Since I barely could losen the pedals from Tune Bigfoot square taper cranks 12 years ago, I always use plenty of grease on the pedal thread to prevent this. Now, I have Campagnolo Carbon square taper cranks on all bikes, and stuck pedals would for sure losen the golden anodized alloy insert for the pedals.
So important to avoid high impact while the cranks are on the bike, to prevent damage to the bottom bracket bearings. If you have to leave them on, support the crank arm so the force is only applied to the pedal axle.
I have used a sharp blow using a rubber mallet on the wrench or hex key handle. This provides a high torque over a very short duration that can free the pedal.
Good comment. Best way. Love taps with a rubber mallet. Now control arms and what not on automotive vehicles sometimes require finding a specific tapping pattern/frequency with a steel hamme🎉r.
Simple method for pedals; put the spanner on so the handle it pointing towards the back of the bike and push down to remove the pedal. It's the same for both sides of the bike.
I ruined a wrench trying to remove stuck pedals on an old bike. I put the wrench on, stood on it with my mighty 100kg of blubber and the wrench bent open, slid off and I got droppend onto the floor. Different approach next time. I got a new pedal wrench, a beefy one with a long handle and, more importantly, a small can of good old WD40. I sprayed WD40 liberally on the outside of the threads connecting pedals and crank from both sides and let it sit for a few hours. When I came back to use the heft of my overweight powers again, the pedals came lose without issues, as if they never were stuck in the first place. A lot of people get nervous when someone mentions the words WD40 and bicycle in the same sentence, but it turns out that it has it's uses.
Electric/pneumatic impact drivers can be really useful in situations where bolts are simply not looking like they're going to budge - not with the wrench type of pedal fixings, but they'd be useful with the Allen key types. Much less likely to round-out the bolts than hanging off them. If you don't want to buy one then asking your local friendly car mechanic has worked out for me in the past.
Well sunshine, I've used them, many times. Mostly on motorcycles admittedly. They're brilliant! They release bolts generally with ease that all kinds of other methods (breaker bars, etc) fail with. Just maybe that's why professional mechanics use them. I wasn't suggesting you use them in the first instance - only for very stubborn bolts.
It's what I've used, at their lowest setting, very, very briefly, just a blip really, and so far only on cranks and cassettes that have been on a while and won't come off manually. Penetrating oil helps too.
I always periodically remove my pedals then clean and grease the threads. I use marine (calcium) grease here especially because of its high viscosity and water resistance. Even when done really tight they undo easily enough whilst still on the bike. I also use a wooden block to rest the opposite crank arm on - it's tall enough that most bikes bb sits just above and therefore leaves the cranks at 3 and 9 o'clock position.
One of best investments for home shop I made was to get the longer shop quality Park Tool pedal wrench. Always accompany the wrench when a friend wants to use. Second is Marine grease on the threads, never anti-seize.
@gcntech an easy way to figure out which way tightens and loosens threads is to take an open hand and curl your fingers (not thumb)… if you turn your tool the direction of your fingers, you’ll drive the thread the direction of your thumb. Left side of bike use left hand, right side use right hand. Most threads are right-hand threads so this cheat works in many circumstances (if you don’t know if you’re tightening or loosening a bolt, screw, nut, etc.). Easy… not need to remember clockwise or anti clockwise….
I always remove the crank arm from the bike before trying to remove the pedal. After that usually no problem. Put the crank arm in a vice if necessary (cover the jaws with leather or cloth). Always grease the threads before putting an new pedal on.
When I was young 16 and impatient forcing a Campag pedal into a French TA crank seemed the right thing to do.:). Most of those cranks fractured on rides a few Months later.
For thread direction, I just remember that threaded bottom brackets are tight asses. They tighten towards the ass end of the bike. Pedals are the reverse.
I have not had this problem for decades and here are the steps to eliminate it for yourself, without removing the cranks and having to strong-arm the bolts out. Step 1 - put anti-seize on the threads when you install the cranks, Step 2 - buy a butterfly impact wrench and the allen socket that fits the pedal bolt. They normally don't need a lot of torque applied, they need the small sharp impacts provided by a butterfly impact wrench. No need to ever take the crank arms off the bike!
You removed the cranks from the bike?! It might (probably) cook your BB or just the grease inside. Both outcome are no bueno, you either turn it or drill it if you leave it on.
I usually try some penetrating oil before heat, and a few gentle taps with a mallet can be useful though percussive persuasion does carry risk of damage just like a torch or disassembly can.
I use a pedal spanner with a long tube (I use the leg of a bike stand) slipped over it so as to create a really long lever. This also has the advantage of moving my hand movement beyond the arc that would make contact with the chain rings 🙂
Iv had to sacrifice pedal axles, grinded them down to fit a wrench on it because the hex tool didn't feel secure enough had I kept applying force it likely would've stripped. So by have the two points of torque on both sides it still took a ton of torque but it worked. It also helps to secure the cranks so you can use two hands. In the end I just needed to buy new axles for the pedals
Grease them before installation. Don't put them on King Kong tight, because riding snugs them up anyway. And, most importantly, remember -- the wrench goes towards the front of the bike to install a pedal, backwards to remove one.
