Bicycle Mechanics - how do you put pedals on

hey can anyone tell me how to put platform pedals on? they tell me which one is left and which one is right, but what I need to know is what kind of oil i need to use and how much torque and stuff to use. oh yeah and how do i take the original padals off? :crash:

Right pedal is right hand thread,and tightens clockwise.Left is left hand thrread and tightens anti clockwise. Use any kind of grease on the threads.Tighten firmly,no need for the gorilla act and cheater bar.You put pedals on the reverse of taking them off.You may need a proper pedal wrench or proper fitting open end wrench if one will fit between pedal flats and crank arm.

Pedals aren't too hard. The main thing to remember is that the Left pedal (marked "L" or "G") is reverse threaded. This means that both pedals tighten toward the front of the bike and loosen toward the back.

A pedal wrench is a great tool to have. It is a thin wrench with plenty of leverage. Sometimes it takes a little "oomph" to take a pedal off. You can get by with a thin adjustable wrench, though, if you need to. Some (most?) pedals can also be removed and installed from behind with a large allen wrench.

I'm sure there are torque specs for tightening pedals. I just don't know what they are. When I install pedals I just crank them down good and tight without forcing anything.

Grease the threads with a good quality bicycle grease. I have a tub of Park Grease that I use. White Lithium grease from an auto parts store will do the trick too.

Since I assume you are working on a BMX bike, I don't have to tell you to put the chain on the big ring before wrenching the pedals. On a bike with more than one chainring, this can save a lot of skin. A little slip with a pedal wrench can cost a lot of skin when your knuckles hit the teeth of a chainring.

Hope that helps! Good luck.

A few tips:
1) Do not confuse left and right!
2) The left pedal is left-threaded.
3) Oil or grease the theads before installing the pedals.
4) Beware of cross-threading, particularly with aluminum cranks. Hand-tighten before using the wrench.
5) Do not over-tighten, as pedals are (perhaps counterintuitively) self-tightening.

hey i heard that crisco works as grease is that true. and you guys say that you thread them on the opposite of the normal way? and by the way im workin on a mtb. thanks for the help.:thumbup:

Originally posted by mountaindew
hey i heard that crisco works as grease is that true. and you guys say that you thread them on the opposite of the normal way? and by the way im workin on a mtb. thanks for the help.:thumbup:

Crisco?!?! I've never heard about that one.:confused:





Not in relation with bikes anyway....:D

Originally posted by urban_assault


Crisco?!?! I've never heard about that one.:confused:





Not in relation with bikes anyway....:D That's upscale.It's bacon grease or possum fat if you're from Buttcrack Arkansas.

You should use anti-sieze compound on your pedal threads, in order to prevent them from corroding together. Saves you a lot of time and effort when you remove them...
If your pedals are French made (most Look brand pedals, for example), the right handed thread is marked "D", and the left hand thread is marked "G".

Originally posted by D*Alex
You should use anti-sieze compound on your pedal threads, in order to prevent them from corroding together. Saves you a lot of time and effort when you remove them. That's exaxtly the job gease does.

...but anti-sieze works much better, and lasts longer.....

your right, grease encourages tight to become loose. anti-seize retains the componants torque while the copper particles allow the threads to undo smoothly, so there! :D

Originally posted by greywolf
your right, grease encourages tight to become loose. anti-seize retains the componants torque while the copper particles allow the threads to undo smoothly, so there! :D Really? Sounds like applesauce to me.Anitseize is gease based

Originally posted by pokey
Really? Sounds like applesauce to me.Anitseize is gease based I'll have to try some goose fat.

no no, applesauce is no good,youd be off using your grease:D