How To Remove Stuck Or Seized Bike Pedals | Maintenance Monday
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ส.ค. 2024
- Removing bike pedals can be an easy job, as long as you know the basics. But sometimes pedals can become stuck or seized, and it's in this instance that you need some extra steps! Ollie is here to give you his top tips for removing pedals that just won't budge.
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:25 - Make A Brew
0:39 - Tools You Need
1:16 - Thread Direction
3:00 - Lube
3:42 - Use The Floor
4:21 - Pedal Spanner
5:20 - Bonus Tips!
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Do you have any tips for removing stubborn pedals? Let us know in the comments! 👇
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Do you have any tips for removing stubborn pedals? Let us know in the comments! 👇
Don't be afraid to take the cranks off and put it in a vise or clamp it down in a way that will allow you to put more force on it without risking damaging the frame (or yourself) when putting a lot of power through it.
Just the same advice as others, put a pedal wrench on it and pedal as described in another answer. I can’t even explain how to do it. When you pedal forward, it tightens the pedal, so I just pedal the wrench backwards. Pedal pops right off.
You reverse it naturally by simply pedaling the bike. This is for old skool pedals that use the wrench. Not a super bike.
My Bike Friday is a travel bike and this is the best solution for easily getting it into a suitcase.
There comes a point when the proper tools just can't do the job. The pedals are so badly stuck the allen slot strips out, for example. In such case I have had to strip the guts off the pedal and take it down to the bare spindle, then grind flats onto the spindle and employ a large set of locking pliers and a pipe for leverage.
If you're using aluminium cranks, the steel threads of the pedal can fuse to them due to galvanic corrosion. This creates a tight bond which can be very difficult to break. If this is the case, heat, in the form of a small blow torch, or better, an air soldering iron, is the answer. Cracks the bond due to differential expansion of the two metals. Best avoided in the first place by putting a dab of copper grease on at assembly time.
My tip is go to your local bike shop.
Ollie, thank you so much for this informative video. I am a widow whose husband did all of my bike maintenance so I really appreciate how you broke everything down for the mechanically challenged, namely me. I removed and installed new pedals, which for me is a big deal. I especially appreciated the advice of stepping on the stubborn pedal to help leverage it as I am a typical cyclist and have no upper body strength. Thanks again.
Really simple approach is to use a spanner pushed down by your heel, when your forefoot is pushing to the pedal. Works 100% of time, no scratches, bruises. You don't even have to determine thread direction. (Just keep the crankarm leveled and pointing frontwards, spanner slightly raised, pointing backwards from the pedal axle)
This is the best way I've ever heard to remember that the left is the one reverse-threaded! Never heard of this before and have been in the game for decades.
I found this last year when I traveled home with my Bike Friday. It was perfection. I have less bicep than Alex or Ollie. I was not moving that pedal otherwise.
Yup
No offense to Doc Ollie but I tried your approach @ondrejkubo with screwdriver bits and an adjustable wrench and VOILA! The pedals came off! I almost had to go get sutures yesterday when I used an impact drill (I know...I was desperate) and it threw my hand into the chainring, so I was running really low on options.
Fantastic and simple to remember method, had both of my peddles off within a minute - thank you so much!
You are the BEST! OLLIE. 8PM on a Friday night I was packing my bike up, and couldn’t get the pedals off. YOU CAME TO THE RESCUE! With this video. Great idea to be standing over the bike and lifting up. I want to buy a GCN cup NOW!
Top tip is to always put the chain on the big chainring before attempting to undo a pedal. That way if the Allen key/wrench slips or gives way suddenly you only end up with bruises from giving the chain a fair whack. The alternative is slicing you hand open and likely requiring stitches, as chainring teeth are very sharp.
Great point! (pun definitely intended 😉)
@@gcntech Yeah, learned this lesson the hard way and donated a rather large amount of blood to the bike gods last night...
Did that a few years back, wasn't pretty.
I did that last night why I'm watching this again
Life saver, the "use the floor" method did the trick for me! Nearly spent 3 hours trying to take it off!
Worked for me too. Foot on pedal, push down with pedal wrench.
Great tips, my left side pedal was being really stubborn so I removed the crank arm, put it in my shop vice (I padded the vice jaws to prevent scratches) and used an allen wrench with a piece of metal tubing as an extension to get it broken loose. I found it to be easier to remove the crank arm than to struggle with an unstable pedal in an awkward spot. BTW, GCN has a great video on removing crank arms!