I had two very stuck Aluminium pedals on vintage Stronglight cranks (40 years!). Force didn't work. So I applied WD40 to the threads and left for a few hours. They came off sweet as a nut after that!
one time i just figured out that i was trying to undo them in the wrong direction 😅 for me the best way to figure out how to und them is that when pedalling the essentially tighten into the thread and the other way is to loosen them
To increase leverage on most tools - simply take a section of metal pipe and slide the tool handle inside. With a longer pipe length over the handle, you significantly increase the amount of force applied. Archimedes - Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.
Its the one torque valve I don't follow, and since I'm peddling in the direction to tighten, like you Alex I go with hand tight plus a dab of molybdenum aka never-seize.
Had this happen to me recently - I’d had a warranty swap on the motor for my eBike done a few months ago at an LBS. All good. Then one of my pedals started getting graunchy so I thought I’d whip it off and fettle the bearings. But no way I could remove the pedals. Then spotted a label on the back of the cranks “left”. Sadly it was on the side of the bike more commonly called “right”. The LBS had put them back on the wrong way around.
When I upgraded my Look Keo pedals to Garmin Rally, I needed multiple tools, penetrating oil and a blow torch to be able to remove the pedals from my cranks.
Oh wow, this is very timely for me. I recently got a brand new touring/MTB pedal stuck on my main road bike cranks. Quite literally impossible to remove. I’ve had to temporarily install an old 10 spd SRAM Red crankset on my Di2 drivetrain and by some miracle it works just fine but it’s a 53/39 which is a complete nightmare for all the climbing I’ve been doing! I’ll watch the video when I’m back home but I predict it won’t offer any help. Either way, I now have a bike with a perfect mix of campy (wheels/hubs), shimano, SRAM and a KMC chain. Quite the Frankenbike.
I believe some combinations of pedal spindle material react with the aluminium crank material, making them partially seized, even when only lightly tightened previously. It is NOT always caused by people turning the wrong way to remove and in the process over tightening. I also had SPD pedals that would become unbelievably tight in the crank arm of one of my bikes, even after only being lightly previous tightened🤷♂️. As I used to have to often take the pedals off this bike, I tried multiple ideas and always the same result, only lightly tightening these pedals then would be unbelievably stuck when tried to remove, it got so bad, that I took a hex bit and racket with me on and often had to take the crank off the bike. With this particular combination I used to often put the crank arm in a vice and use the hex bit and racket. Since breaking that bike, I have never had this situation occur on any of my other bikes.
@@johnnewington6635 the handedness of the thread is designed to tighten under precession rather than loosen. I’m not sure why it’s so dramatic in this case though! Maybe poor tolerances?
@@billeterk My understanding It’s a material difference issue between the steel pedal spindle and aluminium crank arm, not the precession effect of pedalling continuously tightening the fixing. Although some very small movement in the thread interface with repeated pedal forces being applied, may be resulting in some gauling effect to the thread, causing it to partially seize. I do recall that there was never any slow release of the torque when undoing, they were very solidly seized in place, but once cracked were finger tight. With a crank arm held securely in the vice and using an racket, it is possible to feel/check for any slow loss of torque when undoing,
Been there, got the t shirt n everything. Take the crank off for sure, destroy the pedals before the crank if a spanner doesnt work. Grind flats (angle grinder 😩) on to the pedal shaft if youve had to cut the pedal off. Insert flats into bench vice and turn. A vice will always get them off and always last resort. Never try drilling pedal off, it will destroy the crank thread and you’ll be well fed up. Once you have this happen to you, you will always grease and re grease the crap out of 7:14 pedal threads
The pedal was inserted wrongly, got stuc. Then I broke the key using an extension bar while jumping on and it didn't mouve an inch. Finally I used some penetrating oils, let it sit overnight and used a pipe wrench and it came of on the second jump. Rethreaded the crank and now new pedals are working just fine. Never thought 20$ pedals would break a 30$ tool. Lessons learned, always grease your threads before installing something new
Everyone needs to know the joy of slicing open your hands on a dirty chain ring. Leave the crank arms on the bike. I'm joking of course. Good tip there in taking the crank arms off. It would be a good follow up video to show the less inclined how to do it with the assembly on the bike.
Pedals don't need to be tight, reverse thread means they will wind on not off with pedalling motion. Put them in by jand and use a spanner to just pinch them tight. And don't forget to grease the thread.
If its a spanner job its easy. Move pedal to 2-3 oclock, Ball of the foot on pedal, heel of foot on spanner (nothing can move at this point), then push heel down
This is unbelievable , clamping crank in a vice (making sure to protect crank) is a go to method by all decent mechanics yet not mentioned here , worst of it is there's a vice visible in shot , we must be getting trolled here.
