Bicycle Mechanics - Pedal cranks switched - bad?

I just got my bike back from the LBS (replaced crank bearings), and I noticed the left pedal crank is now on the right, and vice versa. Should I change them back or is it okay? (if I do need to change them back, do I need a torque wrench or will a regular spanner suffice?)
I'm just wondering if it won't be a problem because of the reverse threading for (what should be) the left pedal.

Thanks!

If your cranks are switched, your chainrings would now be on the opposite side of the bike. I'd like to see what your chainline looks like now.

I think he just means the pedals... I might be a little concerned... but someone else mayb want to jump in and rid me of my concerns here?

If the threading is ok - all you should need is a spanner... and hand torque it down.

On all the bikes i've heard of, the pedals can NOT switch sides without destroying the crankarm threads.

Right-side pedals are normal (right-hand) thread, and left-side pedals are reverse (left-hand) thread. If you try to use the "righty tighty lefty loosey" trick on a left pedal, it won't work.

Yeah, that was my concern... thanks for explaining it...

I would be horribly surprised if the threaded the pedals in backwards, but if they did I wouldn't ever go back there again...

Are we on Candid Camera?

I got it! It's a single-chainring. The LBS destroyed one of swoop's crank arms. So they looked around at what they had laying around that looked similar and found a set of tandem pilot cranks. Put 'em on backwards, swapped in the chainring, wrenched on the pedals backwards hoping no one would notice.

Well, it could happen...

okay, thanks... I think.

okay, thanks... I think.

No, I wanna know EXACTLY what has happened here. I don't understand. :eek:
Can you describe it again? :)

I think he just means the pedals... I might be a little concerned... but someone else mayb want to jump in and rid me of my concerns here?

If the threading is ok - all you should need is a spanner... and hand torque it down.

Don't offer mechanical advice when you don't know what you are talking about... :mad:

"Can you describe it again?"

ditto. now are your gears on the left side and your gear-less crankarm on the right side? or is the problem something else?

Yeah, it's drivin' me nuts trying to picture what's happened to this poor guy's bike

is it possible for you to post a picture? i think that would put everybody at ease

You're messing with us right?

no no... it's just the arms. I thought cranks was the term but maybe I've got it wrong. the bits that connect the pedal to the crankshaft? lol. Anyway, it's all good now, sorry for the confusion!



(Edit - just to elaborate: from the responses, it seems the norm is for the right arm to be a part of the chain-ring? in which case I guess my bike is an anomaly or a freak or something, because it isn't a single assembly. I switched the arms back and that was that. Incidentally, I knew they'd been switched because the left arm was replaced some time ago and wasn't a match. Thanks anyway!)

The right crank (you had the right term) isn't part of the chainring, but is attached to the spider that attaches to the chainring. I think we are having trouble picturing what the problem was, since if the cranks were transposed, there would have been no way for you to pedal, since the chainring would have been moved to the left side of the bike.

I think he is talking about bmx 3-piece cranks. Often they have the hole that the chainring bolts to on both the left and right crank arms so you can run the chainring on the left side of the bike. If the mech at the shop took everything appart and wasn't paying attention it would be possible to assemble it with what was the left arm on the right. The only difference between a right and left arm is the direction of the pedal threads and you can only tell which pedal is which on a lot of bmx pedals by looking at the thread or the letter stamped on the axel so it's pretty easy to mix the arms up.

I still think he's messing with us...