[Closed] Really stuck pedal

Hammer?

Hammer was tried too, both wooden mallet and proper hammer, still no budge

Now got a trip to the lbs to remove a bloody pedal 🙁

Heavy friend and a long pedal spanner - worked for me

A loooooooong lever on the end of the spanner. And a rubber mallet.

(best of luck) 😥

Get some big ass leverage on that spanner boss man. Got any metal pipe?
Is there a Allen key hole on the inside?

As I don't know you I hate to state the obvious.

But you do know that the Threads......?

seems odd after such a short time on

Should be OK if they were greased before fitting

I'm in the trying to turn it the wrong way camp too...

Give him some credit dudes, he fitted the pedals!

Cant be the wrong way shimano have markers on for tightening up, the left one came off fine as per the marker

I've already rounded off one cheap pedal wrench and it's buggered the plastic on the spindle

It just won't budge

Lbs it will be going to tomoz can't be arsed getting stressed over that after a day at work haha

did you fit your pedals?

or someone in a bike shop?

its a question of leverage

if you use the same tool as was originally used, and apply the same force, it will release with no problem

using a different tool (smaller leverage) or using less force (if fitted in a shop, maybe the mechanic likes lifting weights and drinking Monster Energy at work!)

a good trick is to slip a long steel tube over the tool, to increase the effective torque without compromising your safety by placing too much load on a smaller tool

Had this with an M540 once. Nothing would shift it. Ended up stripping it to the bare axle, ground a couple of flats on it and held the axle in a vice and swung on the crankarm. Cheapest solution in the end and just bought a replacement axle.

Should be OK if they were greased before fitting

Do Park Tools make a time machine?

Yes I fitted them, yes I used the same tool to fit them

I got one pedal off with a little force but no more than I've ever done before

However the other won't shift, hitting it with more force has stripped the tool and demolished the plastic next to the nut

Not really sure why it's gone so tight there was copper slip on the one that came out so I must have put it on both

Balls!!!!!

I had a similar thing with a Shimano pedal.

I eventualy got it out of the crank arm using a combo of removing the pedal body from the axle, grinding a couple of flats on the axle and a bit of heat on the crank arm.
With the axle clamped in a vice I wound the crank arm around the pedal.
Turns out the allen key fitting in the axle had splayed out and that's what was holding it in so tight.Trying to remove it using the allen key was splaying it further and tighter.
As the pedal wound out it pulled half the crank threads with it. 😐
Cleaned up OK after with a tap and is still in use now. 🙂

Have you tried getting it to turn [i]at all[/i] in the "wrong" direction? Maybe it just needs a bit of shock to break the tension.

Have you tried getting it to turn at all in the "wrong" direction? Maybe it just needs a bit of shock to break the tension.

This is exactly what I lie to myself every time I turn the threads on my pedals the wrong way, this happens approximately 100% of times I change pedals ( WTF can I not remember which is which I just have to live with)

Yeh tried the opposite way with a good whack just incase and also just to try to shock it

But worried as they are carbon cranks, so don't really want to damage it

It's only a cheapo m530 trail pedal so not bothered about the pedal anyways just want the bugger off

I've had them tight before but nothing a hammer doesn't sort, this is just mega stuck even with a fair bit of leverage

what can happen is when you install the pedal you allow the cromoly steel pedal axle to bite hard into the aluminium alloy crankarm (or insert for perhaps, the CF crank you mention)

this then chews into the insert, creates a binding ridge, and makes it hard to remove as you need to overcome this ridge to remove the pedal

try using the largest / longest tool you can create. if the pedal uses an allen key fitting, try using the wrong end of an adjustable spanner to leverage against the allen key. If the pedal needs a pedal spanner, get some tubing to slide over the pedal spanner end - I have used a metal vacuum cleaner extension tube in a pinch..but don't tell my missus!

Try a penatrating oil, a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and actetone is supposed to be far better at breaking stuck parts than any off the shelf stuff. Lots cheaper too.

It's only a cheapo m530 trail pedal so not bothered about the pedal anyways just want the bugger off

Seriously.
Pedal body off and grinder/vice time is your best bet.

Kill the pedal, grip the axle in the vice. Have you tried boling water over it? See it that helps?

Pedal spanner plus scaffolding pole.

If you work out the force you can apply this way it is highly unlikely it will have been put in with that much!

Cheers guys I've given up for the night haha

I'm just gonna pop in lbs tomoz I'm pretty sure they will have dealt with far worse than mine and touch wood it comes off for them

For future reference are the park tools ones any good at ~ 30 quid?

But thinking about it the new pedals are 8mm hex only, is there a decent tor those ones?

Such a pain in the arse the first pedal came off so quickly in about 30 seconds then wasting an hour of my life trying to do the other

Why oh why sometimes!