@@paddymurphy-oconnor8255 you haven't read the comment properly , the comment states "making sure to protect crank" and "is a go to method used by all decent mechanics".
Agreed , you get rubber vice inserts to put in your vice jaws when hoping to protect an item,plus you could tape the crank to protect it,or wrap in a cloth,and only tighten vice just enough/snug.
@@klarkolofsson it's an aluminium frame! It's not mine. It's a known issue with carbon and aluminum, they fuse chemically, my mate didn't use any carbon paste! Not a problem if you want to keep the bike but no good if you want to sell it. 😂😂
Cut off seatpost then make a slot all the way down with a hacksaw blade only,make some sort of handle or wrap tape around for a handle,once slot is complete remainder of post will fold in/collapse,giving up its hold. I've done this a few times,time consuming but it works.
I just step on the pedal while in the forward position and pull up on a long hex wrench, but stop immediately when it break loose as not to damage the threads.
Back off, I said BACK OFF !...... that's what I say to myself when I'm removing the pedals with cranks on the bike, turn the spanner /Allen key towards the back of the bike 😁
Question: is it better to use anti-seize or grease on pedal threads? Like you, Alex, I switch pedals between bikes quite a bit (because my pedals are power pedals), so it’s unlikely I will ever see seized pedals on my road bicycles, but I do have two bicycles that have flat pedals, and I never take them off.
Used marine grease an through in a tiny bit of copper anisieze for good measure. The grease helps achieve a reliable torque setting and seals the thread. The tinny bit of anisieze goes a long way in preventing corrosion. My winter commuters pedals have been on for decades....they will come off without a struggle. I'm 💯 confident. Many lithium based greases don't hold up to salt water so a dab of anisieze will help. The calcium sulfate greases (Dura Ace , Motorex) are for salt water and generally hold up on their own , but the dab of copper doesn't hurt. A very good idea for threaded bottom brackets too.
Tried using the GCN uploader, The form Submit Your Content is no longer accepting responses. Try contacting the owner of the form if you think this is a mistake. Does this mean the uploader does not work?
Pro tip: (my) ratchet torque wrenches dont work for the drive side crank, which is how my pedals get stuck. i.e. I tighten until I hear a click, however it does not measure torque for anticlockwise threading, so no click and and over tightened pedal
The only time I was faced with a stuck pedal was on a kid bike who had a long life sitting outside in the rain. I drilled it to find out the threads in the cranks where so bonded by rust that it's all there was, rust.
One of my customers suffered from this when he let his bike be worked on by a mechanic back in his hometown. Because of this, his left pedal is stuck in there and there are a few cracks surrounding the hex interface. Destroying the pedal spindle is the only way to remove it.
Just to mention the reason why the left hand pedal uses a "reverse" thread. If it were a "normal" thread then the natural pedaling action would have a tendency to loosen the pedal and it might fall out, so both side have a thread direction than tends to tighten the pedals
@@Local.hero.1983 correct,but in turn bearings then rotate in opposite direction so although this commenter has a clumsy way of putting it he's kinda right,just that it's bearing rotation that's the issue,not pedal rotation.
@@2nd.2nd.2nd yes it's bearing rotation , just like bsa threaded bb , you'd think both sides are threaded in a way the cranks turning would loosen em but bearings are in turn turning in the direction that can only be tightening them.
Some form of grease, don’t overthink it. Tighten snug with a short allen key. Remove pedals every 6 months or so, clean and lubricate the threads. Always make sure to thread them in correctly, not just straight but be aware of left and right threads. Almost all pedals are marked with their designated place: L & R.
I've been using plumbers teflon tape as antisieze for years - never had a problem. This is a good video BUT 9 times out of 10 the reason I am removing my pedals is to put into a box at a station or airport, you can't really go to the trouble of removing the cranks.
I wouldn't use anything hotter than a heat gun on anything having to do with a bicycle. I'd much sooner apply some penetrating oil then reach for an impact wrench or driver and use it at its lowest setting with a brief blip or two, dead on, with quality hex sockets. Even on pedals without hex hollows you can get a crow's foot adapter of the right size and use that on an impact tool. This way you don't have to remove the cranks, which on some bikes is pretty involved and risks ruining the threads. But none of this should be necessary, except maybe the oil, with a long enough wrench, breaker bar and cheater pipe.
The use of a hide mallet or similar to hit the wrench does in most cases shock the component to loosen it. Be careful to get everything stable before resorting to this method as hammer rash is not nice to have especially on your thumbs 😳
Does anyone know how to install a threaded sleeve insert on a pedal to screw it into a drilled and rethreaded crank? The metal is thin, soft, and bendy so I seemingly can't grip it with the force necessary to screw it on. Should I just discard the whole crankset?