Thank you for this tutorial! An absolute godsend in removing Sppedplays that have happily been on the bike for over 10 years!!!!!!
Thank you so much for your tips.
My pedals were stuck and I was able to uninstall them only after watching your video.
Putting the bike on the floor and holding the pedal with my foot is what worked for me (as in minute 4:15).
Thanks.
You are so helpful! Use the floor method worked amazingly good
What Ollie did right was also to put the chain into the largest ring to protect your fingers as you’re applying a large force.
Learnt that lesson the hard way 🤦🏻♂️
Long-time watcher, first-time comment. Your channel has helped me do many times. I had a stuck pedal, and this helped me. Keep up the amazing work. Your biggest fan, Aaron
Perfect tutorial. Thumbed up.👍 Unfortunately I snapped an allen key wrench socket out of my brand new kit on my first attempt 🙄, but the lube made the world of difference. My new pedals are non-allen key and its staying that way !
Used several of these suggestions in succession... and finally got success 😂... cheers 🍻
Omg that trick to remember which way to turn the pedals 😍
I knew how they were threaded but I could never remember what way to turn
If you want more pedal tips, we just released a video about it today! Check it out here 👉 gcn.eu/7vP
@@gcntech what?!? 🤔
The stepping on the pedal while it was on the ground is what did the trick for me. Thanks for that
Simple. Point the crank arm forward. Put an Allen key into the pedal pointing forward. Put the end of the Allen key on something. Stamp on the pedal. No need to worry about thread direction. Works every time!
Lol you're tightening the bolt if the allen key is pointing foward.
@@JFomo no your not.
@@JFomo no because the Allen key is moving in the reverse direction relative to the crank arm
I've found it's good to lock up the rear brake with toe strap. Keeps things stable. Also, I think of it as "off the back" or "on the front" as far as wrench direction goes.
Hallelujah this was helpful. I used your suggestion of tieing my pedal to my frame [steel].
We had a set of look pedals where the drive side was cross threaded into a carbon FSA crank.
We had to destroy the pedal to remove the spindle. Removed the pedal and ground 2 parallel flat spots on the spindle so we could clamp it in a bench vise.
Even then it put up a massive fight until the last thread.
Ran a thread tap through it to clean up the threads and the crank is still going well.
It always amazes me that people will fight to force a cross-threaded shaft into place without immediately realizing something is wrong.
This video helped. I had assumed the left and right pedals loosened in the same direction. I had no idea that one loosened clockwise and the other, counter clockwise.
Thanks mate! I was tightening my one pedal when I meant to be loosening it! Thanks for the advice
Last time I had pedal stuck badly I used a long breaker bar with a socket. Worked like a charm!
Thanks you so much.... 4 minutes into the video YES !!! STAND the bike on the floor & stand on the pedal (or ask your missus nicely to do so) whilst using the Allen key WOW great tip.
helped a lot! thanks❤️
Brilliant! "The Floor" - thanks mate!!!
Great tips glad I watched
🚴🏽♂️ Thanks for the education! I did not know this prior! 🤭
saved me with the threading direction. Thanks!
So helpful mate, Thanx
great video! thanks!
Thanks for the tutorial
So helpful! Finally managed to get my old pedals off🙏🚲
Thanks. Great help for me👍👍
Thanks Ollie! You saved the day
WD-40, Foot on pedal, pull up. Worked for me...thank you
Great tip thanks Ollie!! Usually go to my neighbour for this…. He has the tools 😂
This help me. I liked and subbed.
Pretty good tips actually !
Great video. Finally managed to get my pedals off which were extremely seized up.
Thank you - sitting in bike, foot on pedal, and pushing down with pedal wrench worked! Do you have a link to the long Allen wrench that you used with the handle?
My pedals are very different but the key was the unusual thread direction that I did not know about. Applying force in the right direction worked for me.
Thanks really helped
When your foot is on the pedal (4:12) apply the brake on one wheel to stabilize the bike and get more leverage while you apply force to the pedal wrench. You can also do this standing by the side of the bike, putting the pedal wrench on the flats between the outer edge of your foot and the crank arm. Your shoe will keep the wrench on the flat while you push down, with the brake applied.
