I bought a second hand bike, unfortunately with personal commitments I had to leave it alone for a week and I never noticed that the left hand pedal had a rounded allen bolt so cannot be removed to put my own pedals on, it doesn’t have flats for spanner use, just the allen bolt. Its an Xpedio M force.
A pipe wrench doesn’t want to grab the axle, so what can I do to get it out without ruining the cranks? I have limited tools at my disposal, no heat gun or vice. A 6mm allen key just keeps rotating…

Any thoughts? I have tried to take the main body apart but the end bolt is also stuck tight.

Your options are pretty limited I’m afraid – soaking it in Plus gas then trying a Torx bit is probably the best you can manage without destroying the crank.

Couple of things I’d try.

Try hammering a large Torx bit into the rounded allen key hole and using that. If that doesn’t work, cut the pedal body off and get the pipe wrench on the axle.

Wedge Allen key in and secure with some araldite and give it hell? Try some heat as the crank should expand more than the pedal axle (iirc). Buy a new crank arm and chalk it up to experience and just get out and enjoy the bike sooner?

I’d sacrifice the pedal and get something on the stub /axle.

Heat gun on the crank arm to expand the Aluminium and use a T40 or T45 torx bit hammered into the rounded 6mm pedal axle and a decent breaker bar.

Or persevere with removing the pedal from the axle and clamp the pedal axle in a mates vice and use a section of pipe over the crank arm for extra leverage.

If you have limited tools then ask a mate with tools to help out.

If you have limited tools then ask a mate with tools to help out.

That would be my advice. You’ll need a few tools. If you are in Bristol I’d be happy to lend a hand in my shed by I suspect you are oop north

Left hand pedals turn clockwise to undo 😉

Had a similar problem with an xtr crank,and I wasn’t going to loose it. I tried everything but to no avail. The only way I got the pedal off was to sacrifice the pedal, cut the pedal off the spindle, weld a long bar to the spindle stub, put the crank arm in a vice and apply leverage to the bar. even with a 1m long bar attached it took a bit of push pull, but it freed.

Left hand pedals turn clockwise to undo

Not if you’re looking at the Allen key on the back…

If you held the axle and pedaled forwards you would unscrew the pedal. That’s the way I think of it when my little brain is struggling

take it to your friendly lbs.

Depending on how much metal is available, you could try grinding spanner flats on the axle. You’d need to get them very parallel, and so that a spanner fits snugly. Then a pipe over the spanner for extra leverage (or stick it in a vice). But I doubt most pedal axles are thick enough to get any decent purchase on, without twisting the axles itself.

Pedals are one of the most common things that can be a bugger to remove. Often, because some idiot has given it too much welly when installing ( I never give it too much, and I’ve never had a pedal fall off), the thread hasn’t been given a dab of great/copperslip, or simple corrosion from being left in a damp environment. Or a combination of all three.

I’m not a fan of pedals with only a hex key fitting, but if no choice, then grease the threads well, and don’t over tighten!

Thanks All…i’m thinking it may be an LBS job with the right tools…or a new crank 🙁

Quick question…when you say cut the pedal body off….what would you use? I can’t get the bolt out to remove it easily

Got same situation myself with some old Vaults. Normally been no problem getting them off but one has decided to round off. Hammering a torx will be next option though don’t want to wreck the torx.

bencooper – Member 

Left hand pedals turn clockwise to undo

Not if you’re looking at the Allen key on the back… [/quote]

If you look at it from a tool vertical, it’s always towards the rear of the bike. Whichever way you look at it, whichever pedal.

Opp north. Where are you based? I’m about 15 miles south of Preston and could cut the pedal body off and remove the axle if your localish.

thanks for the offer Oldschool, but I’m in Northamptonshire. I have managed to hammer a torx in, now I need to find a decent spanner to help give enough force.

Quick question…when you say cut the pedal body off….what would you use? I can’t get the bolt out to remove it easily

Hacksaw, I’d probably start off by going down the line of the spindle as best as I could judge it, but it doesn’t really matter as it’s going to be scrap anyway.

Sounds like you are sorted though.

need to find a decent spanner to help give enough force.

I’d use a small hexagon,(not 12 point) socket on a non-ratchet spanner with a long piece of pipe as an extension. Would be tempted to give it a good soaking with some Plusgas, (best) WD40 or really thin lubricant overnight to give a better chance of success.

~1995, I turned my old Peugeot 531 racer upside down and tipped a can of coke down the hole by the BB, to let it free up the seat tube from the seat post over ~24 hours. It worked a treat, I placed a bit of wood on the saddle, gave it some light persuasion with a hammer and it freed up nicely.

Could immersing a pedal in coke for ~24 hours help unbind it from the cranks, without destroying the crank threads?

Can’t you use the stuck bolt to undo the axle?
Trying to do up the stuck RH thread bolt will try to undo the LH thread axle. 💡

alas no, the stuck end bolt sheared with a little persuasion, so that pedal body ain’t coming off the natural way. the pedal is toast so it looks like cutting time if I can’t move it with the torx bit. First i’ll get some penetrating fluid on it.

Don’t bother with the penetrating fluid; that thread is clogged solid. A better technique for removing stuck bolts etc. is to wallop the piece sharply on the end with a hammer, which breaks the bond, before trying to turn it. That’s how impact screwdrivers work.

Last one I did was a case of removing the crank, destroying the peday with a combination of hacksaw and whatever hammer was nearest, then clamping axle in a vice before applying heat and lots of force.
I know you say you have no heat gun or vice, but who doesn’t need new tools every now and again?