruining the crankarm threads. I want to make sure no one makes that expensive mistake. Thanks again!
I can guarantee the untrained eye has no idea what a thread is let alone see the difference between left & right-handed threads! 🤔 Very good video for the untrained Jim... 👍
As far as which way is tight and which is loose!! its really simple, on either side of the bike turn bolt/part towards the front of the bike to tighten, and turn bolt/part towards the rear of the bike to loosen.. So I guess in the world of bicycles its "fronty tighty .. Reary loosey" 🙂
Iam having pedal problem , but realize how they go/ off etc because have done before and iam having problem with getting Right side off , have had it off before ---- sprayed good with blaster pb and trying to get something with leverage because just using regular wrench ??
Thanks for watching and the question, Robert. Did you try using a "cheater bar" over the wrench like I show here in my video 9:41 - that will give you a lot more leverage. Just make sure your wrench fits tightly over the pedal axle so it doesn't slip. If you have a heat gun you can heat the crank and pedal axle area and that will often make a stuck pedal come off finally. The heat makes the crank expand. Hope this helps you get it off.
Sorry to hear about the broken wrench, Jonathan - hope you didn't slip and get hurt. But now that you know how pedals work that'll never happen again! Thanks a lot for watching and commenting, appreciate it.
Thanks for watching! Glad you now know which way to turn the pedal to remove it. If all you have is a regular wrench, you can slip a piece of pipe over it to add leverage. That should make it relatively easy to remove even a super tight pedal.
yehh i come across that people burst the thread putting right on left or forcing the left wrong direction and ruining the crank arms ,all pedals fit all bikes with exception of bmx pedals different size of threads think theyre are 1/2 inch thread , as the usual common on all bikes is 9/16
Thanks for watching and the comment, theresnobody! Yes, there are 2 sizes of pedals, 9/16 x 20 and 1/2 x 20 (these numbers stand for 9/16ths of an inch in diameter by 20 threads per inch and 1/2 inch by 20 tpi). Both of these sizes work exactly the same as shown in the video so I didn't want to confuse anyone by making them try to figure out which they have. To replace pedals you do have to get the same size you have and they have to match your crank pedal hole sizes. In the video all the pedals shown are 9/16 x 20. FYI: It's not only some BMX bikes (not all BMX bikes are 1/2 x 20), it's also many older American bikes such as Schwinn's Varsity model 10-speed as just one example. Bikes with the Ashtabula or 1-piece steel cranks are the ones most likely to be 1/2 inch. Thanks for the helpful comment!
@@JimLangley1 yehh it was an old eighties bmx with a bent pedal someone ask me to look at get going i had lots of pairs of mtn bike and road bike pedals and then when they did mt fit discoverd theres two sizes until then i thought they were all the same size of thread
Thanks for watching and the comment, Mikey! A good way to loosen rusted pedals is with a heat gun. That usually works faster than penetrating oils like WD-40. Also be sure your wrench is long enough or use a cheater bar on a short wrench and they should come off. Thanks again!
Thanks for getting back to me I have tried again and still no luck. It's the original ones that came with the bike. There's nothing wrong with them they aren't that bad but i wanted to install a better, newer pair just glad i tried to remove them before buying new pedals.
★ WATCH this video next to learn how to properly install pedal cleats on cycling shoes ua-cam.com/video/CECmzYkJ-Uw/v-deo.html
Also, if you can't find the R and L markings, often the left pedal spindle will be stamped (embossed), next to the wrench flats, with some lines running longitudinally to denote it's LH. I see this at the bike co-op I work at.
As a last resort, if the pedals are off the bike, you can hold them with the spindles pointing up and "read" the threads. If the threads slope up to the right, it's RH threaded, so it's the right pedal. If they slope up to the left, it's LH threaded, a LH pedal. (Thankfully, this is easy to remember!) However, if the pedals are off the bike already, you don't really need to know this, because if you have a pedal on the wrong side, it just won't screw in!
Thank you for your slow and patient videos. They are great tutorials.
Thanks a lot for watching and for sharing your great pedal tips, that's very nice of you 🙏🚴💯
Right pedal has right hand threads, left pedal has left hand threads, as pointed out in video. Instead of thinking about the right/left direction though, whenever I am working on pedals I always just remember that you move the wrench handle towards the rear of the bike to loosen and towards the front of the bike to tighten, this mnemonic works on either side.