I've been cycling for about 10 years and will admit I've never pulled a crank or BB... I'm too afraid I'll mess something up and never get it torqued correctly again lol
Heating the pedal/crank interface loosens it because the thermal coefficient of expansion for aluminum is greater than that of steel. The crank expands more than the axle of the pedal, loosening the pedal. Back in the day I had to rebuild the head of my cars engine because a number of tappets were jammed. Took head off stripped it down, but three of the tappets were stuck. Tried everything I knew. What I ended up doing as instructed by my employers engineer was. 1 Clean the head thoroughly in degreaser and wrap in tin foil and place in a baking tin. 2 Set oven to 200 deg C and place head in it for one hour. 3 Remove from oven and take the tappets out. Needless to say they just fell out when I turned the head over.
You can get almost the same leverage with the crank on the bike. Position the arms and tool just like shown here on the bench and with someone to hold the bike, you could even stand on the tool. An impact wrench is always better at removing bolts than a steady pull and almost no need to hold against it. I had a stuck crankbox and I removed it with my 12 volt wheelspanner from the car, that works kind of like a real impact wrench
Alternatively keep pedals attached to bike and use your head to hit the frame or other parts hard enough to shock the threads into releasing as the tool slips! Didn't Si do this in recent months???😂😂😂
How do you remove stuck pedals? 🧑🔧🔧
Since I barely could losen the pedals from Tune Bigfoot square taper cranks 12 years ago, I always use plenty of grease on the pedal thread to prevent this. Now, I have Campagnolo Carbon square taper cranks on all bikes, and stuck pedals would for sure losen the golden anodized alloy insert for the pedals.
3/8" drive cordless impact with the appropriate hex bit
I use the clamp on my park work stand as a vice to grip the crank arm just pinch tight. I have a scar on my hand from trying to do it on the bike.
WD40, sweat and swearing
hacksaw
Why are you doing all the effort, Alex? Just grab a new dura ace crank that you have lying around.
All the cranksets in the world, but just that one set of pedals. 😁
😂
@@DamnMyNickIsTaken Channels Bogart "Of all the cranksets on all the bikes in the world, you have to screw your pedal into mine..."
I'm watching this video because I've been watching most of GCN content since before the GCN App existed and it helps me relax and unwind 😄
So important to avoid high impact while the cranks are on the bike, to prevent damage to the bottom bracket bearings. If you have to leave them on, support the crank arm so the force is only applied to the pedal axle.
The "wrapping an old butyl tube around the tool and the crank" method worked wonders.
I guess no one uses butyl tubes anymore 😢.
similar principle can be used to open jars where the lid is too slippery to get a good grip on, put an elastic band around it and it works a treat
I have used a sharp blow using a rubber mallet on the wrench or hex key handle. This provides a high torque over a very short duration that can free the pedal.
& can round out your hex in no time flat.
Good comment.
Best way. Love taps with a rubber mallet. Now control arms and what not on automotive vehicles sometimes require finding a specific tapping pattern/frequency with a steel hamme🎉r.
Simple method for pedals; put the spanner on so the handle it pointing towards the back of the bike and push down to remove the pedal. It's the same for both sides of the bike.
I ruined a wrench trying to remove stuck pedals on an old bike. I put the wrench on, stood on it with my mighty 100kg of blubber and the wrench bent open, slid off and I got droppend onto the floor.
Different approach next time. I got a new pedal wrench, a beefy one with a long handle and, more importantly, a small can of good old WD40. I sprayed WD40 liberally on the outside of the threads connecting pedals and crank from both sides and let it sit for a few hours.
When I came back to use the heft of my overweight powers again, the pedals came lose without issues, as if they never were stuck in the first place.
A lot of people get nervous when someone mentions the words WD40 and bicycle in the same sentence, but it turns out that it has it's uses.
Electric/pneumatic impact drivers can be really useful in situations where bolts are simply not looking like they're going to budge - not with the wrench type of pedal fixings, but they'd be useful with the Allen key types. Much less likely to round-out the bolts than hanging off them. If you don't want to buy one then asking your local friendly car mechanic has worked out for me in the past.
I'm sorry, which parallel universe are you living in?
Well sunshine, I've used them, many times. Mostly on motorcycles admittedly. They're brilliant! They release bolts generally with ease that all kinds of other methods (breaker bars, etc) fail with. Just maybe that's why professional mechanics use them. I wasn't suggesting you use them in the first instance - only for very stubborn bolts.
@@zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat6589 What an offensive and pointless comment.
It's what I've used, at their lowest setting, very, very briefly, just a blip really, and so far only on cranks and cassettes that have been on a while and won't come off manually. Penetrating oil helps too.
I always periodically remove my pedals then clean and grease the threads. I use marine (calcium) grease here especially because of its high viscosity and water resistance. Even when done really tight they undo easily enough whilst still on the bike. I also use a wooden block to rest the opposite crank arm on - it's tall enough that most bikes bb sits just above and therefore leaves the cranks at 3 and 9 o'clock position.
