Bicycle Mechanics - Pedal wrench substitue?

So I got my sexy new Look A5.1 TDF edition pedals (yes, the great deal from Performance) but... have no pedal wrench, and the set of wrences I do have don't fit. :eek: :cry: Suggestions?

BTW, what is up with the pedals having a Supergo price tag on them? Aren't Supergo and Performance competitors? :fight:

Answer to question #1: Buy pedal wrench.

Answer to question #2: Performance owns Supergo.

alternate to buying is making. this requires having an expendable wrench and either access to a grinder or a file & immense patience. If you have an old 15mm wrench file and or grind it narrow enough to fit. If you lack this option, buying the proper tool is likely the most expedient solution.

I had my last set of pedals for six years... I don't see a pedal wrench as a great investment. OTOH, if it's cheaper than having the local shop put it on...

You can pick up a pedal wrench for under 10 bucks, it's a good tool to have... suppose you need to swap your cranks next... You might be able to find a thin head wrench at a hardware store... anything narrow enough will do the job even if it's not a very good wrench... not much torque for pedals.

BTW, what is up with the pedals having a Supergo price tag on them? Aren't Supergo and Performance competitors? :fight:

Performance owns both Supergo and Nashbar - quite the behemoth in the bicycle mail order biz.

Looks like I have to get a cheap pedal wrench. Ah well. At least this thread was instructive. :) (Nashbar AND Supergo? shows how much I've been paying attention)

My pedals have an 8mm hole in the end of the pedal shaft, any pedals I buy in the future will also have that feature.

I use the same long 8mm allen wrench I use for crank removal

So I got my sexy new Look A5.1 TDF edition pedals (yes, the great deal from Performance) but... have no pedal wrench, and the set of wrences I do have don't fit. :eek: :cry: Suggestions?

BTW, what is up with the pedals having a Supergo price tag on them? Aren't Supergo and Performance competitors? :fight:


Can't you use a 15mm open end box wrench? I don't own a pedal wrench and I take my pedals off 1-2 times per year for various reasons....

I wouldn't use an adjustable, unless no other choice. They may slip and eventually round out your pedal.

Digger

Can't you use a 15mm open end box wrench? I don't own a pedal wrench and I take my pedals off 1-2 times per year for various reasons....

I wouldn't use an adjustable, unless no other choice. They may slip and eventually round out your pedal.

Digger

Actually late last night I found a 15mm wrench I had forgotten I had but it's waaay too short to get enough leverage to take off my current pedals (remember, they've been on for a long time). I figure now if I'm going to get a new wrench, it might as well be a pedal wrench.

By the way, thanks to everyone for the replies. I'm really enjoying this forum (joined a few days ago!).

Actually late last night I found a 15mm wrench I had forgotten I had but it's waaay too short to get enough leverage to take off my current pedals (remember, they've been on for a long time). I figure now if I'm going to get a new wrench, it might as well be a pedal wrench.

By the way, thanks to everyone for the replies. I'm really enjoying this forum (joined a few days ago!).


Ah, makes sense. If on for along time they can be hard to get off. Try using a pipe on the end of the wrench for more leverage. Of course, ya gotta find yerself a pipe.

But yeah, ya might as well get a proper pedal wrench.......


Digger

Don't forget that one pedal is left-hand thread and one right-hand. You might be unable to get it off 'cos you're tightening it.

Don't forget that one pedal is left-hand thread and one right-hand. You might be unable to get it off 'cos you're tightening it.


Hehe, thanks for the tip, but I did my homework with the "search" feature here. A couple of pedals threads (haha, no pun intended) reminded me of the reversed sense of the threading. My 15mm is really pretty wimpy -- probably not even half the length of a proper pedal wrench.

I have a small adjustable wrench that I've used, but like you said it's too short to get off old pedals. At one of the shops on my campus they have a bunch of tools sitting outside for people to use so I just go there and use a real pedal wrench to loosen them, ride home, and take them off with my little adjustable wrench when I get home. No need to have one to tighten... they'll get tight on there own. Maybe a shop would let you use their pedal wrench for a few seconds just to loosen them up.

Then again... it IS only like $10...

I have a small adjustable wrench that I've used, but like you said it's too short to get off old pedals. At one of the shops on my campus they have a bunch of tools sitting outside for people to use so I just go there and use a real pedal wrench to loosen them, ride home, and take them off with my little adjustable wrench when I get home. No need to have one to tighten... they'll get tight on there own. Maybe a shop would let you use their pedal wrench for a few seconds just to loosen them up.

