Seized on pedals

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I bought a new bike from a now defunct LBS. My first move was to change the pedals after about a week. In order to get them off I had to resort to a 4ft section of scaffolding pole to extend the spanner. When next in the shop I mentioned this problem and the owner showed me the spanner he used to fit new pedals. It was about a foot long and he said he used his full weight to tighten the pedals. Surprised he did not strip the threads using this method.

Crumbs - one's pedals don't need to be fitted anything like that tight. If his engineering skills on all the rest were like that I'm not surprised the LBS went defunct.

 

[boydj]

Pedals don't need to be done up very tight. The act of pedalling tends to tighten them anyway. I've got two sets of pedals that are switched around on three bikes and I do little more than get them finger tight and a little nip with the spanner.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Well new cranks I think These are well and truely stuck ! Brought home a long steel tube for extra leverage and they ain’t budging ! Onto eBay I go .

 

[Globalti]

They won't if you're turning them the wrong way. To undo, turn the spanner towards the back of the bike. Set the bike upright, set the spanner parallel to the forward-facing crank, put a foot on it and bounce. Never fails. Penetrating oil won't make a bit of difference until the spindle begins to move.

 

[MrGrumpy]

nope turning the right way ! even with a big extension tube !

 

[ColinJ]

If you are going to replace everything anyway then you might as well keep ramping up the force until something finally gives or breaks!

I had a similar problem getting a corroded lockring off a rear hub. I broke my chainwhip several times and then a tooth off the worn cassette, but I finally managed to get it off.

 

[Tom B]

Plusgas is the best penetrating lube IMHO.

Try tightening first just to break the corrosion. Grandad taught me that on ancient tractors and still works fore today.

Put them the freezer overnight then plunge into boiling water.

More swearing.

 

[silva]

Pedals don't need to be done up very tight. The act of pedalling tends to tighten them anyway. I've got two sets of pedals that are switched around on three bikes and I do little more than get them finger tight and a little nip with the spanner.

It's 2 weeks ago that a dealer told me that pedals should be tightened with sufficient force and that one I mounted losened too easy, this related to a crank break around the pedal hole.

 

[CXRAndy]

Lots of copper grease and just nip the pedal onto crankarm

 

[DaveReading]

Plusgas is the best penetrating lube IMHO.

Try tightening first just to break the corrosion. Grandad taught me that on ancient tractors and still works fore today.

Put them the freezer overnight then plunge into boiling water.

More swearing.

+1 for PlusGas (see what I did there?)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's still around when I bought some a year or two ago.

The last time I used it must be 45-odd years ago, when it was in every aircraft maintenance engineer's toolchest, probably still is.

 

[Electric_Andy]

+3 for PlusGas. But Toolstation do a very good (cheap) penetrating oil too. I would be inclined to keep going, when it finally gives you can gently undo, do up a bit, undo, do up a bit, squirting liberally with PlusGas in between each turn. You can sometimes save the threads that way

 

[Tom B]

+1 for PlusGas (see what I did there?)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's still around when I bought some a year or two ago.

The last time I used it must be 45-odd years ago, when it was in every aircraft maintenance engineer's toolchest, probably still is.

I've got a 1Ltr can that must be getting on for 30yrs old and is about half full and a squirty can that must be 15-20yrs old that I bought in an attempt to loosen a snapped glow plug in a 1998 Corsa. Then used in stripping the cylinder head when the glow plug refused to budge.

I tend to pour out the can into the cap soak in the cap if small enough or paint on with a brush and pour back in what I don't use.

Used it last week to paint onto a coolant hose rotten clip on Mrs Bs car that I'm going to have change.

Plusgas has a feel unlike anything else. Local tool merchants sell it around here.

To bring this back sort of on topic another thing grandad always taught was to put a touch of copperslip on threads before nuts and anything that was critical with regards to coming undone had a shake washer, quality nylok or more usually in his agricultural world a second locknut. A tin of copper slip will last a lifetime!

Another tip was soap on woodscrews.

 

[raleighnut]

Another tip was soap on woodscrews

Candle Wax is better.

 

[Tom B]

Candle Wax is better.

Nah that's for repairing your boots, wellies or tent / shed / tractor roof.

 

[MrGrumpy]

PLusgas not touching it !! Will have another bash over the weekend !