Thanks for sharing, radio, that's a nice tip that will help people get it right. Appreciate you watching and the great comment very much!
thanks JL--took me a few days (pedals were stubborn--had to use some wd40 too). used your method and was able to remove the pedals. clear and detailed instructions.
My pleasure rojoreno, happy to hear you got your pedals off, great job!! Thanks a lot for watching and commenting, appreciate it!
8:19 is best advice ever for how to position the wrench
Thanks a lot for watching and the great comment, appreciate it!
Thank you! After an hour of throwing the kitchen sink at my right pedal, the rubber mallet method did the trick.
I'm very happy to hear it, Richard, thanks for watching and letting me know you got your pedal off!
Thank you for this video. My daughters left pedal fell off and I couldn't get it back on... haha was turning it the wrong way...whoops 😅 🤣 you are awesome. Thanks
I’m happy to hear my video helped you get your daughter’s pedal back on - great job! 👏 Thanks for watching and the great comment ❤️🙏
The tip at 11:00 did it for me. The pedals had been on the Bike for a long time. I was pretty close to giving up but this worked for me! Thank you!
Thanks for watching and commenting, Kevin. I’m happy to hear the tips helped you get your pedals off, thanks a lot!
you can also stacks pieces of wood/bricks under the crank arm or pedal, so its parallel to chainstay. Press down (left and right pedals) or stand on the spanner for max leverage lol
My trick for stuck pedals is. I put one pedal to the lowest position under the bottom of my tool cabinet. This will hold the pedal while you are putting leverage on the other pedal even with a cheaper bar. It works like a charm.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing your awesome tip, Louis, that's a great one! Really appreciate you sharing and look forward to seeing more of your tips in comments! 🙏❤
THANK YOU! I TOOK A SLEDGEHAMMER TO THE LEFT SIDE AND I GOT IT TO TURN! YES, I STRIPPED IT! DUMB ASS! BUT, after watching your wonderful video it came off hard but it came off. It will work for now as I am old and only ride a few miles a day. It will go into the BIKE SHOP next week and get completely gone over and REPAIRED! THANK YOU AGAIN!
You're very welcome, Samuel. Thanks a lot for watching and I'm really happy to hear my video helped you get the pedal off and you can ride your bike!
Thanks so much for this helpful video! I was absolutely battling my right pedal and once I followed your suggestion of holding onto the crank instead of trying to push down on the pedal, it immediately released.
I'm really happy to hear my video helped you remove your pedal, Alexander! Thanks a lot for watching and commenting, appreciate it!
How did you have time to watch a 17 min video? Where does this get discussed?
Jim, thanks for always teaching me something new, even on subjects that I thought I was well-versed on. Picked up a few new tips from this one! I'm an old dog whom you CAN teach new tricks!
Thanks for letting me know there were a few new tips in there for you, Peter. That's always my goal in making these videos so I'm happy to hear it. Appreciate you watching and the great comment, thank you!
Thanks for the great video again Jim. I’d thought removing a handful of pedals over the years I wouldn’t need extra tips but my new bike had the pedals done up so tight that I couldn’t remove them even with a fairly long wrench. Also when they are done up super tight you start to question if you’re loosening the bolt correctly or not.
The tip around the mallet and spanner worked a treat, still needed someone to brace the crank on the other side for me but with enough taps of the mallet the pedal came free (it’s kinda like a manual version of an impact wrench). You’ve helped me out again (since last time I built up and have trued a few rims from your video on wheel building)
I'm very happy to hear that my pedal and wheel videos helped you out, David and I appreciate you sharing your pedal removal story for other viewers. Thanks a lot for watching and the great comment!
Thank you I’ve been messing with my bike like two hours trying to get that left pedal off … I even had my neighbors help me hold the bike (like 3 of us)trying No luck…. I Said screw it went home and came across your video and tried again.
I got it of in like 10 min after watching the video… smh 🤦🏽♂️…lol … thanks I learned something today. 👌😎💯
That's great to hear, Kimo, I'm happy my video helped you finally get the pedal off. Good job!! Thanks a lot for watching and commenting!