Is the bike in a stand so you waste energy flexing that rather than on the floor so more energy goes into removing the pedal?

Bigyinn plus 1

It was upside down on the floor with a couple of spare hands

It was the left pedal and it was marked on left pedal with the tighten marker so can't have got it wrong, I reckon it's something a bit more like others have said above maybe jammed in the threads or similar

Will report back tomoz I'm sure the shop can help they usually can and the mechanics have been top ones for 20 years plus can't see them not being able sort it me

I doubt its seized, though it does seem odd (the other explanations above sound utterly bizarre).

Proper grip and leverage (i.e one hand on the end of the other crank, allen key perhaps in a vice?) should do it.)

Done the one person on other crank scenario, no budge

Had the wrench on the nut, again with a big hammer and hit it ( this has always worked worst case for me) still no budge

Numerous whacks to try get it budge and nada, it wasn't exactly a small wrench either had a fair but of leverage to whack the thing

Bummer hate taking it in the shop for menial tasks like this

You have said that you are following the tighten mark on the pedal, I think you'll find that the tighten marking is for the axle into the pedal, not the pedal into the crank, to my knowledge no pedal brand shows what way to tighten the pedal, just left and right.

My way of remembering how to loosen a pedal is to remember how to tighten, when you fit pedals to a bike you could hold the axle with a pedal spanner and pedal backwards to tighten on both sides, so hold the axle close to the crank arm and rotate backwards, that would be to tighten so it's the other way to loosen, ps like someone else said, chuck a kettle of hot water on it just before, always helps.

You really should be able to get this out with a pipe on the end of the pedal spanner. I use an old alloy seat post. The left pedal is the 'wrong way' so turn it clockwise to loosen.

had a quick check again this morning, with bike upright (rather than upside down), defo un-doing it the correct way, its one tight bugger, dunno how its bonded that quickly after probably only 2-4 weeks of being fitted like that, ive had pedals come off after not being touched for well over a year easier than this

will leave it with LBS to sort now, least i was turning it the right way 😆

and surely the tighten marker on the pedal is a sign of which way it tightens on to the crank arm? if not thats a bit confusing as i read it as that anyways

Trick that's worked for me in the past is to get the spanner on, then line up the cranks and spanner 'just so', then I can apply constant pressure with my heel on the 'free' end of the spanner whislt toes are on the pedal end. Standing on the bike whilst leaning on a wall usually gets it done.

Try that, or get a bigger hammer!

I'd bet the lbs has the pedal off within seconds. Let us know what happens, my day is boring today.

haha i will do jekyll, i also rounded off my cheap pedal x tools pedal spanner, so probably didnt help matters

new pedals are a 8mm only hex, so hopefully i wont/cant overtighten them quite the same (never had an issue getting 8mm hex ones off before)

had to leave it with them for time being - couldnt get it off with a park tools one whilst i waited

hmmmmmm something may have gone wrong with the threads?

fingers crossed i get an email with it sorted 🙁

why oh why does every simple task on a bike turn to shite!

hahah email received within five minutes 😆

sorted, thank god for that!

my crank boot was making it difficult to get purchase, so thats been sacrifised, not arsed though can order another set for 7quid

andddd breattttheeee

woohoo!

Hooray!
How much did they charge you?

The park tools pedal spanner is well worth the dosh, it's got a head shaped like a medieval head cleaving axe ( so dual functionality which is always a plus) and shifts anything without resorting to scaffolding poles and the like.

With pedals I ALWAYS use copperslip rather than grease as this is a specific anti seize compound in comparison to grease ( grease still being way better than a dry fit). Always fit the pedals with an Allen key not the big fek off spanner (that's just there for taking then off ) and don't over torque them either they will tighten naturally in use.

wtf is a crank boot?

trail_rat - Member
wtf is a crank boot?

jekkyl - Member
Hooray!
How much did they charge you?

hooray indeed, chuffed nothing was buggered too

My lbs are fairly awesome, i doubt there would be a charge TBH but im buying a new set of crank boots too which are 7 quid, ill probably if they dont charge offer a extra £5er for the pedal removal

worth it, i spent an hour last night getting stressed, thats the beauty of being friendly with your lbs 🙂

and yeah crank boots are plastic covers for the ends of cranks, stops them getting battered by the peak rocks, work a treat!

ps i wont need a pedal wrench again now as new pedals have a 8mm hex, will invest in a proper one of them though

any recommendations for one?

I'm not that heavy!

pedros do an extra long one especially for taking off pedals....

wera also do an extra long one - the whole set costs the same as the pedros yellow one....

Park Tool HT-8 is what you want.

[img] [/img]

cheers joeg, reckon that will probably be my next purchase! nice solid grip too rather than wrecking my hands on a standard 8mm hex!