One of best investments for home shop I made was to get the longer shop quality Park Tool pedal wrench. Always accompany the wrench when a friend wants to use. Second is Marine grease on the threads, never anti-seize.
I like its girthy round handle and length. Doubles as a very big 15 mm wrench too. XD (I once had to remove a fixed-axle wheel's 15 mm nuts with it)
On the rare occasion my pedals defeat my normal socket wrench, than a hex socket on the end of a 2ft breaker bar works without fail! 💪😎
@gcntech an easy way to figure out which way tightens and loosens threads is to take an open hand and curl your fingers (not thumb)… if you turn your tool the direction of your fingers, you’ll drive the thread the direction of your thumb. Left side of bike use left hand, right side use right hand. Most threads are right-hand threads so this cheat works in many circumstances (if you don’t know if you’re tightening or loosening a bolt, screw, nut, etc.). Easy… not need to remember clockwise or anti clockwise….
I use a thin washer between the pedal and the crank arm.
That's what they're for, pedal washers, if you don't use them you're asking for it 😅
I always remove the crank arm from the bike before trying to remove the pedal. After that usually no problem. Put the crank arm in a vice if necessary (cover the jaws with leather or cloth). Always grease the threads before putting an new pedal on.
Good Info, never thought about pulling the crank off.
that's what she said 🤣🤣
@@bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling 😅
When I was young 16 and impatient forcing a Campag pedal into a French TA crank seemed the right thing to do.:). Most of those cranks fractured on rides a few Months later.
You could also try penentrating oil and letting it soak into the threads, before trying to unscrew it
For thread direction, I just remember that threaded bottom brackets are tight asses. They tighten towards the ass end of the bike. Pedals are the reverse.
I have not had this problem for decades and here are the steps to eliminate it for yourself, without removing the cranks and having to strong-arm the bolts out. Step 1 - put anti-seize on the threads when you install the cranks, Step 2 - buy a butterfly impact wrench and the allen socket that fits the pedal bolt. They normally don't need a lot of torque applied, they need the small sharp impacts provided by a butterfly impact wrench. No need to ever take the crank arms off the bike!
I always apply a bead of Phil wood grease to any threads before mounting.
Ended up using a blowtorch on the cranks to heat it up , came off good as gold
You removed the cranks from the bike?! It might (probably) cook your BB or just the grease inside. Both outcome are no bueno, you either turn it or drill it if you leave it on.
@@LaurentiusTriarius no it worked fine isolated from the from applied heat from the furthest point it's litterely 5 seconds and its done
I usually try some penetrating oil before heat, and a few gentle taps with a mallet can be useful though percussive persuasion does carry risk of damage just like a torch or disassembly can.
I use a pedal spanner with a long tube (I use the leg of a bike stand) slipped over it so as to create a really long lever. This also has the advantage of moving my hand movement beyond the arc that would make contact with the chain rings 🙂
Iv had to sacrifice pedal axles, grinded them down to fit a wrench on it because the hex tool didn't feel secure enough had I kept applying force it likely would've stripped. So by have the two points of torque on both sides it still took a ton of torque but it worked. It also helps to secure the cranks so you can use two hands. In the end I just needed to buy new axles for the pedals
anti-seize is your friend when you install your pedals
Yep - a bit of copper grease on most of the threads on your bike does wonders.
Or just plain old grease, at about ¼ the price.
Anti-seize is important when screwing 2 different types of metal together, aluminum crank and steel pedals.
Please drop the stock footage.
Indeed, it’s not thematic to GCN’s content.
Get your hand off it feller. Who cares about your smartarse opinion.
@frostsmoke true this! I'm sure Ollie could've done a better job acting 😃
@@imilic8 LOL true
Grease them before installation.
Don't put them on King Kong tight, because riding snugs them up anyway.
And, most importantly, remember -- the wrench goes towards the front of the bike to install a pedal, backwards to remove one.
when viewed from above and pushing down, correct?
@@ericpmossand which side inside it outside?
@@ericpmossYes
@@timtaylor9590It’s the same way of rotation.
@@ericpmoss Good point. And you are 100% correct. Forward for fitting. Backwards to take them off.
Steel pedal axle and aluminum crank, you should use anti-seize compound not grease when reinstalling the pedals.
I had two very stuck Aluminium pedals on vintage Stronglight cranks (40 years!). Force didn't work. So I applied WD40 to the threads and left for a few hours. They came off sweet as a nut after that!
Good information !
Park also makes some nice 6&8 mm hex pedal spinners with a molded rubber handle :)
Actually a great video. I had no idea.
Could you do one on stuck seat post please?
