Originally Posted by Viggen Ed
Is this ALWAYS the case, or just with modern bikes?
I ask because my GF found a department store mountain bike that was missing a pedal, and the pedals from her old sears road bike dont fit. Perhaps this is only the case with old bikes? Or maybe with department store bikes?
There is a difference between pedals for a one piece crank (like on old Schwinns and some cheap more recent bikes) and three piece cranks. The one piece cranks are 1/2 inch and the three piece are 9/16 inch.
I believe there may be some other, rarer exceptions, but these are the two groups which represent the only major differences you are likely to encounter.