Whether you've just purchased a new bike, preparing your bike for a shipment, trying to replace your pedals or service them for a general maintenance, you need to know how to do it properly so we would like to discuss the correct procedure for installing and removing bike pedals.
The most common mistake beginners make when trying to put on pedals for the first time is trying to install the pedals without even identifying the right and left pedal. So firstly, you should begin your installation by identifying the right and left pedals. Look for “L” and “R” on pedals. Use “R” pedal for the right side and “L” pedal for the left side.
Some pedals don’t have marking “R” and “L” so you’ll have to look at the thread and identify each pedal. Left threaded pedals (threads sloping upward to the left) go to left crank. Right threaded pedals (threads sloping upward to the right) go to right crank.
After you identified your pedals, you should heavily grease threads of both pedals, especially for the first time on a new bicycle, and using fingers on wrench flats, thread right side pedal into right crank and left side pedal into left crank. If it won’t start, don’t force it! You’re probably trying to install the left pedal on the right side or vice versa.
It’s very easy to ruin the crank arm threads by forcing the wrong-side pedal in and here is why. Pedal axles are usually made of steel while the crank arms are usually aluminum, so there’s the possibility of the hard pedal threads stripping the soft aluminum ones during pedal installation if you use the wrong pedal. So make sure you identify and choose the appropriate pedal and don't force anything during the installation!
Another reason why you should be very careful with this is the way the pedals are designed. If you look at the way your pedals are threaded, you’ll notice two things: first, they’re opposite threaded, which means each pedal is tightened by turning it a different way (anticlockwise for the left pedal, clockwise for the right), and, second, both pedals tighten the same way you turn the cranks when pedalling.
Which means that pedalling the bike actually tightens the pedals even more, so there’s no need to tighten them up too much when installing. So usually just thread both pedals into the crank arms as far as you can by hand, tighten them enough so the thread goes all the way in, and then add another gentle push with a wrench to make sure they’re secure. That’s all you need.
When it comes to taking your pedals off, one big factor in how easy it’ll be is how long they’ve been installed for. Remember that the first part of successfully removing your pedals is installing them correctly! So if you've installed the pedals correctly, you will never have to worry or deal with your pedals being stuck!
Still sometimes, especially if your pedals have been on the bike for a long time without being removed, it can be a real struggle to get them off again so it’s a good idea to periodically remove the pedals, clean and grease them and reinstall again. So you may want to check on your pedals from time to time at least once a year and here is how to do it.
Most pedals have flat spots on the axle near the crank arm for the wrench to grip. If you don’t see any flats, your pedal probably requires an allen wrench, in which case, the hole for the tool will be in the end of the pedal axle, on the inside of the crank arm.
Here is a quick safety tip for you! If your bike has more than one chainring, before trying to loosen and remove the pedals, shift onto the large chainring. This ensures that if you slip when working on the pedals - this happen even to professional mechanics - you won’t slam your hand or wrist directly into the chainring teeth, which may results in an injury since the teeth are typically sharp and also quite greasy.
Now turn the wrench the right way and pedals should loosen up pretty easy. Note that if you turn it the wrong way first you can make it even harder to remove the pedals because you tightened them even more first!
Sometimes you try to remove your pedals and just can't get them off. It just happens. Well, here is another tip for you how to deal with even with the most difficult and stuck pedals. Try to use a penetrant or lubricant. These products are often used in automotive industry and they really work. So if you have the right product and the time to wait for it to work, apply penetrant or lubricant to the pedal threads. Give the time to the product to work its magic, it should penetrate its way between the threads making the pedals removable.
However, if even the lubricant or penetrant doesn't get the job done, try to use heat. Try heating the crank arm with a propane torch. Heat only the crank arm, not the pedal, which likely has plastic or rubber seals or parts that the heat can damage.
Heating the crank arm a bit will expand it slightly (especially aluminum crank arms) and should loosen the pedal. Just be careful NOT to touch the hot crank arm and burn yourself because it doesn't take much to heat up the crank arm so don't heat it too long! One of these two ways should work for sure and you'll finally get your pedals off. The job is done!
So you've just learned how to professionally install and remove your pedals! Now get out there and enjoy the ride!
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