Man... I feel like such a moron, tried for an hour with different ways to try to get the left side pedal off and the entire time you're telling me I was tightening it more?!?!
Long story short, both pedals are now off... thank you so much.
No, no you're definitely not Jermel. Everybody who doesn't know this about bikes makes this same mistake even if they are good mechanically with other things. That's the reason I made this video in the first place. Appreciate you watching and congrats on mastering pedal removal!
This Pedal Advice worked great... Thanks
That’s great to hear, D. ! Thanks for watching and letting me know, appreciate it!!
Thanks for excellent, thorough video. I just ordered the Bikehand Tool Kit using the link you provided. Thanks for that, too!
You're very welcome, Tubeztoonz, thank you for watching and the nice comment! I'm happy to hear you saw that link and ordered the tool kit. I think you'll like it!
Nice video, to the point, helpful and relaxing too
I'm very glad you liked it, cruisysoozi. Thanks a lot for watching and the great comment!
Liked and subscribed. Thanks Jim! You saved me from breaking my pedal
Thanks a lot, Jacques! I’m really happy to hear you didn’t break it! Thanks for watching and the great comment!
Good advice, Jim. I was advised by my local mechanic to tighten the pedals a second time after I'd been ridden the bike for a day or so. Similar to what auto shops advise for vehicles.
Thanks for watching, Peter! Your mechanic's advice won't do any harm and will make sure the pedals are tight if maybe one wasn't when it was put in. So it's a nice tip. Thanks!
Thank you you saved my day
You’re very welcome. Thank you for watching and letting me know that the video was helpful, appreciate it!
Thanks for this info,Jim. Really well presented. After I get the longer Allen wrench, I’m going to give it a go. Is it ok to use silicone grease for the threads?
You're welcome and yes, that grease will work. Thanks for watching!
It helps a lot, thanks!! :)
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great video, useful advice. 👍
Thanks for watching and the nice comment, Richard, glad you liked the video and found it helpful.
Many thanks 👍
Good video with great tips!
Thanks a lot for watching and commenting, Flederratte, appreciate it and I'm glad you liked the show!
@@JimLangley1 thanks for the reply :)
Sure, I am subscribed and have the bell activated ;)
@@Flederratte thanks a lot, Flederratte. I just subscribed to your channel. Interesting videos, thank you!
Simply put: Right side has right hand threads; left side has left hand threads. You may damage threads if you attempt to install a LH threaded pedal on the RH. If you damage threads, you can chase/clean up the threads with a 9/16”x20 tap (if your crank arm pedal thread is 9/16”).
Thanks for watching and commenting. Park Tool makes nice pedal taps for about $50 a pair currently amzn.to/45YXsIc
The primary pedal tool to have is a Viking head tube badge!
🤣Roger! Great to hear from you!! I have a few Viking badges now but I still really need YOURS! Thanks for the awesome comment - made my day!
How do I take off the legs that hold the pedals
Thanks for watching and the question conner. The pedals are attached to the crankarms. There are a few different types of crankarms. Each type is removed a different way. Can you tell me what brand and model of bike you’re working on? With that info I should be able to look at your bike to learn what type crank you have.
Thank you!!
My pleasure Anna, thanks for watching and commenting! 🙏
I bought a CXWXC bike repair stand ,it cheaper and worked really well.
Thanks for watching, Li Jona and sharing your recommendation, appreciate it!
Thank you!
You're very welcome, Andrew. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I have a older double deck trycycle.how do I take the pedals off? It has no bolts and they are nylon.thank you sir..
Thanks for watching and the question, William. On most tricycles the pedals are removed by taking off an end cap or cover on the outside end of the pedal. Once the cover is off you should find a little split ring or spring cap on the end of the steel shaft the pedal spins on. Get that split ring or cap off and the pedal will come right off. If you don’t have a new cap or split ring be sure to not ruin the one you took off so you can use it again. Let me know how it goes.
Good information and video the vid at 14:58 is weird tho lol
Thanks for watching and commenting, glad you enjoyed the video! What I’m explaining at 14:58 is another way how to tell which is the Right pedal and which is the Left. It’s really important not to mix them up. It’s pretty common for people to do that and end up forcing a pedal in ruining the crankarm threads. I want to make sure no one makes that expensive mistake. Thanks again!