If your pedal is very hard to remove, it means that something is wrong. It could be that they were installed to tight, but more important is to check and replace the bearings. As you are riding, a pedal bearing that is binding under load will cause it to tighten on the crank. Be sure to apply grease to the threads when you re-install the pedals and do not over tighten.
Thanks mate you are the best❤❤
Dude, thank you so much
To remember which way to turn the wrench or hex key, my tip is that the right foot has its thread "right" way, the left pedal has a reverse thread.
Thanks for the other tips!
Nice tip, thanks Thomas!👍
Right is right!
looks like youre wrong based on this video tho, the right pedeal is reverse thread the left is standard
@@LainOTN dont do that your gonna strip ur pedals
@@timtaylor9590 actually not. The thread is right on the right. When you use the spanner you undo anticlockwise on the right and clockwise on the left. Now with the hex seems the other way around because you are at the other side of the screw. But right is right.
Thank you SO much for making this video! We could not get the pedals off my husband's Vado in order to ship it. Both sides seemed stuck and neither would come loose. Loved your explanation on how to remember which way to loosen. We tried the method of sitting on the bike with foot on pedal while using the Allen wrench, and voila! Worked like a charm on both pedals.
GCN Tech to the rescue -- AGAIN. Thanks Ollie, it has been so long since I've changed pedals I forgot that they loosen in different directions. Another tip that is helpful for real knuckleheads that insist on putting Loctite on everything with threads - I won't mention my friends name - is to use the right color! In this case it is BLUE. Thanks again.
I
Smash a adjustable wrench on it, then hit it with a hammer, but you was right. I was trying to do it up. Thank you
Thank u sooo much 🛠️
Avoid the problem in the first place: clean the threads when the pedals are off, then apply copper grease.
Copper grease (anti seize) is for applications where the joint experiences high temperature. Just grease is sufficient for pedals.
@@superjimnz True, but there's no problem with using anti-seize. Either work just fine and there's no advantage to using grease over anti-seize. It's not even much cheaper - you'd only be saving the tiniest fraction of a penny per application - so little that even a bike shop isn't going to notice the difference.
Pagid/Textar say copper is not good, use ceramic grease instead:
"There is a problem however, aluminium is very susceptible to an electrochemical reaction known as a galvanic corrosion when it comes into contact with copper in the presence of an electrolyte, even salty water will do!
We recommend Cera Tec. Cera Tec is a ceramic based anti-squeal lubricant designed specifically for braking systems. It is heat resistant (up to 1000°C), non-conductive, contains no solid constituents or metals and is approved for use on ABS equipped vehicles. It facilitates brake assembly and reduces brake squealing. It can also be used on compressors, axle bearings, seat tracks and sunroof guides."
Thanks
Im trying this on road bike’s pedals, but I also remembered that I should clean off and regressed the pedals on my old city bike too. Keep your pedal threads maintained and minimize the issue, my friends
My advice is don't bash your hand into the teeth on the chain ring and bleed over your bike.
Also if you wear padded cycling gloves then you will be able to put more force in without it hurting your hand so much.
Best tip missing here is to use an impact wrench. Obviously be careful you don't strip out your crank threads, but it amazes me that the impact wrench isn't a more accepted bike tool. I find it indispensable for removing pedals, cranks, threaded bottom brackets, and DT Swiss ratchet rings (driving their special tool).
Heat 🔥🔥🔥
Impact wrench is very helpful, and heat can do the trick to because the aluminum crank will expand more than the steel spindle, it will also help the lube penetrate better. It can also help a ton to remove the crank arm and rings and use a vise. Stripping the axle is a problem so being patient and taking precaution is paramount.
Can’t believe it but stepping on pedals worked like a charm for me 🎉🎉🎉
Damn i struggled with my left side pedal.... unknowingly makingnit tighter .... Ecen hammered fee times and gave up... Watch the 30 seconds and i realized my mostake. Thank you very much 🙏
Perfect I always forget this
The thread direction tip was the most useful for me in the whole video
Glad you found it useful, Alexandre!
@@gcntech really, I was always struggling to find the direction when removing pedals. Really good tip
@@gcntech again I came here to look for help find the direction for unscrewing pedals... and it worked!
I tried ALL NIGHT to get off my five-year-old’s pedals to teach her how to glide before teaching her how to ride without training wheels to no avail. Watched your video and within five minutes we were good to go. Thank you!
