Artkansas 

Last time I was in that situation, I used Liquid Wrench, soaked it liberally, tapped it with a hammer as they recommend, then I waited a day and tried again. It took 3 cycles of this to do the job but it worked.

Beverly

I ended up taking my bike to the LBS to get the pedals removed because I couldn't budge them Even the wrench at the shop had a hard time getting them loose. At least my LBS has never charged me for swapping pedals on the bikes. I think I would squawk at the $30.

Digital Gee

Happy Ending!

So I take the bike to the LBS, and they swap the pedals. The wrench used that long Park Tools wrench, and they came right off after a bit of ooommmphing. He agreed they were on tight. He greased the new pedals and installed 'em.

Then he hands me an invoice for $10. I question him, asking if that charge was applied to new bikes when the new owner choose a pedal, and said, "Yep. They want me to make some money back here too."

I didn't say much, but grumbled on my way to the register. The shop manager was there and he remembered me (he sold me the pedals). He asked me if I had gotten them installed and I told him I couldn't get 'em off and that the guy in the back had put them on. I handed him the invoice.

He looked at me, said "Don't tell him I'm doing this," and put the invoice in a drawer. No charge.

Now doggone it, what shall I do with my "ready for a fight" energy that I brought into the store? This is the second time they've very pleasantly surprised me. First time you might remember I came in about two weeks after buying my bike and noticed it was now on sale -- and they refunded the difference (over $100) on the spot!

Mind you, this LBS is inconvenient -- at least four LBS's are closer to my place. But I guess I have to keep trading there -- they have a great attitude!

Oh -- and the $30 charge listed by the pedals display I still don't understand. Maybe it's for people who buy pedals for their used bikes and want them installed? I don't know.

I'm excited about my new pedals and look forward to a good ride this afternoon.

tlc20010

Good going DG. Now get out there and ride of all that pent up energy.

My guess is that the pedal change charge is for folks who bring in Nashbar purchased pedals and want the lbs to install them.

MTBLover

Seems to me that's exactly what you should be doing with all that pent-up energy! Glad to hear it all worked out, and htat you have such a great LBS. This is the kind of place that keeps people coming back. I have one like this too- have to go into the center of town to get there, but it's definitely worth it.

Old School

Cool!

Jet Travis

[QUOTE=Digital Gee;4972410]Happy Ending!

QUOTE]

Damn. I really wanted to see what you were gonna do with that big hammer and a jar of lube.

card

[QUOTE=Jet Travis;4973718]hmmmmmmm.....................I was thinking the same thing

but this is a G rated forum

bkaapcke

Ruby is too new to have really stuck pedals, unless someone forgot to put anti-sieze on the threads when they were installed. Take it all to the shop where you bought it. I know you are 'tool averse' and maybe you should leave well enough alone. They may want $ for it, but Ruby is too nice to abuse. bk

SSP

Bad advice re: "don't overtighten". My LBS owner told me that pedals are about the only thing on the bike that you "can't overtighten".

Park Tools recommend 276-354 in-lbs of torque, depending on the pedal.

DG's pedal was likely not "stuck"...more likely, it was properly torqued, and his "shorty" pedal wrench was simply not up to the task of removal.

Beverly

I've seen some references to being careful not to strip the threads due to over tightening. Why does Park recommend lbs of torque if it doesn't matter? I doubt I would have any problem applying too much pressure to over tighten

SSP

Well, if you used a really big wrench, or a "cheater bar" (i.e., a length of pipe), you could get 400+ in-lbs, and that could be bad. Probably not due to stripping, but due to how difficult it would be to remove. But with a standard pedal wrench, I doubt that over-torquing is much of an issue.

As for why Park recommends lbs of torque - every bolt on your bike has a recommended torque value. They're designed to ensure parts stay together, and not damage the components.

jazzy_cyclist

post-mortem comments:

as noted on the Park Tools site, put the chain on the large chain ring so you don't get impaled when you slip. I use a towel or two to pad things.

the length of the wrench makes a huge difference; get the longest one that you can.

In addition to the WD-40, stuff, I've also had success with boiling water.

Retro Grouch 

I'm glad it worked out for you. I checked out some airfares from St Louis to San Diego, but I'd still have to charge somewhat more than $30.00. I'd be worth it though 'cause I'm good!

Digital Gee

maddmaxx 

I wonder if old auto mechanics tricks would work. We used amonia on stuck axle shafts. Part was to free stuck "stuff" and part was to chill the part so it would shrink slightly. Perhaps "icing" the pedal would work?

I had never noticed the one about putting the chain on the outer ring........filed that away for future reference as it seems like such a simple and reasonable suggestion.......ouch.

Jet Travis

I still like the idea of a big hammer.

lhbernhardt

Any time I've got anything seized up on the bike (cartridge bearings in hubs, stuck seat post, stuck old-style stem in threaded steerer), and it's an aluminum-to-steel connection, my last resort is a propane torch. Heat the aluminum so it expands and then pull it loose, or wait until the aluminum and steel are cooling and pull it loose depending on whether the steel is inside the aluminum or vice-versa.

As far as tightening cranks, I once completely stripped the pedal threads on a set of old Ultegra cranks after swapping out a set of Shimano SPD pedals for a set of Bontrager SPD pedals. I'm not sure whether I overtightened or didn't tighten enough. Very strange. I had used an anti-seize lubricant on the threads, and I thought that might have contributed to this. I put the pedals on, went for a ride, and stripped the threads on both cranks while climbing a 1-km hill. Anway, I've had the Bontrager pedals on two subsequent sets of cheaper Shimano cranks and no problems.

- L.

freeranger

Now that you can get the pedals on and off, it's time for a set of these:
https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...0&category=114