I can guarantee the untrained eye has no idea what a thread is let alone see the difference between left & right-handed threads! 🤔
Very good video for the untrained Jim... 👍
Thanks for your input, Graham, appreciate it!
As far as which way is tight and which is loose!! its really simple, on either side of the bike turn bolt/part towards the front of the bike to tighten, and turn bolt/part towards the rear of the bike to loosen.. So I guess in the world of bicycles its "fronty tighty .. Reary loosey" 🙂
Thanks for watching and your tip, Sam. Appreciate it.
OMG I have been battling with the left pedal for ages now turning in the wrong direction!!!
Thanks for watching, Boris! I'm very happy to hear my video helped you out 😀
Iam having pedal problem , but realize how they go/ off etc because have done before and iam having problem with getting Right side off , have had it off before ---- sprayed good with blaster pb and trying to get something with leverage because just using regular wrench ??
Thanks for watching and the question, Robert. Did you try using a "cheater bar" over the wrench like I show here in my video 9:41 - that will give you a lot more leverage. Just make sure your wrench fits tightly over the pedal axle so it doesn't slip. If you have a heat gun you can heat the crank and pedal axle area and that will often make a stuck pedal come off finally. The heat makes the crank expand. Hope this helps you get it off.
Makes sense now, thats why i broke my wrench
Sorry to hear about the broken wrench, Jonathan - hope you didn't slip and get hurt. But now that you know how pedals work that'll never happen again! Thanks a lot for watching and commenting, appreciate it.
Easiest way to remember. Sit your but on the back tire, put wrench on either side and pull backwards.
Thanks a lot for watching and sharing your great tip, Pete - appreciate it!!
Bugger. Been turning it the song way with all my might for 24 hours. Won't turn at all now. Need a pedal wrench.
Thanks for watching! Glad you now know which way to turn the pedal to remove it. If all you have is a regular wrench, you can slip a piece of pipe over it to add leverage. That should make it relatively easy to remove even a super tight pedal.
yehh i come across that people burst the thread putting right on left or forcing the left wrong direction and ruining the crank arms ,all pedals fit all bikes with exception of bmx pedals different size of threads think theyre are 1/2 inch thread , as the usual common on all bikes is 9/16
Thanks for watching and the comment, theresnobody! Yes, there are 2 sizes of pedals, 9/16 x 20 and 1/2 x 20 (these numbers stand for 9/16ths of an inch in diameter by 20 threads per inch and 1/2 inch by 20 tpi). Both of these sizes work exactly the same as shown in the video so I didn't want to confuse anyone by making them try to figure out which they have.
To replace pedals you do have to get the same size you have and they have to match your crank pedal hole sizes. In the video all the pedals shown are 9/16 x 20. FYI: It's not only some BMX bikes (not all BMX bikes are 1/2 x 20), it's also many older American bikes such as Schwinn's Varsity model 10-speed as just one example. Bikes with the Ashtabula or 1-piece steel cranks are the ones most likely to be 1/2 inch. Thanks for the helpful comment!
@@JimLangley1 yehh it was an old eighties bmx with a bent pedal someone ask me to look at get going i had lots of pairs of mtn bike and road bike pedals and then when they did mt fit discoverd theres two sizes until then i thought they were all the same size of thread
Nevermind left or right, just pull back too loosen
Mine are rusted I've sprayed them with a shit load of WD-40 leaving it to soak for a while and ill try again later.
Thanks for watching and the comment, Mikey! A good way to loosen rusted pedals is with a heat gun. That usually works faster than penetrating oils like WD-40. Also be sure your wrench is long enough or use a cheater bar on a short wrench and they should come off. Thanks again!
Thanks for getting back to me I have tried again and still no luck. It's the original ones that came with the bike. There's nothing wrong with them they aren't that bad but i wanted to install a better, newer pair just glad i tried to remove them before buying new pedals.
Thanks!
@@koolfy thanks very much koolfy, appreciate it!!
thank you!
You're very welcome. Thanks a lot for watching!!
Thank you!
You're very welcome, Mark! Thanks a lot for watching and commenting!