Dave K "The Yorkshire Bike Mechanic" is your man here. Alex isn't really fit to tie his shoelaces. ua-cam.com/video/Fki0uldM49k/v-deo.html
one time i just figured out that i was trying to undo them in the wrong direction 😅
for me the best way to figure out how to und them is that when pedalling the essentially tighten into the thread and the other way is to loosen them
To increase leverage on most tools - simply take a section of metal pipe and slide the tool handle inside. With a longer pipe length over the handle, you significantly increase the amount of force applied.
Archimedes - Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.
I came here to write just this. It’s amazingly effective.
4:23 it's probably a good idea to put the chain ring bolt back in to avoid ovalizing the hole in your crank arm for the chainring bolt!
Its the one torque valve I don't follow, and since I'm peddling in the direction to tighten, like you Alex I go with hand tight plus a dab of molybdenum aka never-seize.
Or like 5nm hand tight seems sketchy.
Had this happen to me recently - I’d had a warranty swap on the motor for my eBike done a few months ago at an LBS. All good. Then one of my pedals started getting graunchy so I thought I’d whip it off and fettle the bearings. But no way I could remove the pedals. Then spotted a label on the back of the cranks “left”. Sadly it was on the side of the bike more commonly called “right”. The LBS had put them back on the wrong way around.
Just put a little Phil Wood on the threads before installation. Havent had a problem in 34 years.
Just did that today while installing a new set of SPD-SL (PD-R7000).
I use a 20volt impact driver using the correct allen key....always work for me....
When I upgraded my Look Keo pedals to Garmin Rally, I needed multiple tools, penetrating oil and a blow torch to be able to remove the pedals from my cranks.
I tighten only finger tight as they tighten naturally with rotation. This and a bit of grease and I've had no problems for decades.
what does "karate monkey" refer to? (poster showing above the tool rack)
Clamping the crank into a bike stand can also provide extra leverage
All the pedals on my bikes, have wrench flats. I leave the crank arms on the bike and grab the opposite arm to keep it from moving.
5:30 apply cold on the pedal axle instead
Oh wow, this is very timely for me. I recently got a brand new touring/MTB pedal stuck on my main road bike cranks. Quite literally impossible to remove. I’ve had to temporarily install an old 10 spd SRAM Red crankset on my Di2 drivetrain and by some miracle it works just fine but it’s a 53/39 which is a complete nightmare for all the climbing I’ve been doing! I’ll watch the video when I’m back home but I predict it won’t offer any help. Either way, I now have a bike with a perfect mix of campy (wheels/hubs), shimano, SRAM and a KMC chain. Quite the Frankenbike.
I believe some combinations of pedal spindle material react with the aluminium crank material, making them partially seized, even when only lightly tightened previously.
It is NOT always caused by people turning the wrong way to remove and in the process over tightening.
I also had SPD pedals that would become unbelievably tight in the crank arm of one of my bikes, even after only being lightly previous tightened🤷♂️.
As I used to have to often take the pedals off this bike, I tried multiple ideas and always the same result, only lightly tightening these pedals then would be unbelievably stuck when tried to remove, it got so bad, that I took a hex bit and racket with me on and often had to take the crank off the bike. With this particular combination I used to often put the crank arm in a vice and use the hex bit and racket.
Since breaking that bike, I have never had this situation occur on any of my other bikes.
@@johnnewington6635 the handedness of the thread is designed to tighten under precession rather than loosen. I’m not sure why it’s so dramatic in this case though! Maybe poor tolerances?
@@billeterk My understanding It’s a material difference issue between the steel pedal spindle and aluminium crank arm, not the precession effect of pedalling continuously tightening the fixing.
Although some very small movement in the thread interface with repeated pedal forces being applied, may be resulting in some gauling effect to the thread, causing it to partially seize.
I do recall that there was never any slow release of the torque when undoing, they were very solidly seized in place, but once cracked were finger tight.
With a crank arm held securely in the vice and using an racket, it is possible to feel/check for any slow loss of torque when undoing,
@@johnnewington6635 interesting. Sounds like it would have been a good candidate for Park Tool ASC-1 or Silca Nickel Antiseize
What if removing the pedal damages the threads? Could you do a heli-coil demo?
Been there, got the t shirt n everything. Take the crank off for sure, destroy the pedals before the crank if a spanner doesnt work. Grind flats (angle grinder 😩) on to the pedal shaft if youve had to cut the pedal off. Insert flats into bench vice and turn. A vice will always get them off and always last resort. Never try drilling pedal off, it will destroy the crank thread and you’ll be well fed up. Once you have this happen to you, you will always grease and re grease the crap out of 7:14 pedal threads
The pedal was inserted wrongly, got stuc. Then I broke the key using an extension bar while jumping on and it didn't mouve an inch. Finally I used some penetrating oils, let it sit overnight and used a pipe wrench and it came of on the second jump. Rethreaded the crank and now new pedals are working just fine. Never thought 20$ pedals would break a 30$ tool. Lessons learned, always grease your threads before installing something new
Everyone needs to know the joy of slicing open your hands on a dirty chain ring. Leave the crank arms on the bike. I'm joking of course. Good tip there in taking the crank arms off. It would be a good follow up video to show the less inclined how to do it with the assembly on the bike.