For some reason Campagnolo cranks have given me the worst problems with pedals seizing. I had a Chorus crank that the threaded insert built in the arm spun out and would not let go of the pedal. I ended up taking a rotary tool to it to save my pedals and have to buy a new crankset. But I've had pedals get very hard to remove in other Campag cranksets too so I made it a point to remove the pedals and regrease the threads on a regular basis.
LOL I used the old trick of putting the bike upside down on its seat, trying to avoid hitting the chain rings if I lost my grip. and then used a long breaker bar with a 8mm socket, I still got my automotive tools, (definitely need to invest in a bike stand one day) oh I also put some penetrating spray on the pedal bolts I swapped my plastic pedals for some nice black and red Rockbros aluminum pedals.
Even better than Dan Lloyd's pedal video! Cheers!
Can a high torque impact wrench be used? In pedals that have a hex female on the bolts end
Just one little note that pedal thread direction is unlooseing in the direction where the pedal is rotating compared to the crank arm. So the thread direction is to make sure not to over tighten itself. When you screw a pedal in it is always you rotate the crankset backwards, right?
Use Plusgas as a lubricant, it contains kerosene. Put a metal bar with a flattened end on the pedal spanner for more leverage. If you have an allen key fixing buy a breaker bar and a socket that will take an allen key bit.
If pushing down in the pedal spanner example doesn't work, it might be worth trying to gently tap the end of the handle with rubber mallet.
Bro, I was using typical screw directions and the whole time I was tightening the left pedal🤦 instead of loosening
Thx for this, was here last year too lol
Totally destroyed THREE 6mm BONDHUS Allen Keys, which are some of the strongest in the entire hardware industry. Looks like its time to get a whole new bike.
I’m on 8mm hex key #4.
Aluminum bike: one pedal stuck, the other came off. I had an old pedal with just the spindle, so I put it into the free pedal hole backwards so when the crank rotated backwards, the spindle would hit the bottom of the down tube. Padded it with a folded up towel. Allowed more shoving on the remaining stuck pedal. Important lesson - use more grease on threads!!
Foot on the pedal and pulling up worked well.
i got a crank with pedals stuck on it, steel axles dug in soft aluminum. i felt the allen key was gonna strip if i kept applying pressure, definitely wouldnt add a longer lever to strip it with less effort. the only way to get it off was to grind the spindle to get a wrench on it with the allen key, then with super human strength i got it. it definitely need both tools on it. the spindles were still good to use but i didnt like how they looked so i just replaced the spindles.
Take your pedals off once a month, clean the threads (both on pedal and in the crank), grease the threads very lightly, and replace the pdeals. That's the best way to make sure that you don't have stuck pedals on your bike. For other people's bikes with stuck pedals, honestly the best tip I know is to have a helper hold the bike steady so that you can use all your strength and leverage on the pedal wrench or Allen key instead of having to contort your body in strange ways to brace the bike.
Well... this explains a lot. I was turning it the wrong way. Didn't know the right pedal was reverse threaded.
Lubricate the threads when re-installing.
Does your body weight effect what frame you should buy? Im 17st so would carbon be ok or am i putting to much stress on it and aluminium/titanium be a better option?
Definitely. At 107 kg, you're pretty close to the general weight limit of most carbon frames. Wheels require more attention as well.
A good length of steel pipe has saved me a lot of overstrained back muscles - be it with bike pedals or when changing car tires.
Around a foot or so should be enough.
What's annoying is that some pedals use only the allen key method to screw pedal axle in/out! I'm looking at my ultegra carbon pedals and it would be so much easier to have the pedal axle with spanner flats to avoid wrecking the allen key hole! So much easier and you can apply better force!
Slipping a 2-foot long piece of pipe over the handle to get a lot more leverage is the key for me. A foot-long 15mm wrench just isn't long enough for me to apply enough force and I cannot ever get a pedal off just with that. But slipping a piece of pipe over the handle, the pedals pop free in a few seconds. Don't underestimate how much added force that long handle provides.
I've got cheater pipes and everything. It hasn't helped. I'll need heavier duty tips.