Then again... it IS only like $10...

My brother suggested that to me today. He has a pedal wrench, but doesn't know where it is (doh!). Anyway, it is only $10 if I can get to one for $10. With my schedule, it is not easy to get to a shop other than the itty-bitty one around the corner (why is his shop the one open late? go figure). I'd like to ride my new pedals for a couple of days before the NYC Century this Sunday, too. I guess I'll beg the local guy to borrow his wrench for a minute. :)

Again, thanks for the suggestions!

(remember, they've been on for a long time).
.
Remember to grease the threads when installing the new pedals otherwise it'll be a real pain in the rear to get them off next time.

Remember to grease the threads when installing the new pedals otherwise it'll be a real pain in the rear to get them off next time.

You bet. I cleaned the cranks carefully with some degreaser, wiped with a clean cloth, dried them out... the brought out the can of White Lithium (mmmm, grease) and off I went. I must say, the black looks quite nice with my blue Lemond frame (it matches the black bottle cages!).

FYI, the guy at the shop was bored and had nothing to do, so I guess I did him a favor by stopping by. :) Good man, he didn't charge me for the 10 seconds of work to loosen the old pedals (though he did have to make quite an effort with the big wrench, even!).

FYI, the guy at the shop was bored and had nothing to do, so I guess I did him a favor by stopping by. :) Good man, he didn't charge me for the 10 seconds of work to loosen the old pedals (though he did have to make quite an effort with the big wrench, even!).They sure don't need to be that tight. I've even hosed a good wrench getting some off what had to have been installed by a monon on steroids with a cheater bar.

Another option is a 15 mm cone wrench. I have a single ended 15mm Park cone wrench which is a little longer than my double ended wrenches.

Mike

I tried the new pedals today on my commute. It's nice not to feel like I'm on a wet banana peel anymore! Set a PB too, without going for it. :D

Another option is a 15 mm cone wrench. I have a single ended 15mm Park cone wrench which is a little longer than my double ended wrenches.

MikeGood way to ruin a cone wrench.

Good way to ruin a cone wrench.
No doubt. Why is it so hard for people to just get the right tools? I hate Mickey Mousing things.

I'm a former wrench and always enjoyed the person that came in with a stuck pedal. At this point in my life I just put them on and off without thinking. In one of the pedal threads a person posted that if you have the wrench handle pointed up and you move it Rear to Remove or Forward to ???? Help me here that was a great mnemonic to use to help a newbie keep it straight. I can’t find it in a search. Can any one point me to the post?

Cheers

In one of the pedal threads a person posted that if you have the wrench handle pointed up and you move it Rear to Remove or Forward to ???? Help me here that was a great mnemonic to use to help a newbie keep it straight.
Fasten? Just guessing though...

How 'bout "Pedal back makes 'em slack"? I tried to come up with a snappy rhyme for tightening them, but...

I always move the crank arms rather than the wrench (usually do the pair at once, actually), and this helped me through my first few times.

"Good way to ruin a cone wrench." Maybe.

I though the questin was about alternatives. A cone wrench works just fine. As someone noted, the torque on the pedals it not huge.

Last summer, while touring in France, there were several times I was going to have to take the pedals off (for transporting the bike). I preferred hauling the cone wrench around instead of the pedal wrench I have (and, which is several ounces heavier than the cone wrench). Besides the pedal wrench I have is a combo with a headset wrench on the other end, and is, thus, longer (and heavier) than it needs to be for just pedal use. Our touring bikes have threadless headsets. I purchased the 15 mm cone wrench for just this use.

What's the best tool? A pedal wrench, or course. But, it isn't the only tool. And, there may be good reasons for using an alternative.

Mike

I still wonder why one would want to risk marring a nice set of pedals by using a substitute tool? That being said, my older 6 inch genuine Crescent wrench is a very good fit for most pedals. The newer one has jaws that are much wider and will chew up either the crank or the pedal.

Doc

during my tenure as a wrench, i used to tell people that screw both pedals toward the front wheel

I have a small adjustable wrench that I've used, but like you said it's too short to get off old pedals.

FYI- slipping a pipe over a short wrench is a great way to get extra leverage. And is also how I removed some old pedals last week.

p.s. I'd recommend almost anything before an adjustable wrench; its probably the least-used tool I own.

A 15mm box wrench works fine. If you want to waste a cone wrench, feel free to use that too.