Or put the chain in the big ring
Pedals don't need to be tight, reverse thread means they will wind on not off with pedalling motion. Put them in by jand and use a spanner to just pinch them tight. And don't forget to grease the thread.
If its a spanner job its easy. Move pedal to 2-3 oclock, Ball of the foot on pedal, heel of foot on spanner (nothing can move at this point), then push heel down
This is unbelievable , clamping crank in a vice (making sure to protect crank) is a go to method by all decent mechanics yet not mentioned here , worst of it is there's a vice visible in shot , we must be getting trolled here.
Risk of component damage?
@@paddymurphy-oconnor8255 you haven't read the comment properly , the comment states "making sure to protect crank" and "is a go to method used by all decent mechanics".
Agreed , you get rubber vice inserts to put in your vice jaws when hoping to protect an item,plus you could tape the crank to protect it,or wrap in a cloth,and only tighten vice just enough/snug.
And now a video of "removing a stuck carbon seat post please!" 😁👍
Don’t buy weird carbon frames with proprietary seat posts and clamps.
@@klarkolofsson it's an aluminium frame! It's not mine. It's a known issue with carbon and aluminum, they fuse chemically, my mate didn't use any carbon paste! Not a problem if you want to keep the bike but no good if you want to sell it. 😂😂
Cut off seatpost then make a slot all the way down with a hacksaw blade only,make some sort of handle or wrap tape around for a handle,once slot is complete remainder of post will fold in/collapse,giving up its hold. I've done this a few times,time consuming but it works.
I just step on the pedal while in the forward position and pull up on a long hex wrench, but stop immediately when it break loose as not to damage the threads.
Never Sease on the threads at installation.
Does this same technique work on Dura Ace cranks? Asking for a friend....
Just before a recent flight for a bikepacking trip i couldn't get the pedals off
Thankfully my local bike shop has stronger people than me
We forgot the advice to head to the nearest gym for help. 💪
@@gcntechor LBS?
i packed my bike to travel today, and was really afraid of the pedals being stuck as a mofo, but the came off really easily, anti-size for the win
Once a year remove the pedals, clean and lube the threads.
Bike on the floor, Allen key facing to the back on the bike, use your foot to push down on the Allen key, easy
Back off, I said BACK OFF !...... that's what I say to myself when I'm removing the pedals with cranks on the bike, turn the spanner /Allen key towards the back of the bike 😁
Question: is it better to use anti-seize or grease on pedal threads? Like you, Alex, I switch pedals between bikes quite a bit (because my pedals are power pedals), so it’s unlikely I will ever see seized pedals on my road bicycles, but I do have two bicycles that have flat pedals, and I never take them off.
Used marine grease an through in a tiny bit of copper anisieze for good measure. The grease helps achieve a reliable torque setting and seals the thread. The tinny bit of anisieze goes a long way in preventing corrosion. My winter commuters pedals have been on for decades....they will come off without a struggle. I'm 💯 confident. Many lithium based greases don't hold up to salt water so a dab of anisieze will help. The calcium sulfate greases (Dura Ace , Motorex) are for salt water and generally hold up on their own , but the dab of copper doesn't hurt. A very good idea for threaded bottom brackets too.
I personally use anti-seize compound as I feel they adhere to surfaces better (not so easy to wash off).
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Pro tip: (my) ratchet torque wrenches dont work for the drive side crank, which is how my pedals get stuck. i.e. I tighten until I hear a click, however it does not measure torque for anticlockwise threading, so no click and and over tightened pedal
Would a impact wrench work?
It could, although I never got to try it.
The only time I was faced with a stuck pedal was on a kid bike who had a long life sitting outside in the rain.
I drilled it to find out the threads in the cranks where so bonded by rust that it's all there was, rust.
Rounding out the pedals' hex slot is the worse fcking thing in bike maintenance!
One of my customers suffered from this when he let his bike be worked on by a mechanic back in his hometown. Because of this, his left pedal is stuck in there and there are a few cracks surrounding the hex interface.
Destroying the pedal spindle is the only way to remove it.
Just to mention the reason why the left hand pedal uses a "reverse" thread. If it were a "normal" thread then the natural pedaling action would have a tendency to loosen the pedal and it might fall out, so both side have a thread direction than tends to tighten the pedals
But the right pedal rotates anti-clockwise when turning hence would loosen , the left pedal turns turns clockwise while turning hence would loosen.
@@Local.hero.1983 correct,but in turn bearings then rotate in opposite direction so although this commenter has a clumsy way of putting it he's kinda right,just that it's bearing rotation that's the issue,not pedal rotation.
@@2nd.2nd.2nd yes it's bearing rotation , just like bsa threaded bb , you'd think both sides are threaded in a way the cranks turning would loosen em but bearings are in turn turning in the direction that can only be tightening them.