Story time, so this is a steel bike, really basic and cheap one, but i rescued it from abandonment. When i found it, the complete chain and derailleur were rusted shut, completely immobile; from this i conclude that it must have been abandoned for upwards of 3 years and likely much much more. The lock was rusted shut too. I tried to pick it, but even with WD40, there really wasn't any movemet happening there. I was making my way through the cable part of the cable lock with a saw, when a good looking young man came by and offered help, which i accepted. He came back 5 minutes later with largest bolt cutters and asked "are you sure this is your bicycle" and i just gave him the puppy eyes :D Anyway he made short work of that cable lock. That was 10 years ago now i think.
So you can imagine it's been a TON of work, lots of bits needed restored or replaced, lots and lots of rust everywhere. My current problem is that the bearings in the pedals are shot so they need to come off, and one is just holding on hard.
Oh also i don't weigh very much. That might be part of the problem.
Have a beer. Then, have another beer. That thing isn’t coming off. 😂
I'd suggest using a wrench, putting it parallel to the crank arm, and then tap a mallet on the wrench roughly where the bottom bracket is. Taps usually work seized screws just fine, and putting the force by the bottom bracket means no resulting torque.
Thank you , thank you ! I almost have damaged my bike doing impossible😀
Once I had extremly tight pedals.... I broke a big Gedore Spanner (15mm) trying to open it. In the end I had to change the whole crank set.... but how ever - this may be the better option- before demage the frame.....
I tried all these before watching the video but what I noticed in the garden when I did take a break to watch this was that I can get massive leverage with a parasol pole
Left hand pedal has a left hand thread. Easiest way to remember it.
Ultimately the important thing is to dismantle and regrease the pedal threads from time to time. Because whatever grease you use, if you leave it too long that electrolytic welding occurs. But we are lazy and find we have left it too long.
Today, I tried to remove a pedal I assembled about 8 years ago. I balanced in the air, one foot on the end of the pedal spanner, the other on the pedal, putting my whole body weight into it, and the pedal wouldn't move. That had been enough for the opposite pedal. So I wired a 4 foot lever to the pedal spanner, got a family member to stand on the pedal, and with the leverage the pedal spanner bent. It's a Campagnolo spanner made of much thicker steel than a Park Tools one. I doubt that pedal can come out without wrecking the thread in the crank. I did use suitable grease when originally assembling it, but it's too long ago.
Does it come with assembling?
That reminds me…must grease pedal threads haha
I do notice at times with tools some fit much better than others even if it's the same size and brand. Trying different tools for a good fit can prevent catastrophe
About the self tightening bit, actually I was wondering why the pedal self tightening when the pedal and crank arm turn in different direction, for right pedal, pedal rotates counterclockwise as you pedal, with the fixed-axis pedal spindle rotating clockwise. Turns out it's because the bearing inside reversed the torque
The bearing is an essential part of the system, but it's not what causes the torque reversal.
It's a bit difficult to explain in words, but any time you have a round shaft inserted into a hole (threaded or not) where the fit is slightly loose, then apply a rotating torque to the end of the shaft, it will slowly turn in the opposite direction. This is entirely due to friction, and the diameter difference between the shaft and hole.
For example, looking at the right-side crank from the right side of your bike, if you insert a pedal loosely and move the outer end of the pedal in a counter-clockwise circle (simulating what happens when you're pedaling and the cranks are turning clockwise), you will see there is a slow clockwise rotation of the pedal shaft. The torque available for that clockwise rotation can be very high. As this is dependent on friction, you can reduce the self-tightening torque by applying some grease and keeping threads clean of any dirt.
Liquid Wrench on a stuck pedal i was dealing with a for a few years. soaked for 10 minutes and welded steel bar to my spanner for more leverage. Broke loose with 2 pulls lol
What recommended torque for SPD SL road pedal?
15-20 Nm.
6:35 Did anyone else catch Ollie referencing moments? That’s deep physics nerdery! And I dig it.
He's not DR oliver bridgewiid for nothing!
@@gcntech psst. You’re having a moment. Non-physics.
@@gcntech indeed! But these are forces that you can observe with bare eyeballs. You can’t get a stuck pedal off with hydrogen bonds!
Me in the intro:
«Shut the F up and just Get to the point»
Me 30 min later:
«Okay, I need a coffee»
Impact driver. Mug of tea. Done.
my 20 year old pedals were stuck on my 20 year old bike. once i saw how you set up the geometry i felt like a fool, it broke loose with a little bit of tapping in the wrench
Came here looking for a quick easy answer but the solution was exactly what Ollie described. Use a larger lever 😂.