Pedals off

[captainhastings]

Struggling like hell to get the peddles off tonight bike is only a month old I am amazed how tight they are.
It is the defy 2 with allen keys on the peddle. When I am sat on it the problem is the one on the right the one on left came off in the end with me stamping on the allen key. The one on the right I am trying to unscrew back towards the rear wheel. But I cant seem to get a good pull with out the crank turning. Going to end up scratching the bike at this rate

 

[HLaB]

Are you remembering the left pedal has a wrong thread, you have screw it clockwise to loosen

Edit Oh you got it up I should have read the whole post first

Use a pedal spanner, preferably a long one it makes it easier.

 

[captainhastings]

Are you remembering the left pedal has a wrong thread, you have screw it clockwise to loosen

you mean left sat on the bike of face the front of it ?never mind duh I will read the big L and R stamped on them

yea left is off its the one on the right side where the gears are I am stuck on

 

[accountantpete]

You need a hollow bar to pop over the Allen key to get extra leverage.

 

[captainhastings]

You need a hollow bar to pop over the Allen key to get extra leverage.

Yea tried that all my keys seem to be cheap rubbish and just round off. Going to drag it into the bike shop when I get a minute which means I am going to be stuck with these narrow old peddles on saturday for the cc ride. I have a nice wide pair of peddles that I could use with my trainers that I planned to put on. Then after the cc ride I have a nice pair of clipless peddles and shoes to use but I didnt want to messing about with cleats during the the cc ride.
Or I migth just go with plan B and buy a decent spanner some where tomorrow
But never mind all good fun

 

[battered]

Usual mechanic's trick is to get a decent size spanner on it (15mm usually fits), get it nice and snug, with the slack taken out, then give it a sharp crack with a copper mallet or similar. Pedals don't need to be on tight, so you can refit them "just nipped" with a smear of coppergrease so they will come apart in future.

 

[captainhastings]

Usual mechanic's trick is to get a decent size spanner on it (15mm usually fits), get it nice and snug, with the slack taken out, then give it a sharp crack with a copper mallet or similar. Pedals don't need to be on tight, so you can refit them "just nipped" with a smear of coppergrease so they will come apart in future.

Thanks battered I plan to pick up a dam big 15mm today from some where

 

[rich p]

I find it easier to do and remember which way by having the pedals at 3 o'clock facing forwards and then from behind the pedal needs to be pushed downwards with your body weight if necessary. It works for both sides. Allen keys on the inside of the pedal are a pain.

 

[TheDoctor]

Don't get a 'damn big 15mm', get a pedal spanner. The extra length makes all the difference.
Where's Fnarr when we need him?

 

[theclaud]

Slightly OT, but it just occurred to me that I take pedals on and off rather a lot. Putting flat ones on to lend bikes to visitors, removing them to fit more bikes in the shed, toying with SPDs on the tourer every so often instead of SLs and then changing them back again - that kind of thing. Can one afford to treat pedals in this fashion, or should they essentially be seen as long-term fittings? Is it normal behaviour? Am I asking for knackered crank threads?

 

[TheDoctor]

I don't think you're running any risks, TC. As long as you don't cross-thread them or really welly them up, you should be fine swapping them every day if you want to.
I've got threaded things at work that get undone and done up once a week for years on end, and they still work fine.

 

[rich p]

Slightly OT, but it just occurred to me that I take pedals on and off rather a lot. Putting flat ones on to lend bikes to visitors, removing them to fit more bikes in the shed, toying with SPDs on the tourer every so often instead of SLs and then changing them back again - that kind of thing. Can one afford to treat pedals in this fashion, or should they essentially be seen as long-term fittings? Is it normal behaviour? Am I asking for knackered crank threads?

I do that all the time too. No problems yet but it would be nice if there was something easy to clip on to make flats. I did have some plastic plates that came with one bike, that did work for a while but the 'cleat' wore out after a couple of goes.

 

[HLaB]

Slightly OT, but it just occurred to me that I take pedals on and off rather a lot. Putting flat ones on to lend bikes to visitors, removing them to fit more bikes in the shed, toying with SPDs on the tourer every so often instead of SLs and then changing them back again - that kind of thing. Can one afford to treat pedals in this fashion, or should they essentially be seen as long-term fittings? Is it normal behaviour? Am I asking for knackered crank threads?

I can't see any harm in it, in fact perhaps it will have benefits taking them off more regularly (more cleaning, lubrication etc and less chance of seized pedals, which would be more damaging to the cranks)

 

[theclaud]

I do that all the time too. No problems yet but it would be nice if there was something easy to clip on to make flats. I did have some plastic plates that came with one bike, that did work for a while but the 'cleat' wore out after a couple of goes.

Now I'm really worried about whether it's normal behaviour...

 

[Crackle]

No harm to the bike, just the OCD to get under control. Rich has, apart from the twitch. With you on the touring bit though, not sure I want clips for touring, lujckily I've solved that by not doing a tour since I fitted them.