And how do I Stop it happening again?
Some form of grease, don’t overthink it. Tighten snug with a short allen key. Remove pedals every 6 months or so, clean and lubricate the threads. Always make sure to thread them in correctly, not just straight but be aware of left and right threads. Almost all pedals are marked with their designated place: L & R.
@@klarkolofsson thank you! I have titanium grease that hardens after application. Should I use that or normal grease that stays soft ?
@@Jens329Regular water-resistant grease or anti-seize compound.
I've been using plumbers teflon tape as antisieze for years - never had a problem. This is a good video BUT 9 times out of 10 the reason I am removing my pedals is to put into a box at a station or airport, you can't really go to the trouble of removing the cranks.
When I realised that the reverse thread moves towards the same end of the bike as the standard thread, that was a good day.
I wouldn't use anything hotter than a heat gun on anything having to do with a bicycle. I'd much sooner apply some penetrating oil then reach for an impact wrench or driver and use it at its lowest setting with a brief blip or two, dead on, with quality hex sockets. Even on pedals without hex hollows you can get a crow's foot adapter of the right size and use that on an impact tool. This way you don't have to remove the cranks, which on some bikes is pretty involved and risks ruining the threads. But none of this should be necessary, except maybe the oil, with a long enough wrench, breaker bar and cheater pipe.
The use of a hide mallet or similar to hit the wrench does in most cases shock the component to loosen it. Be careful to get everything stable before resorting to this method as hammer rash is not nice to have especially on your thumbs 😳
Does anyone know how to install a threaded sleeve insert on a pedal to screw it into a drilled and rethreaded crank? The metal is thin, soft, and bendy so I seemingly can't grip it with the force necessary to screw it on. Should I just discard the whole crankset?
Note! Pedals do not have to be tightened very much when installing them. A little goes a long way.
I've been cycling for about 10 years and will admit I've never pulled a crank or BB... I'm too afraid I'll mess something up and never get it torqued correctly again lol
Impact gun😉
There is no problem any more 🖖
@0:56 I watch this video because I watch every video that you put up. So sad ...
Long spanner and a whack with a 1.5 kg hammer. It's a bit hard on the spanner.
Or use penetrating oil/wd40 heat it up and use impact wrench
We all mess things up BADLY. We grunt and groan tightening rather than unscewing the pedals!
PB blaster and blind rage
😂
Yes, this is good stuff. As a previous off-road Jeeper, PB Blaster was a must in the tool kit.
Funny I've got one in the vice heatedwith a blow tourch and penetrating oil 🎉
Psst... Over here... Don't tell anyone I told you this but... Use an impact wrench. It's fine. It's easy and nothing bad will happen.
I always wear safety gloves when clicking the subscribe button.
Heating the pedal/crank interface loosens it because the thermal coefficient of expansion for aluminum is greater than that of steel. The crank expands more than the axle of the pedal, loosening the pedal.
Back in the day I had to rebuild the head of my cars engine because a number of tappets were jammed. Took head off stripped it down, but three of the tappets were stuck. Tried everything I knew.
What I ended up doing as instructed by my employers engineer was.
1 Clean the head thoroughly in degreaser and wrap in tin foil and place in a baking tin.
2 Set oven to 200 deg C and place head in it for one hour.
3 Remove from oven and take the tappets out.
Needless to say they just fell out when I turned the head over.
So basically you wrote what Alex said in the video, but with more words?
This is what happens when a cyclist completely ignores working their upper body out 💪💪💪
I've got self-extracting cranksets to help with that. 🤣
Muscle is heavy bro, ruins marginal gainz🤣
I have a helicoil installed in the crank and the pedal seized to it
It's very clever but between you and me i'll not remove my crank each time i'll change the pedals...
Anti-seize is important when screwing 2 different types of metal together, aluminum crank and steel pedals. ua-cam.com/video/WI9XlNOsJf4/v-deo.html
Carefully spray WD40 into the pedal threads and leave for 15min. It then makes it a lot easier to remove the pedals
You can get almost the same leverage with the crank on the bike. Position the arms and tool just like shown here on the bench and with someone to hold the bike, you could even stand on the tool.
An impact wrench is always better at removing bolts than a steady pull and almost no need to hold against it.
I had a stuck crankbox and I removed it with my 12 volt wheelspanner from the car, that works kind of like a real impact wrench
Why not clamp the bike little higher position on bike stand and do it? 🤔
Alternatively keep pedals attached to bike and use your head to hit the frame or other parts hard enough to shock the threads into releasing as the tool slips! Didn't Si do this in recent months???😂😂😂
To stop it seizing again, copper grease is the best.
Remove the pedals while on the bike before packing it for a bike trip
The world isn’t ready to see my bike. *Uploader not working. Okay I’m going to cross thread some pedals now
WD-40
Always use a longer tool. (fnarr fnarr)